Ryming the Rythm and Measuring the Metre: Pooling Music and Language in the Classroom (original) (raw)
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Language and Music: Designing a Course at an Academic Level
Research in Language
The parallels that are present between language and music, together with popular beliefs that musicality may be a factor enhancing language learning, especially with regard to pronunciation, prompted the idea of designing an academic course whose main aim was to demonstrate the relation between the two domains from the linguistic perspective. There were eighteen students participating in the course which was an elective for 1st year MA students of English at the University of Łódź. The course content included presentation of direct links between language and music, and of selected studies indicating the influence of music on developing various aspects of linguistic performance, e.g. second language learning (e.g. Pastuszek-Lipińska, 2008; Kolinsky et al., 2009), early reading abilities (Fonseca-Mora et al., 2018) or pitch processing (Besson et al., 2007). The practical part of the course involved testing the students' musical abilities with the use of various tools: tests availa...
2021
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the research fields of how music may affect language learning; several techniques that involve different kinds of musical support have been used to develop student’s skills in the use of language due to music influences the motivation in the classroom, diminishes anxiety (that distinct foreign language learners face) and it is an entertaining way to learn. The present study was to test the influence of a teaching short program with musical support that aimed at improving listening skills on foreign language on 24-35-year-old Spanish speakers who are learning English as a Foreign language with academic purposes and they both are rated at an A1 level in the foreign language (English). It was mainly focused on adults due to the minor interest that exists in teaching foreign languages to this demographic group, it was taken into consideration the motivational factor for learning this new tongue (reaching a master de...
European Music Portfolio: A Creative Way into Languages - Teacher's Handbook
2012
The European Music Portfolio: A Creative Way into Languages project aims to enable primary teachers to integrate music and language learning to enhance educational outcomes in both areas. The introduction chapter gives an overview of the innovations and functions of the European Music Portfolio: A Creative Way into Languages project and materials. Chapter 2 describes the four focus areas of learning in music for younger learners (listening, making, representing and discussing), which were developed by the project partners. Chapter 3 describes the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and learning opportunities in language and language awareness for younger learners, with reference to the European Language Portfolio and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Chapter 4 describes the interrelationship between music and language and contains practical ideas. It also highlights how intercultural, motivational, and cognitive aspects of learning, as well as language awareness and the four communicative skills in language, can be supported by musical activities. Chapter 5 offers a synopsis of different learning approaches for linking music and language learning. It describes the Pupil’s Portfolio, teacher’s materials and the online activities. It also provides the activity grid, which contains specific types of musical activities that can support both musical and language learning objectives. This final chapter also contains a link to the EMP-L website, which has more ideas and suggestions for how to adapt the activities for individual pupils and groups.
Translation Today, 2017
Language and Music are two ways that human beings use to communicate and express themselves through sound‖. Abstract Numerous articles have been written on the role of music in language learning. The contribution of various scholars of different backgrounds in acknowledging the significance of music in promoting language learning is indeed astounding and encouraging. One would then wonder what new contribution in this already swelling body of information that this article seeks to provide. First of all, this study seeks to discuss practical or rather pedagogical strategies by which music can be utilised to promote foreign language learning. The approach employed in this study is quite unique in the sense that translation is taken as the gateway through which music can be harnessed to improve foreign language learning. The view that is central in this discussion is that, since music is understood as a universal language that cuts across different age groups, social and cultural structures, channelling translation based activities towards music can be a powerful method of foreign language learning. Rather than simply singing and rehearsing target language songs, learners can be given tasks and projects of translating target language songs into their L1/L2 and performing their work in classroom activities. In such activities, learners are given an opportunity of not only enjoying the process of foreign language learning but most importantly of localising the language experience into their lifestyle, thus domesticating the foreign. For instance, giving them an opportunity to use the target language learning material to compile songs which Music is a Gateway to the Soul… 94 they can translate and perform (both the original and the translated version) in front of other learners and the teacher, may give them the satisfaction of being the producers of their projects. Their chances of having an intimate relationship with their lyrics may be the much needed bond between the learner and the target language. In the context of this study, such projects are referred to as foreign language learning music/song projects. This discussion also encourages the utilisation of digitization in the performance of music/song projects. Hence, utilizing various applications that can be used to edit music (mini studios), music/song projects can be transformed into enjoyable activities, where learners may even forget that they are learning a foreign language and thus paving a way to a process of acquiring the target language rather than merely learning it.
The argument for using music in educational context has been debated for years.
Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices, 2020
This article reframes how the making of music by minoritized bilingual Latinxchildren is interrelated to their languaging and their literacies’ performances.Taking a translanguaging approach, musicking/languaging/performing literacies are described here as holistic critical meaning-making processes. Focusing on the process by which students make meaning of texts, and not simply on the output or product of such meaning-making, this article shows how a music education programme based on El Sistema and designed for social change transforms minoritized children’s critical sense of their positions and subjectivities as producers of language and literacies. Through music education, long considered only an enrichment activity from which language minoritized students are often excluded, bilingual Latinx children are able to crack open a vision for themselves and others as competent, dignified, and valid meaning-makers—as performers of complex acts of language and literacies.
Music and Language Learning: An Introduction
Among the different aims of scientific inquiry are those of describing, explaining, understanding the phenomena we live with or are surrounded by, many of them profoundly embedded in human nature since ancient times, even since the creation of humankind. This is the case of language and music, two unique, innate human capacities that have been considered an object of study in many different disciplines. In fact, it is a research topic that goes across disciplines and has been dealt with in brain, language, music, education, and health studies. More concretely, melodic and rhythmical patterns are two crucial elements that can be found in both, language and music studies. Curiously enough, the idiom “to have an ear for” is found in many different languages and is directly related to language and music. So in French, we find the expression ‘avoir de l'oreille pour’, while in German it is ‘ein Ohr haben für’ and in Spanish ‘tener oído para’. It shows that beliefs about the relationship between music and language are somehow supported by our common verbal behaviour, by common sense or street wisdom. However, analysing what is meant by ‘having a good ear for music or languages’ brings many different research perspectives into the picture. From neuroscience, it raises question about brain functioning, what brain areas are triggered by both or how musical and language stimuli are processed (Patel, 2014). Psychologists are interested in the affective power of music and words, as well as in the explanation of the common cognitive processes the mind activates (Chobert & Besson, 2013). Musicologists mainly seek to understand how musical training benefits language learning and to describe the main ingredients of an optimal music-for-language learning intervention program (Runfola, Etopio, Hamlen & Rozendal, 2012). Health studies are concerned about the conditions in which humans’ well-being is affected by music and language (Barnes, 2015). Finally, Educational specialists are interested in finding if alternative teaching methods based on musical approaches could help learners to overcome language learning difficulties or simply make them learn at a quicker rate (Fonseca, Gomez, Jara, 2015). The interplay language-music brings to applied linguists enquiries about the nature and function of speech melodies, the role of prosody, or the descriptions of rhythmical patterns in verbal behaviour. From another perspective, applied linguists are interested in knowing about the role of music in first and second language acquisition to see if students with a good ear for music are better equipped for language learning (Fonseca, Avila & Segador, 2015). While trying to understand the relationship between language and music, and more deeply, while trying to find out how music contributes to communication exchanges in any language, what universal properties it adds to the first language acquisition process and how the teaching and learning of foreign languages could be improved, the necessarily fragmentary answers from all disciplines are needed. As language and music are innate human capacities, with an undeniable link between them, does it mean that everyone could benefit from its intertwined input in the language classroom? On the one hand, musical abilities enhance linguistic cognitive processes such as phonemic and phonological awareness, reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, listening and speech abilities. On the other hand, language learning takes also advantage of the emotional elements provided by music and songs. Musical activities have been found to influence memory, attention and effort as a result of their physiological properties and to foster a relaxed and safe but motivating and productive classroom atmosphere (Fonseca & Herrero, 2016).
2010
Educators seek to create direct and engaging learning experiences that bring students into contact with the material in an organic way. Yet teachers of both music and foreign language may feel that they literally lack a common language with their students. Powerful synchronicities exist between music teaching and second language acquisition. Drawing on research linking the cognitive processes associated with musical and linguistic learning, this paper explores patterns that unite music and language. The authors offer practical methodologies that help students learn without resorting to "translation" - that is, without an intermediary form of expression that dilutes comprehension and ultimate mastery. The authors argue that when teachers support musical learning with language, and music to enhance language acquisition, students experience less performance anxiety and find it easier to remember new words and musical patterns. By emphasizing the communicative purpose of both ...
Encuentro Journal , 2022
The present article reports on a study carried out with Primary Education students over a period of two consecutive years at a Bilingual state school in the Madrid Autonomous Community with a brief extension study in the third year. Our hypothesis was that the introduction of music in a CLIL context, where English was used, would enhance students' motivation and performance. The project design and its implementation included the composition of