Among the myriads of ways aiming at encouraging children to learn any foreign language one can easily state that the value of songs in teaching languages is indisputable. No matter how effective and great the course books are, teachers are always looking for the ultimate activity that makes their students use the language in a more natural way and therefore enjoy it. Songs help the teacher to alter what in the majority of cases is a monotonous time into a fertile land of learning and fun and see the students work cheerfully using the target language. As Philips (1993: 100) says: “You can use songs and chants to teach children the sound and rhythm of English, to reinforce the structure and vocabulary, or as Total Physical Response Activities – but above all to have fun.” Moreover, music that has strong rhythms, appealing melodic flow, obvious contrasts or unusual tone colours usually sparks students’ interest and, at the same time, develops the listening abilities.
Songs are part of people’s lives and they play a very important role especially in children’s education. The value of songs in motivating students to learn English and enhancing learner involvement is widely acknowledged by English as a Second Language practitioners (Giudice, 1986; Reeve and Williamson, 1987; Philips, 1993). Teachers and students alike find singing songs entertaining and relaxing because they offer a change from the routine procedures carried out in the classroom. What is more, songs are an invaluable tool the use of which develops not only listening and pronunciation but also other skills such as reading and writing. They can be used to teach and practise a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, stress, accent, vocabulary, pronunciation and so on. Not only can songs be used to teach English to elementary and secondary school children but also to adults in content courses for beginners. Lo and Li (1998) state that songs provide a break from classroom routine, and that learning through songs develops a non-threatening atmosphere for those, who usually feel great tension when speaking English in a formal classroom setting.

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