As we already know, music is crucial for human beings out of school, as it is always present in learners´ daily life. It includes a wide scope of fields: “sociocultural, musical, psychological and spiritual dimensions” (McCarthy, 2009: 30). By means of music, learners can feel real-life experiences thanks to songs and it is also considered crucial in the physiological development of human beings. An example of this is how an unborn child can recognize melodies and his/her mother´s voice from the outside of the womb, something vital for the development of cerebral functions”. On the other hand, according to Vera, B. B., & Luna, R. M. (2013), culture and teaching a second language are closely related. Thus, in order to master a second language, we have to learn not only vocabulary and grammar but also L2 sociocultural contexts to make a correct use of the language. In this case, they state that we can make our students learn English culture through the use of traditional songs, pop songs, nursery rhythms and anthems, and all that entails the use of authentic songs for pedagogical purposes. In the same way, Arnold, J., & Fonseca, M. C. 2004, affirm that we can develop music and linguistic intelligences through the use of songs in the process of teaching /learning a second language. They really think that it enables teachers to organize a variety of contexts that offer learners a variety of ways to engage meaning and strengthen memory pathways; it is a teacher-friendly tool for lesson planning that can increase the attractiveness of language learning tasks and therefore create favourable motivational condition. Some of the advantages of teaching English through music are the following ones: 1- To enhance autonomous learning by giving students strategies and resources so that they can continue learning out of the classroom. 2- To create a pleasant and motivating classroom atmosphere where students feel safe and happy to communicate and learn. 3- To improve attention and students´ concentration and to develop their working memory. 4- To create musical activities so that learners improve the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), English vocabulary, linguistic structures and pronunciation. 5- To propose creative teaching alternatives so that learners get to know how and when to use language appropriately. 6- To provide exercises in which children learn to show interest and respect towards the Anglo-Saxon culture. 7- To motivate students. Motivation is an outstanding factor; we can introduce this element just by using music in the classroom. Songs create a pleasant atmosphere in class and this provokes a students´ desire on knowing more about the second language. 8- To facilitate the evaluating task along the year, as they turn a traditionally anxious moment into a moment of fun. Finally, it is essential to mention that we are living in an international society which needs to know more than one language to communicate. English is the language (after Mandarin Chinese) most widely spread in the world, and, due to the globalization of our markets, we need to make learners able to communicate using it. As we already know, learning a second language also opens our minds, that is, we become interested in foreign people, their costumes and traditions, their lifestyles, their gastronomy, etc. We discover that there exist different ways of living which we must respect and that is something that we all should take into consideration when learning a new different language. Author: Cristina Mirasierra (Alumna en prácticas del Máster de Educación bilingüe- Universidad Francisco de Vitoria) Bibliography Arnold, J., & Fonseca, M. C. (2004). “Multiple intelligence theory and foreign language learning: A brain-based perspective”. International Journal of English Studies (IJES), 4(1), 119-136. McCarthy, M. (2009). “Re–thinking “music” in the context of education”. In Thomas A. Regelski & J. Terry Gates (Eds.), Music education for changing times: guiding visions for practice (pp. 29–38). Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. Vera, B. B., & Luna, R. M. (2013). Teaching English through music: A proposal of multimodal learning activities for primary school children. Encuentro, 22(2013), 1989-0796.
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AutorBárbara Lázaro Archivos
May 2021
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