The Role of Songs in Learning English

This article is about the role of songs in learning English. In this article it is spoken about the power of music that is used not only when teaching children, but also when teaching adults, especially when it comes to learning a language from scratch.

Keywords: effectiveness, influence, feelings, the emotions, music, famous, power, special.

Эта статья посвящена роли песен в изучении английского языка. Уделяется внимание силе музыки, которая используется не только при обучении детей, но и при обучении взрослых, особенно когда речь идет об изучении языка с нуля.

Ключевые слова: эффективность, влияние, чувства, эмоции, музыка, знаменитость, сила, особенность.

Songs in English lessons introduce not only a moment of creativity into the learning process. This is a great way to relieve tension, to delimit educational blocks of classes and, importantly, allow you to learn the rules of pronunciation, grammar, memorize words and expressions on the topic being studied in an easy and accessible manner. Easy, easy motive and simple rhyme are quickly remembered, not only for the period of study, but for the whole life.

Songs in English lessons are used not only when teaching children, but also when teaching adults, especially when it comes to learning a language from scratch. Of course, not playing songs are selected for adults in order to defuse the situation, but with maximum meaning.

Music is a powerful tool in teaching a foreign language. In simple children's songs there are great opportunities for teaching a child English. Watching how their kids just started learning English, happily sing songs, parents tend to be moved. They are pleased with their enthusiasm, and they are surprised at how great they sometimes grasp the pronunciation. A little thought, however, the most disturbing parents suddenly think about it and express doubts, for example: “but they don’t understand what they are singing about” or “oh, well, here they are singing something quite different...”. Indeed, this way of mastering the language most likely has nothing to do with how parents were taught in school — after all, the poor fellow does not know the alphabet, nor the grammar:) But... very much like the way children teach their native language. Probably everyone will remember something funny that they sang themselves as babies — not having heard or reduced some incomprehensible child line from the song.

So, the children’s misunderstanding of the text or the fact that they are wrong reproduce, you should not be disturbed. After all, if you talk like that, then you shouldn't sing lullabies for newborns — they don’t know a word in Russian, so they will increase vocabulary, grab a grammar. The use of songs in the target language is very important for a number of reasons. First, the students immediately become familiar with the culture of the country of the language being studied, since children of this age, according to the psychologist, especially sensitive and susceptible to a foreign culture. Secondly, when working with this kind of linguistic material, a good prerequisite is created for the comprehensive development of the student’s personality, because specially selected songs stimulate figurative thinking and form good taste. Song genre as one of the important genres due to the presence of a verbal text, musical creativity is able to accurately and figuratively reflect various aspects of the social life of the people of the country of the language being studied. The song, like another work of art, has a communicative function, i.e. the transfer of the content laid down by its author to the addressee. Methodical advantages of songs in teaching a foreign language:

– Songs as one of the types of verbal communication are a means of a more solid assimilation and expansion of vocabulary, as they include new words and phrases. It contributes to the development of children of feelings of language, knowledge of its stylistic features; — in the song's grammar is better absorbed and activated designs. In some countries, songs are published for learning the most common designs. They are written in a modern rhythm, accompanied by text with explanatory comments, as well as tasks (the purpose of which is to check the understanding and discussion of the content);

– songs contribute to the improvement of foreign language skills pronunciation, the development of musical ear. Determined that musical hearing, auditory attention and auditory control are in close relationship with the development of the articulately apparatus. Learning and the performance of short, simple melodic drawing songs with frequent repetitions help to fix the correct articulation and pronouncing sounds, phrasal stress rules, rhythm features, etc.;

– songs contribute to the aesthetic education of students, rallying collective, a more complete disclosure of the creative abilities of each.

– songs and other musical works stimulate monologues and dialogical utterances, serve as the basis for the development of speech-thinking activities of preschoolers, contribute to the development of how prepared, and unprepared speech.

Thanks to the music in class, a favorable psychological climate, psychological stress decreases, language activates activity, increases emotional tone, maintains interest in learning a foreign language.

References:

1. Abbott, M. (2002) “Using Music to Promote L2 Learning Among Adult Learners.” TESOL Journal 11 (1): 10–17
2. Failoni, J. W. (1993) Music as Means to Enhance Cultural Awareness and Literacy in The Foreign Language Classroom. Mid-Atlantic Journal of Foreign Language Pedagogy 7: 97–108. (accessed October 31, 2016)
3. Griffee, D. (1988) “Songs and Music Techniques in Foreign and Second Language Classrooms.” Cross Currents 15 (1): 23–35