Teaching Through Music.

Music is a very efficient teacher. Most of the vocabulary and grammar I have learnt as a student was through the music I used to listen to as a child. Nirvana taught me what a mosquito is at the age of 9, Nina Simone taught me how to make wishes using the structure I wish + simple past and Pearl Jam what the words Corduroy and Rearview Mirror mean. 

One cannot deny the power of music and the effect it has on our ability to remember. It makes perfect sense to me if we use popular music to teach English, especially when it comes to young adults. What is more there are learners that learn better through the auditory approach. One can use songs  to teach skills such as listening for gist or listening for detail, or even as a model text for creative writing. The possibilities are endless. 

One day my 6th grade came to me with the wish to talk about Bob Dylan's Blowing in the wind. They had been working on this song with their music teacher and they thought it would be a good idea to bring it into my class. So I split the class into groups and appointed each group a part of the lyrics. The children had to analyse the lyrics and in the end we presented our findings in class. 

• Their homework assignment for that day was to produce a similar text, using the song as a model text. The grammar focus of this assignment was asking questions with wh- words, modal verbs and subordinate clauses. They produced really interesting texts, one of which I turned into a poetry video. 

Another way we can use music is for general writing purposes. I have made a music journal booklet, that unfortunately don't use with all of my students. I hope someday I will. 

• In this Journal, students can write about their favourite songs, add thoughts and feeling, and even draw. Hopefully at some point I will have a sample to share. For now all I have is a sample copy that I have filled in myself as an example.