Music and Language Learning: Beyond the Gap Fill
Music offers numerous benefits in the ESL learning environment. It is employed primarily as a means to practice and improve listening but present opportunities for discussion, critical thinking and interpretration.
Research suggests several ways that utilizing music in language learning can benefit both learners and educators.
This activity asks students to work together in small groups or pairs and interpret a verse from the song. They will draw a picture of the verse and explain their interpretation. The verses/drawings can then be placed in the proper order while listening to the song. The music video is useful in helping students understand the overall meaning of the song as well as the specific verses.
This project asks students to choose songs that tell their biography or remind them of an important time or event in their life. This can be used simply as a discussion topic with very little preparation or can be employed as a more developed project involving a presentation.
