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Songs in the ClassroomWhen in the EFL classroom, it can be difficult for students to see past the native English teacher?s foreign background. To them, the teacher might be an imposing figure, louder than the people from their own country, dress strangely, have odd mannerisms, and generally not seem to ?fit in.? This impression can be detrimental to the teacher who is trying to establish a relationship of trust and comfort with the students in order to better teach them English. And in this delicate balance, music can be a unifying force. In his promotion of the use of English in the EFL classroom, Kevin Schoepp claims, ?Songs have become an integral part of our language experience, and if used in coordination with a language lesson they can be of great value.? He goes on to note that with the technology available in classrooms today, songs can be located and listened to with the click of a mouse. It is no longer necessary to cue the exact location on a cassette tape or wheel in an unwieldy stereo system. Although some classrooms may not be as well-equipped as others, teachers can bring their own personal laptops to the classroom and play music instantly with little hassle. With research to support him, Schoepp notes that students who listen to music tend to lower their guard when it comes to language input, while they might otherwise be less receptive to hearing the language. According to Schoepp, when students have a weak affective filter (i.e. are more positive and receptive to learning), as happens with the use of music in the classroom, they can develop a wide range of language skills, including extensive and intensive listening. Furthermore, the fun and variety in the classroom ensures students see a correlation between learning English and enjoying oneself, which is invaluable for a teacher working to engage students on a regular basis. Schoepp also claims that music has a cognitive effect, allowing students to develop fluency much more quickly. The repetitive nature of music can be adapted for many purposes, such as setting students? own wording to the music in order to practice a certain grammatical point. With a ?catchy? tune to capture it in memory, students are much more likely to retain what they?ve written than a standard worksheet. Finally, Schoepp argues that the language specific to music is nearly always informal, colloquial, or idiomatic, which can be a great way to teach students about the absurdities of the language in a rewarding fashion. Since much of what students will encounter in the ?real world? will be more similar to pop stars? language than that found in their formal textbooks, it is important to expose students to as much of it as possible to ensure they can discern what is meant when they are inevitably found in that situation abroad. Not only does music enliven the classroom and develop a fun relationship between the students and their teacher, but Schoepp demonstrates how the music actually works at conveying language in a way that traditional teaching methods cannot. A regular injection of music into a humdrum EFL classroom could be a welcome and beneficial addition for many students.
