Music

 // " Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned."// Chris Brewer, Music and Learning

Using music in the classroom is a great way for teachers to achieve success with L2 learners. Studies have shown that music  ·  improves concentration  ·  improves memory  ·  brings a sense of community to a group  ·  motivates learning  ·  relaxes people who are overwhelmed or stressed  ·  makes learning fun  ·  helps people absorb material

There are a variety of different ways to use music in the classroom. Some teachers prefer to use background music and others use music lyrics as the basis of a lesson. Music can be used to:  ·  introduce a new theme or topic (Halloween /Senses, etc)  ·  when students are having difficulty communicating  ·  change the mood in the classroom  ·  teach and build vocabulary  ·  review material (background music improves memory)  ·  teach pronunciation and intonation  ·  teach songs and rhymes about difficult grammar and spelling rules that need to be memorized (e.g "i before e")  ·  teach reading comprehension <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  inspire a class discussion <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  teach listening for details

The approach that I identify most with music is the Language Acquisition Approach.

I have attached four separate websites that support music in the classroom. The first website Songsforteaching.com provides teacher with different songs, lyrics, downloads, and where one can purchase the CD of songs. It separates the categories of music by language, content of study, name of song, and the name of the author. Teachers are able to find music that they can use in a lesson/activity, transition, or as background music for their classroom. I picked this website because in the past I have found various songs for my Kindergarten students and these songs are appropriate for their age and their development of their second language. I also find the website to be very reliable when I am looking for a children’s songs, I know that I am going to find children’s music and nothing else.

The second website Putumayo Kids is an excellent website that provides children with music from all over the world. Children get the opportunity to learn about different cultures from music. There are also teaching guides for teachers to teach their students about different parts of the country and aware us about their rich cultures. I choose this website because it allows my students and I hear music from different parts of the country. My students and I become aware of the different language, instruments, intonation, etc. I can use this music as background music so that my students can hear and try to compare and contrast with music that I usually play for them. I find this website to be very reliable because it has its own section for children. Children (and their parents) can go to the website and not have to worry about listening to music that is not appropriate. This variety of music will open their eyes and ears to different languages. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> The third and fourth websites focus on Jazz Chants. Jazz Chants are a fun way for students to learn about the rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns of language. They are quite effective and enjoyable for students learning a second language. The two websites are very reliable and are easy to use in the classroom. One websites explains how to start and do a jazz chant in the classroom and the second one gives examples of different jazz chants for different stages of language learning. I have actually hear “These are my blue jeans” and it sounds easy enough for my young students to do in my bilingual classroom. These Jazz Chants allow for ESL learners to learn different ways to play with language while learning about it.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">[|http://www.songsforteaching.com] //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">www.putumayo.com // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> Jazz Chants <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">http://members.tripod.com/jrmeads_515/tips.htm <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> and      <span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?docid=146250 <span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">