Music in English teaching.

All teachers of English as a foreign language want to give their students opportunities to speak English more spontaneously and creatively.

If we want to success we cannot forget that our pupils are different in perception of the language. First of all their school results depend not only on their intelligence. You must remember that our students are different in attitude and motivation for learning English, type of intelligence, interest and experience on the world. It is important to know that their success often depends on relationship with the teacher, family background or even gender.

Our techniques and methods which can develop the students language don't have to be very complicated but they should practice all language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. I am sure teaching by music, singing and songs is easy way to improve our students language.

Singing is a popular activity throughout the world and students always delight in learning English songs. Teaching an English song has the following benefits:
1. As you sing or play a recording of an English song, the students are apt to listen attentively, thereby improving their aural comprehension.
2. The vocabulary, sentiments and cultural background of the song can serve as discussion material.
3. Singing allows the pupils a chance to relax from the pressure of conversation.
4. Group spirit is forested through singing.
5. The students can carry the song beyond classroom and sing for family and friends. This, in turn, tends to reinforce the students' interests in English.
6. Singing is suitable for small and large groups alike.

You must remember that songs should not monopolize our lessons and cannot be taught and sung very often.

It is important to remember if you are not a good singer you should use a record -player or find some better singers than average in you class and may teach a song to these students first and they can lead the rest of the students in singing later on.

The kinds of songs that you choose to teach depend entirely on the age and interests. Teenagers usually want to learn well-known folk songs and particularly "hit" songs. Your students can often tell you names of the popular English songs they would like to learn, having heard them over the radio. But there a number of traditional English or American songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", "Old Macdonald", "I Love My Rooster" or some counting or spelling songs or Christmas carols that you can teach to your pupils if the songs are suitable for the age of the students, and the songs do not contain many archaic words.

What should you do?
1. Have the song on tape.
2. Prepare a copy of the lyrics for each student. It is important that the students have the words. And it does not take up valuable time when your pupils copy the words from the blackboard.
3. Read each line in the song with the class following in choral repetition.
4. Explain the meaning of new words. Then have the class say each line again in choral repetition.
5. Have the students listen to the melody two or three tomes before they sing it.
6. Lead them in singing the song.
7. Correct any problems.
8. Have the students practice the song several times so that they learn it well.
9. Make the song a departure point for conversation. For example: ask question with vocabulary item from the song, talk about its historical background, etc.
10. Review the song from time to time.

Teaching songs you can use them to teach listening -filling the gaps, writing - finding some new words which rhyme, composing own short poems, or making some projects (pictures, posters, drawings), and I am sure teaching and learning difficult English can be successful, pleasant and easy.

Opracowanie: Beata Daraż

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