Marie Webb, Instructor at University of Macau English

Language Center
Motivation for study
Description of the study
What are the researched benefits of music in
the ESL classroom?
Results- How are teachers using music?
Conclusions, implications, and
recommendations

Basically music in any form (lyrics, songs,
chants, background music, history,
instruments, etc.)
Has a specific purpose

My omoi= Music

Professional research on current teacher
opinions is lacking.

Authors do not provide detailed accounts of
teachers

What is currently known or accepted about
music in ESL is not researched or documented
through abundant studies in the field.

Skepticism, lack of control, fear of detracting
from curriculum.

To provide a description and explanation of
how ESL teachers that are currently using
music and their students perceive the role of
music in learning English.

To add to the body of theoretical and
empirical knowledge that supports the use of
music in education for adults and more
specifically ESL.
Why and how do teachers implement music in
their classroom?

Students (N=111): are adults ranging in age
from eighteen to 62 years old with an average
age of 28 years old.

Teachers (N=10): are adults ranging in age
from 24 to 61 years old with an average age
of 40 years old.

Teachers: B.A. to a Ph. D. Together they have
a mean length of teaching ESL at 10.8 years
with a low of 2 years and a high of 30 years.
Students Home Countries
In Depth Teacher
Interviews
Class
Observations
Student
Surveys and
Focus Group
Pilot Study
(N=11)
Educators of that time capitalized on the
face that a single song could captivate and
motivate students, underscore a point, or
make a lesson especially memorable
(Sporborg 1998).

Benefits of music in teaching math in San
Bruno, California (Esch, 2012).

Students practiced fractions by using musical
concepts.
1. Linguistic
2. Cognitive and Affective

Improvement of communication skills among
middle school American ESL students
(Kennedy & Scott 2005).

College level Puerto Rican students indicated
that using music was one of the most liked
forms of language instruction (Abbott, 2002).

Enhancement of intrinsic motivation of young
learners in Taiwan (Lee, 2009).


Acculturation of newly arrived immigrant and
refugee students in Australia (Cheong-Clinch,
2009).

Strong positive correlation (R=0.7) between
song likability and enjoyment of online
learning method and song likeability and
amount of English language learned. (Beasley
and Chuang, 2008).

Linguistic benefits grammar, pronunciation,
listening, speaking, writing, memorization.

Songs may engage and stimulate the
Language Acquisition Device (Murphy 1990)
and empirical study by (Salcedo 2010).

Increased vocabulary retention among
elementary ESL students. (Schunk, 1999).


Song appropriateness and rate of speech
research. Pop songs are most appropriate for
recall purposes (Pyper 1992).

Teaching phrasal verbs with Another Day in
Paradise by Phil Collins (Upendran, 2001).

I dont use it very often but sometimes remember to
bring it into the class to play before or during break
to lower anxiety. Have used it to teach reductions
(Im going to=Imma=blackeyed peas) and idioms.
(Teacher 1)

Exposure to authentic texts. (Teacher 2)

I find a song that fits with the lesson I am teaching,
and I use music to solidify the lesson and to give an
entertaining example of how the lesson is applied.
(Teacher 3)



Mode
# of teachers that responded to using
music for each mode of learning
Reading 5
Writing 5
Grammar 8
Pronunciation 7
Listening 9
Culture based 5
Lowering anxiety 5
Memorization 3
Test prep 1
Speaking 4
Acculturation 0
Vocabulary 4
Other 2
Never 0
Music for Cognitive
and Affective Needs







Music for Linguistic
Needs


Music kills the silence
Meaningful learning is more effective for
long-term vocabulary retention when
compared with rote learning (Brown, 2007, p.
91).
Anxiety and engagement
Background music is
used

Julie, Sometimes the
silence is scary for
students, and when I play
music in the background
I notice they are more
comfortable with
speaking.
Memorization
Vocabulary

Pam, In the past Ive
gotten pretty good
feedback, they enjoy it
and they have said that
they learn a lot more
vocabulary, and
remember it because
they associate it with
something they have
heard before.

Pronunciation, phrasing, and rhythm
Dashboard by Modest Mouse
Taught students Linking
Wouldabeen
(would have been)


Free writing warm-up/
past tense grammar
review

Dont Worry, Be Happy
by Bobby McFerrin and
My Immortal by
Evanescence
Students wrote about a
time in the past.
Music to aid idea
generation (writers
block!)
Reading comprehension

Baby Girl by Sugarland
The song helped aid
reading comprehension
and overall
understanding of a
novel being read in the
class Gathering of
Pearls.
A wide variety of linguistic and cognitive
affective purposes.
Most used for grammar, pronunciation, and
listening.
To directly address Student Learning
Outcomes (SLOs) and course requirements
Music must be directly tied to course goals in
order to be beneficial for linguistic or
affective purposes in the classroom
environment.
Explicit reasoning- metacognitive reasoning
as to why music is being used
More research is needed in teachers
classrooms- bottom up approach to reaching
administration may be possible.


The myth of music only being applicable to K-12
is dispelled through this study.

Further research is needed on the topic.
Especially research that compares whether using
music is better to meet a particular learning goal
than other methods of teaching.

Teachers can learn useful strategies by reading
current literature on the topic for improving their
pedagogy.

More research=More access
Sunday at 9:10 am in Room MET 30.

Specific activities to be discussed from this
research study are:

1. teaching linking using an alternative song
from the alternative band Modest Mouse
2. teaching 2
nd
conditionals using a music
video from Fiddler on the Roof