Music and Language Learning

Dear Colleagues this is my review to an article that match with many ways I have tried for my teaching technique.

Music and Language Learning

By Bob Lake

Introduction

Bob Lake is a teacher using music as a tool for learning languages (ESL) and his students mostly are emigrants. He says that "Music is three dimensional".

Music helps student to think critically

Children

When the baby needs something it does not speak but it uses uttering words reflect the needs. Mother understands that and meets those needs.
This is one of the evidence that the child can understand and learn a second language.

The researcher used ( Krashen's Hyposesis) theory (A theorist that I will post a blog about in this semester) to answer his research question. He came to understanding that the most three valuable components are the affective filter, the monitor model and natural input.

Relaxation versus Anxiety

Students need to be relaxed. According to the situation that they are away form their motherland's culture that might give them some anxiety.

And the wondrous magic of music and can overcome the fear and the anxiety of the students. The researcher says that when he was teaching some of these students who suffer from loneliness and distance from home as well as cultural difference, after one of the students played the accordion, all the emotions came together listening and dancing. Music is really international.

Level of Understanding

According to the researcher language learners should be exposed to a higher level and music is very helpful in that.
This type of theory called (1+one formula) Created by Krashen. The writer believes that the chorus is easy than the verse in the songs so students can pick it up quickly and gave some examples for that. The researcher explained the usages of natural input and the role of the brain in that matter.

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences between the various ethnic groups play an important role in the learning process of speaking a language other than English. Some of the learners who have their brain on the right they deal well with drawings. On the other hand those who have their brain to the left are thinkers and analytic students.

In addition to Krashen's theory, there is a personal experience of the researcher where his career started as a teacher volunteers. The experiment started with the children and also young people.

The District Administrator Comment

At the end of the year the District Administrator commented on substantial improvement of pronunciation by singing.

He also added that the music helped stroke patients and those who had incidents and whose ability to speak was weakened by that.

Conclusion

The researcher expressed assertion about the attraction of people to speak, accompanied by propaganda and said it quick access to the brains of listeners. Also Rhythm and melody and all the rehearsals go to long-term memory. The researcher says that the difficulties in finding an appropriate material for his students made him create his own curriculum.

He concluded by saying that research already shown the power of music to connect the language to students, even if it is difficult.

http://www.dtae.org/adultlit/connections/music.html

Yousif Bilal (Elmosley)

Music and Language Learning