The Active Use of Songs in the English Classroom.doc

the active use of songs in the english classroomtop institute of information and technology, shaoxing , zhejiang 312000,chinaabstract: songs in language teaching offers exciting possibilities to train learners communicative competence. this article considers the value of relating songs and english in the language classroom. a number of suggestions are made to provide the teacher with a range of teaching devices.key words: active use, songs, and english classroom introduction: from a science point of view, sounds are the roots of both songs and speech. our melodic approach is based on the evidence that musicality of speech as an effect not only on the pronunciation skills of efl students but also on their entire language acquisition process. using a song to any group of the lesson immediately changes. there is a sense of energy and anticipation, which other activities do not always generate. in addition, as domeney and harris (1993:235) point out. more time and attention to pop music in an english curriculum would increase student motivation because classroom activities would use their knowledge, their music and their language.discussionenglish actually becomes a type of inter-national language, and it has been a material of politics and economy. li langqing, the chinese formal vice prime minister, once pointed out that indias environment for investment is not as good as chinas, but thanks to the indias english level is generally higher than chinas, western countries had been increasing the investment in india recently, esp. on the development of high-tech (e. g. development of computer software). now, the world economy is developing swiftly and violently, china is facing more chances and challenges. to meet the growing demands of a developing economy, higher education has to improve dramatically, esp. english.of course, english is completely a foreign language, and chinese culture and english culture belong to different culture systems, students should overcome double barriers- language and culture, when they learn english .we can imagine the difficulties. in the light of my own experience as a learner and teacher, i see all these approaches and others are aiming at integrating traditional english teaching, which used to be dealt with in a satisfactory way and result in inhibition in earning, with meaningful communicative learning, conducted by task-based form-focused, consciousness-raising activities for the ultimate objective of using the language appropriately, however, they are not perfect. though students are taught at least six years in middle school isolated grammar structures and rules under formal instruction in word or sentence level, which makes them feel dull in class. but test-oriented syllabus forces them to recognize its importance. if they are taught in a better approach, they have the motive to learn. when deciding on a teaching approach and activities, teachers had better try to find a method best suit their needs and the one that is feasible in raising their interest by integrating grammar instruction and communicative language. since music and songs have great potential language teaching, my major concern is how to use songs as an alternative way to raise their interest to facilities learning. in this article, four techniques are presented on how to use songs to serve teaching objectives in an interactive way.advantages of english songs in language teaching english songs are widely used in language teaching for a number of outstanding features. first, making learning enjoyable accords with the aim of english. hearing is one of the most basic and at the same time enriching capacities human beings possess. it is difficult for us to ignore a sound .a song approach to language teaching in which emphasis is given to the song language. second, making learning enjoyable accords with students psychological features and emotional requirement. students regularly swap cds by english-speaking singers and groups, and many of them know the lyrics of the songs by heart! the other hand is when negotiating with students to schedule a use of english practice slot, the powerful attraction is music and song. an understanding of the psychological aspects of communication is an integral part of language learning.third, the various types of songs are produced for learners of different levels of language proficiency. no matter what kind of language class, appropriate songs materials can always be found. lastly, presently authentic english can observe cultural background. linguistics has proved that culture plays an important role in second language learning. culture and language are so intricately interwoven that one can not separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture .the acquisition of a second language, except for specialized, instrumental acquisition, is also the acquisition of a second culture.(brown: 165)four steps in using english songs 1.choice of songs choosing songs materials are related to the success of efl in the class. this step can be done by not only teachers also students. comparatively speaking, students always select songs sung by famous or popular singers or bands that they adore. so these songs they like to listen to and sing, their enthusiasm will be greatly improved. teachers can compare these songs, and try to find out the best suitable songs in efl. and teachers should consider these aspects: the songs can be clearly listened, some words of songs are submerged in music, even teachers can not hear the lyrics clearly; the content of songs should be filled with wholesome thought and without negative influence; there should not be any new vocabulary or out-dated slangs. if not, students will have trouble in understanding or appreciating them. there is a varied of types of western songs, such as: pop music、country music、classical music、jazz music etc. in my opinion, pop music and jazz music are too exciting and bitterly, so they are not fit for in the efl. country music and classical music s melody is beautiful and lyric is classical, they are the better choice in efl. the following songs are quite good, i advice to make use of them. take me home country road (john denver) right here waiting (richard marx) sailing (rod stewart) tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree (tony orlando) i swear (all - 4 one) yesterday once more (the carpenters) lemon tree (peter, paul and mary) san francisco (john phillips) heal the world (michael jackson)2.preparation for lessons teachers can start to prepare lessons as soon as they decide to use a song. abundant and practicable preparation is the essential step of language teaching. teachers need not plan and organize reasonable content of activity, also evaluate the art of all techniques of efl and teaching aims. e.g.1 college english book 1 turning off tv an hour quiet. we can choose yesterday once more “, because two songs have similar era background. e.g.2 sailing “ can be used with college english book 1 sailing around the world; a white christmas” can be used with c.e. book 1 merry, miserable christmas; tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree” can be used with going home”, which is also in c.e.book1.3. actual use 3.1 practical listening listening to english songs does not mean listening to the song again and again, and then ask students to learn to sing it. there are a variety of ways to make full use of english songs. many linguistic and non-linguistic factors in communication, such as pronunciation and intonation, expressing can be perceived easily by language learners. it is more impressive and interesting than data in printed. used effectively, students enthusiasm, confidence and efficiency in learning can be greatly improved.3.1.1 filling in the blanks teachers can hand out the words of songs to students before class, and some of words are omitted, which ask students to fill in the blanks. e.g.1 yesterday once more when i was _, id listen to the _, waiting for _,when they_, i sing _,it made me _. e.g.2 a white christmas im _ (streaming /dreaming) of a white christmas, just like the ones i used to _(know /row). where the tree tops _ (glisten /listen), sleigh bells in the _(street /snow). e.g.3 sailing (1) cross (2) home (3) sailing (4) near (5) waters (6) stormy (7) free i am _, i am_, _ again _ the sea, i am _ to be _ you. this step can practice pronunciation and intonation also includes grammar, vocabulary and understanding. discourse intonation, the ordering of pitched sounds made by a human voice, is the first thing we learn when we are acquiring a language.3.1.2 dictation or spot dictation this job is not easy for students to do. when finishing listening to the songs for several times, students are asked to write down the words of songs. teachers can allow them to discuss with partners, or every group finish one paragraph, then the whole class check or discuss the lyrics together.3.1.3 true or false teachers can prepare several exercises according to the lyrics, write on the blackboard or on the slide picture before class. then ask students to make a decision after they listen to the song. e.g. take me home country roads (1) the story happens in east virginia. ( ) (2) there are green ridge mountain and shenandoah river .( ) (3) singers mama is a miners wife .( ) (4) the woman is named big mountain.( ) (5) the singer went home in the afternoon.( ) (6) the singer returned home by train.( )3.1.4 answering questionsif the lyrics are a complete story or affair, teachers can let students do filling in the blanks before listening, which can help them get the main idea, and after listening, ask them some questions according to the content of songs. these two steps can be chosen one of them. e.g. 1 what have they done to the rain? once upon a time there was a green country blessed with_and _ fields and _trees and _. thanks to the rain, the grass _ and the people were _.in that happy country there was a young boy. he liked _ the rain falling on his face and _.but then one day there was a _ carrying smoke with it , and the grass and the _. after some time , the little boy was standing _, and the rain kept falling. then the rain kept falling, but nothing _any more and there was no one living there. e.g.2 lemon tree (1) what did the boys father say? (2) describe the lemon. (3) does boys girlfriend become his wife ? (4) what do the boy want to tell us?3.1.5 training imagination when students finish listening, teachers can motivate students to think about some questions, which must be answered by using imagination, which based on the completely understanding the whole song. e.g. tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree (1) if you were the woman ,what would you do? (2) if the woman didnt tie a yellow ribbon round the tree, if you were the man , what would you do? (3) if the woman didnt receive the letter , but she still loved her husband deeply ,and she waited for him. what would be another result?3.2 activities after listening 3.2.1 for over a century language teachers have repeatedly been drawn to teach language as a purely formal system, and then had to remind themselves that their students need content with native speakers, and that the language class should provide an introduction to a country and its people .(h.h.stern, 1997) teachers had better be aware of relationship between language ,culture and society . it is very necessary to tell students background of some songs. e.g.1 michael jackson is a well-known world singer star. the number of the fans who adore him very well is very large. his strange appearance and beautiful and particular voice give us deep impressions. though his personal life is quite colorful , he shows great pity to the poor people. he often visits slums, hospital for infectious diseases, orphan schools . since 80s , the african countries have been experiencing natural calamities, wars ,badly pollution, thus a large number of people are facing famine. diseases, even death. jackson composed and sang the song - heal the world ,calling on human beings to heal the beautiful and fragile world.3.2.2 perform a short play yet, students love doing activities related to music in their free time , when we ask about their hobbies , listening to music 、singing 、dancing 、or playing an instruments is to take advantage of this handy and motivating source of aural input english. so it is also a quite good choice that asks students to perform a short-play after listening.3.2.3 learn to sing students improve their pronunciation skills while singing, but at the same time the repetitive lyrics in songs have a positive effect on the students language acquisition level. songs can be easily remembered, and are therefore an effective way of providing students with lexical patterns that are stored in their minds and that can be effortlessly retrieved during any oral interaction. it is possible to sing and even to remember the lyrics in a language one does not know at all.4. evaluation the song used in the english classroom serves multi-purposes. the introduction phase allows the teacher to assess what the students already know about the structure. the actual listening phase involves the students in active participation of the processing of the target structure. the communication phase is to have the students use the structure they have been practicing in a natural way. different activities activate students interest. however, the class in different phases needs to be skillful organized. otherwise too many activities would possibly confuse the students. in fact ,most of students like this method. i have put into practice during the practice teaching. major students show great interests in it. they cooperated with me very well in class; they borrow the tape or cd from me, and asked to play more times in class, even introduced good songs to me.language acquisition and language learning second language acquisition is sometimes contrasted with second language learning on the assumption that these are different process. the term acquisition is used to refer to picking up a second language through exposure, whereas the term learning is used to refer to the conscious study of a second language. the term second language acquisition refers to the sub-conscious or conscious process by which a language other than the mother tongue is learnt in a natural or a tutored setting. it covers the development of phonology, lexis , grammar , and pragmatic knowledge, but has been largely confined to morph syntax. (rod ellis,1999:6) language learning is actually a process of culture acquisition, students cannot acquire a language without suitable language and its culture environment. language learning is completely to students ability and skill, which needs a lot of language practicing. meanwhile, language is the product of special environment. students will improve efficiency if they are in suitable language environment, and acquire natural and pure english . putting english songs in efl in order to create more and more good language environment for students. music and language carl max said music is human beings second language. music and language share several features. on the one hand, both stems from the processing of sounds, on the other, both are used by their speakers to convey a message, although language is much more precise than music, whose effect is mainly emotional. on another level, music and language have intrinsic features in common, such as pitch, volume, stress tone, rhythm and pauses. another shared feature of language and music is that we learn both of them through exposure. no language can be acquired without oral or written input (or visual input, in the case of sign language), and in a similar fashion we acquire our notion of music from what we hear around us - which is why music from other cultures often sounds odd to us when it differs significantly from the patterns of sounds and rhythms to which we have grown accustomed.music and memory singing is an easy way of memorizing something. most of us can probably remember having learnt the multiplication tables with a specific tune. melody seems to act as a path or a cue to evoke the precise information we are trying to retrieve. so, for example, we are able to rehear mentally the voice and words of a person with whom we have had an argument. similarly, while reading the notes taken in a lecture, we will probably rehear the lectures voice, while at the same time we can mentally visualize the place from which s/he was talking and even her/his gestures or body movements. music seems to leave a particularly deep race in our memories this could be due to the fact that it is related to affective