WHAT ARE THE BEST SONGS FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES?
I strongly advocate the use
of music in the foreign language classroom (See my previous blog post) not only
because it is so fun and engaging, but also because music is so very effective.
However, not all music works for all levels. For example, songs that are:
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| Mariachi musicians like those on "Mariachi y Más" |
- too hard (very difficult vocab)
- sung too fast for the level
- have nasty, street or too dialectical vocabulary
- incorrect grammar
- nasty or otherwise inappropriate (drugs, crime…) content
- nonsensical
- just plain bad
… will probably not help
your students learn much. Using the right kind of music and at the right time
and level helps music work its magic much more easily.
There are some music snobs
that insist that only “real” songs be played in their classroom. I LOVE using
authentic music in my class, but at the lower levels it is harder to find music
that fits all my criteria. The general sequence and criteria of the types of
music I suggest for optimum usage are:
- Simple rhymes, rhythmic “ditties” or mini chants. They are very easy, fun, and they help at the very beginning lower the affective filter, help with pronunciation, pre-teach (incidentally or purposely) grammar and simple word order.
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Musical Echoing |
- Simple children’s songs (check for nonsense or
surprisingly difficult words)
- Musical chants that teach or review elements of
your lesson (grammar, vocabulary, other content)
Some unique musical chants in various languages can be found by clicking on the links below:
Gesang, Rhythmen und Reime ( in packets)
Cantiques, Rythmes et Rimes (in packets)
- Educational songs made up to teach something.
Many people, mostly teachers, make up cute and appropriate songs. Listen
to them before you buy. I have heard many that are bad, forced
translations of English songs, very amateurishly recorded, sung by
children (which doesn’t work well for older students although children’s
songs sung by adults do), sometimes even with horrible accents.
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Italian musician like those on Canti, Ritmi e Rime |
- Popular or traditional songs that accent
something by its constant repetition or perhaps weird yet cool way of
expressing it. Sorting through all of the songs out there in the Spanish,
French, Italian, German world can be daunting task but worth it if you find the right
good and powerful song.
- At upper levels (4 or AP) I go more for
culture, beauty and especially songs that represent the country’s heart
and soul. I don’t mind using older, classic songs that EVERY ONE, no
matter the age form that country knows and loves.
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Andean musicians from "Gira musical por el mundo hispánico" |
- Sometimes songs without words can also be played for their mood altering qualities (calming, exciting, danceable) or used to discuss the many musical genres available in the country or even the typical instruments used.
Two very cultural and lovely collections of traditional music with good extension exercises and readings are:
Read also:
