Using Hit Songs to Teach ESL: Exploiting Music for English Learning
Ready to add some fun to your ESL classroom? Discover creative ESL activities and the incredible benefits of teaching English with hit songs. Inspire student engagement and draw meaningful connections with language while making learning a truly enjoyable experience. You can harness the power of music to teach English more effectively!
Benefits of using songs in language learning
Motivation
Many of us have experienced with amazement how fast students can learn the lyrics of a song. It is for sure that students love music, and using songs in class can stimulate positive associations with the study of language.
Learning beyond the classroom walls
Songs encourage learning beyond the classroom, as listening to them at home helps consolidate what’s been taught and reinforced in class. What’s more, songs can also be used for more than just language education; they serve as a platform to discuss cultures, history, religion, and other topics.
Songs and the brain
Studies show that music can effectively affect both short and long-term memory. As they have repetitive melodies and lyrics, songs can easily stick in the students’ heads, making them an ideal learning tool. Thanks to songs, teachers can make language learning an entertaining and memorable experience for their students.
Types of activities we can do with songs.
There are many types of activities we can offer to our students, from the most traditional ones to more complex ones where students have to analyze the lyrics and use their critical thinking skills to complete a task.
Songs as prompts for speaking or/and writing
Show part of a song lyric to your class and brainstorm together on the prompts the song has. Then, give students a chance to write a paragraph or essay on the topic, using the ideas generated by their discussion. With this approach, you’ll bring a unique energy to language learning that can help your students excel. Download a list of songs arranged by topic HERE!
Reading Comprehension
Do your students need help understanding the meaning behind a song’s lyrics? Give them the tools they need to unravel the hidden messages in their favorite songs. As they read the lyrics, ask them to identify the metaphorical language or hidden messages. Then, have them answer questions to help them better understand the literal and figurative meaning of the song. Have you checked out my resource “Teach Literary Analysis with Hit Songs!”? With engaging and enjoyable exercises, your students will explore the songs they love, practice making inferences and analyze figurative language. Grab it here!!!
Find examples of …..
If the lesson’s objective is to notice a type of structure in a song, I like them to find and underline that piece of language using different colors for later analysis. This fun and effective technique provides a memorable learning experience, allowing students to identify and understand language structure.
What’s the story behind the song?
When I have to teach narrative writing, songs are an engaging way to approach this skill. There are plenty of songs out there that tell stories with clear plots, settings, and characters. You can check out my resource “Teach Narrative Writing with Hit Songs” HERE!
Silent Discussions
They are an excellent strategy for teachers looking to engage students who need more time to form their thoughts in English. Begin by dividing the class into stations and have each student visit each station in turn. At each station, they will find sheets of paper with questions about x song. Students must answer those questions on those sheets of paper and read others’ responses. Once they’ve had the opportunity to think over their answers, put the questions on the board and ask each student to write a response for at least three questions. By this point, most of your students should have some ideas to discuss and be ready to share their thoughts.
Spotify List
If your students are reading a story or novel, they can create a Spotify Playlist inspired by that book and its themes. Not only will this add a fun and entertaining element to the lesson, but it can also help students gain a deeper understanding of characters, settings, and themes. So why wait? Unleash your students’ love for music and have the ultimate classroom jam session.
Poetry Connections
With advanced students, you can connect poetry with song lyrics. For example, Amber Gorman’s a New Day with Seasons of Love (Rent). Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 with You Will Be Found (Dear Evan Hansen). Invictus with Titanium. “Who’s Who” by Auden with “Home” by Michael Buble. “Ozymandias” with Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”.
Alright, I hope you’ve found a bunch of activities and ways to teach song hits to your ESL students!! If you put one of these ideas in action, please share a picture on Instagram and tag me or leave a comment below! Being able to share ideas with other teachers brings me great joy!
Love, Paula.
