Music Really Plays in ESL Classes
English Language Students Can Sing Their Way to Comprehension.
Though some traditionalists may argue that there is no place in the ESL classroom for a sing-a-long or "Jazz Chants" (see below), experience may show that English as a second language students respond favorably to the incorporation of music into a variety of courses.
Speaking & Listening Practice with Music
Helping ESL students develop confidence in their pronunciation abilities requires that they have a good understanding of speech rhythms in English, and practice with carefully selected songs can certainly aid in that effort. While many students will vaguely flounder their way through open book readings of passages in texts, these same ESL learners will often find comfortable "speaking" success as they sing along with a song made familiar to them.
An All-Purpose ESL Lesson Plan With Music
Choose a song such as Ella Fitzgerald's wonderful rendition of the classic "Blue Moon," a song that is not only beautiful but also practical for its interesting lyrics and a clear singing style. Start by creating a cloze exercise (i.e. fill-in-the-blank) and leave empty spaces for words that will challenge your students to listen carefully. You may have to play the song two or three times depending on the difficulty of the exercise or questions about vocabulary (e.g. "adore" not "a door.")
When the close exercise is complete, play the song again and have your language students sing along with it. Stop the tape or CD at particular spots and rehearse specific sounds as members of your class may request.
A few next steps may include an analysis of the lyrics on a grammatical level or an open discussion about the historical meaning behind the idea of the "Blue Moon," a topic that has the potential to lead international students to share other concepts of discovering love. Also, an introduction to the voice (both literal and figurative) of Ella Fitzgerald may prove interesting to your students.
Additional Music Resources
While the development of ESL lessons and materials that utilize music can be accomplished through very practical means, several textbook series and websites are dedicated to helping language teachers make use of music in the classroom. Some materials will offer suggestions for in-class lessons while others spend more time explaining in-depth the value of music in the classroom - all of which can prove useful in the preparation of an ESL class. Here are a few links that will help the curious ESL instructor get started making music in their classroom:
www.eslpartyland.com/students/nov/music.htm
www.caslt.org/research/music.htm
