Purpose & benefits of using songs in the FLC.

Hello!

It is time to talk about the use of songs in the FLC and its benefits.

Other than listening songs just because they are enjoyable and motivating, it can be used in the FLC with specific linguistic and cultural purposes.

Songs and music, with other tones, rhythm and stress can provide for some languages a suitable way to teach and practice the several skills we group together under the term of pronunciation.

Songs are especially useful to present sounds connected in speech. But the most obvious uses of songs regarding phonetics have to do with the characteristics of the English language being a stress-timed language, as opposed to Spanish, that is a syllable-timed language. Therefore, every song in English could be used to work on this aspect of pronunciation.

Songs, as poems, are also an effective vehicle for practicing a particular grammar structure because to work on songs repetition is compulsory. And with each repetition the structure becomes more deeply internalized.

Carolyn Grahan, aware of the enormous potential of songs for working grammar developed her Jazz chants and gave one of her books the title of Grammarchants which is very useful for esl teachers.

Jazzchants, action songs, and other songs in which some structures are repeated several times are usually adequate for practicing vocabulary too, as students find easy to pay attention to them.

It is important to mention that in the FLC learners must come into contact with the foreign culture in order to learn its aspects that contribute to the comprehension of the messages.

The cultural contents appearing in a song can constitute an excuse for developing further activities on those cultural aspects.

Put in on practice! Use songs in your esl classes and tell me about the results. What are the songs you usually use with your students? Share it with me!

Thanks for reading,

 Alba xx