Using Song For Teaching Young Learners

Music is an amazing tool for teaching languages, especially to children. Good songs will bounce around in a learner's head long after their lesson is over. Young learners pick up vocabulary, grammatical structures, and the rhythm of the language simply by doing what they already love to do singing. In addition, music can serve a variety of functions in your classroom, at home, or even in the car. Music can set a mood. Music can signal a transition from one activity to another (for both the teacher and the student). Music can be a bonding experience. Here are some ways you can use music in your classroom.
• Play music in the background from the start of the lesson.
Just as you take care to make your learning environment visually appealing and stimulating, you should also note the effect that music has on the atmosphere in the classroom. Entering a classroom can be intimidating for people of any age. For children learning a foreign language, it can be particularly daunting. Music can really help to make your classroom warm and inviting. Greet students at the door and as they come into the classroom and sit down, they'll usually start singing or humming along. With super energetic classes, use soothing music in the background at the beginning of class, such as any of the lullaby medleys from the Super Simple Songs CDs, some classical music, or your favorite quiet music. With quieter groups, try upbeat, even silly music playing to start class. Use music to set a tone right from the start of class.

• Play music to signal transitions to the students.
Children react to music in a way that they don't react to anything else. When a song comes on that they recognize and like, they'll notice right away. Use songs to welcome students to class, say, "Hello," lead into circle-time activities, signal when it's time to clean up, practice ABCs, read a story, or other classroom activities. The students know exactly what to do when they hear the music and begin singing along right away. Even when you don't play music as a cue, the students become so familiar with the language from the songs ("Clean up," "Make a circle," "Please sit down," etc.) that they respond quickly to the teacher's directions and often begin singing on their own.
• Play music to signal transitions to the teacher.
Plan your classes to have music accompany the whole class. An iPod or other MP3 device can make this easier by using playlists, so that you don't need to change CDs during class. Before a 50-minute class, make a digital playlist of about 70 minutes worth of music (50 minutes worth of class-time music plus 4-5 songs to use as back-ups if you need a change of pace).
If you don't have a digital music player, all of the Super Simple Songs CDs are arranged to work great in a class playing from start to finish. Each CD starts with a welcoming song, a hello song, an active song, etc., and then finishes with a goodbye song and a lullaby. You can just put the CD on and let it play. When you get to times when you need to concentrate on an activity, just turn the volume down and leave the music playing in the background.
Planning your classes with musical cues not only helps the students recognize what is happening next, but it helps you as a teacher move smoothly between activities.
• Play music to manage the energy level of the class.
You never know for sure what kind of energy level young children are going to come to class with. One day, you have a class full of children bouncing off the walls with energy (often on rainy days when they can't go outside to play), the next day the same kids seem like they are moving in slow motion. Music really helps to calm down a rowdy class, or give a class a needed boost of energy.
• Play music to introduce new language.
Songs are a great way to teach new language to youngsters. Even when children don't fully understand all the lyrics, they are excited to try to sing along. When you have songs with simple lyrics that kids can dance and do gestures to, the children sing and learn SO quickly.
You can use songs as part of the learning experience for any of the language themes you introduce in class. Whatever the theme, songs can help you teach vocabulary in a way you just can't do with other activities. When you are singing and dancing, you interact with the language in so many ways. You are practicing listening comprehension, you are vocalizing, you are interpreting the language with movement and all in a way that is fun and non-threatening to young learners.
When you use songs that can be taught through gestures, very little pre-teaching is necessary. Teachers can seat the students in a circle, teach some very simple gestures, and then play the music while everyone follows your gestures. Most kids will sing along right away, but even the kids who aren't ready to sing will be able to participate with gestures.
Play music to review language.
Singing songs is a fantastic way to quickly and easily review language you've previously practiced in class. One of the great things about using music to learn is that people just don't forget songs. If you were to hear a few words from a song you haven't heard in 20 years, chances are, you could sing the next line with no problems.
In each lesson, try to include a couple of songs to review language that you have learned previously. The children love to sing some of their old favorites and it's great to see the amount of language they've amassed. Music is such a powerful learning tool. If you don't use much music in your classroom, give it a try, it will make an immediate impact. If you do use music, think of all the ways you can be using it to make your classroom a warmer, more effective learning environment.