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Suggestopedia:
Music Magic and Classroom Control
by Emily Homma

Music magic in motion

That day, I told myself that I`d quit teaching kids and
discontinue the youngest English class I had formed for my
own mini school. My decision was firm and I was ready
with the letters to distribute to parents. I thought the level
of stress I was experiencing was high enough to say goodbye to all the effort done in organizing a big group in our
neighborhood. I was ready to forget all the advertising
preparations, laborious material making, course book selections, trial lessons, parent meetings, etc. I was ready to just
shelve anything kiddy. There had been many sleepless
nights after I started this mixed class of elementary kids
learning English for the first time. At night, I`d recall the lessons that took place, like watching nightmares that are
hard to forget. I reckoned ending the course would be the

best way to save my love for children and maintain some

social sanity.
It was not that easy to convince parents, I`d realize. I
mentioned lots of excuses but parents sensed there were
more reasons behind my explanation. They offered some
ideas, of course. When the last thing I wanted to apply to
teaching English would be to go back to being traditional
and strict, the parents seemed to suggest I employ a spinster-type image, that of a teacher holding a wooden pointer. What could have made them think that being tough on
kids would solve it all? I hated myself when I was exactly
that kind! A Miss Tapia, is how we locally called a boring
and disciplinarian type teacher. It worked with my high
school students 20 years ago, but I didn`t ever want to see

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children learning English out of fear again.
Telling the English enthusiastic parents and kids to find
another teacher or school was the hardest thing to do at
that particular meeting. Thus, I didn`t know why, but I heard
myself say that I`d reorganize the group and start anew for
a better, livelier class. I just couldn`t believe I said so afterwards. Was I really born a teacher? Seeing the renewed
interest on both the parents` and children`s faces softened
my heart. I promised them that I`d try every possible
approach. So, there I was, planning another super lesson
once again.
Not Just Fun, But Organized Fun
The games I planned for the next week used a lot of
songs and background music. For example, to introduce the
story book, The Biggest Pumpkin, we sang The Farmer
in the Dell. We unlocked the song`s key words by pointing
at the accompanying photos as we sang and then made
connections between the song and the target story.
Afterwards, the class listened as I read with the faint
sounding tune being played in the background.
The lesson`s energizer games like Plastic Pumpkin
Shooting and Pin the Eyes on the Pumpkin were both
played with the fast beat song, Down By the Bay. At
quiet time, one student attempted to tell us about his experience gathering pumpkins with his grandfather. The other
kids helped him narrate using the words they previously
learned or had just learned in that day`s lesson. It was very
fulfilling for me and for the kids. As if the songs and the
book spoke so much of their experiences, the learners used
much of the story`s vocabulary in telling personal tales.
I remembered similar magic I saw during my son`s birthday party, when music was used to encourage action and
fun. Back in the classroom, having to speak to 20 plus
kids was a lot of work, so I decided using music would be
the only way to communicate to the excited tots. Amazingly, it was easy to shift from one game to another with the
aid of music. In the re-orientation meeting, demonstrating a
particular task and supplying a short explanation to parents
using varied music helped me target the message I wanted
to convey. Luckily on that day, I didn`t raise my voice, didn`t
repeat any procedure for the games and when I asked the
children to take their seats, it was really a satisfying scene.
No pushing, no pranks, no crying. The kids were marching
to the beat of the music and smiling at each other as they
moved to find their places! When the music stopped and I
gestured to them to freeze, that gave them the cue to follow what every tune suggested. I was getting more confident as the period drew to an end, so I concluded the meeting with the most striking action song. It was so relieving. I
controlled the class by just turning the music on and off. As
I am a music-lover myself, I felt so light and gay the entire
lesson.
Eureka! I exclaimed and struck the air. I jumped into a
waltz with my vacuum cleaner when everyone had left the
class running. So this music that we use to introduce a les-

son can suggest as well as command good behavior! I used

many more songs in our next meeting. At one point it was
me acting and dance interpreting, another time the kids did
sports aerobics and action songs, and at other times, all of
us were doing the pantomime of a related narrative song.
Try the Five little Ducks and you`ll see how kids learn by
repetitive songs. Even during quiet activities and when
drawing, I took the chance to hum the main points in the
drawing activity, singing to the tune but uttering the key
words in the lesson repeatedly. The matching activities and
materials strengthened the targets of the day. They bade
goodbye, again through a familiar song, just short of doing
a curtsey.
Background music, depending on the beat and tempo,
can basically control the mind flow, mood and movements
of listeners. Therefore, tunes can be used for more effective
classroom management. Musical technique is not new,
indeed. Many have been using songs in storytelling and
vocabulary, but to employ it to control and mold children`s
behavior may be something relatively unknown. Numerous
conflicts facing students in the classroom, such as poor
scheduling, being tired or having a lack of support, may
lead to a child`s poor performance and lack of discipline,
thus, a special program using revolutionary techniques
should be in place.
What do others say about the role of background music
and surroundings, particularly in language learning? There
were some ideas shared by psychologists that could have
changed many conditions in some countries or influenced
contemporary methodologies. These scholars began to peek
into other sciences as a possible source of answers for
numerous pedagogical problems. In the 70`s there were
new ideas that further developed teaching methodology, as
efforts to improve second language teaching and learning
dissected fields like psychiatry, in an attempt to discover
other secrets to effective language acquisition.
Application of Lozanov`s Suggestopedia in
Language Learning
One of the most striking contributions in pedagogy is a
Bulgarian doctor`s thesis for the growing problem in language acquisition. It has sparked numerous initiatives into
integrating techniques from various sciences applied to language learning. There were synergetic activities, accelerative learning, and other methods to enhance communication that incorporate some aspects of Suggestology.*
Dr. Georgi Lozanov`s Suggestopedia employs mental concentration combined with some form of self-relaxation creating conditions for activating the auto-suggestive mechanisms and hence the capacities of the unconscious or the
reserves of the mind (Bancroft, p.20). This suggests that
something as soothing as music can enhance the power of
the subconscious, thereby making the mind ready to absorb
knowledge faster and embed information into deeper memory.

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Although Lozanov`s thesis utilizes yoga and meditation
linked to India`s Savasana exercises, its` inspiration has
improved creativity in teaching, especially in pre-school and
elementary classes where rhythm and music are an integral
component of the lesson . But unlike any psychiatric patient
on a psychological couch, the language learner hears and
sees more: soothing music that enhances readiness to
absorb information, a pleasant teacher`s expressions and
talking objects that suggest attitudes. What could be very
applicable to teachers dealing with very young learners is
the employment of pleasant songs in the lesson. A more
conspicuous feature of Suggestopedia is the centrality of
music and musical rhythm to learning which has a kinship
to other functional uses of music, particularly therapy
(Richards and Rodgers, 2001). Moreover, the power of suggestive teaching puts order to numerous phases of the lesson catering to various intelligences, regulates the pace of
the tasks and punctuates the presentation of the lesson.
Isn`t music or song the best way to say, The next part of
the lesson is ~?
Thus, wouldn`t you think suggestion and music may be
one cure for the troublemakers in the classroom? Some
studies reveal that several attention deficit problems may
have been caused by certain environmental as well as psychological elements in the learner`s life. Optimists could
argue that the use of music seems to solve it all. Nowadays,
it`s a lot easier to employ suggestopedia in the classroom
as modern technology and communications provide highend audio visual aids, thus adding more convenience to the
learning space. There`s less difficulty employing suggestopedia in lessons as new technology has made shifting from
this to that tune manageable with the flick of a finger.
Playing the piano as you sing and perform the orchestra
with one hand while you point at the blackboard is no
longer a teacher`s only option. All you have to do is flip and
flop your CD or click a link to get to a website with music
collections. The magic of music directs kids in what they do
and when they should stop. There`s no need to raise your
voice repeatedly and you save yourself from acute
laryngitis!
A Teacher`s Creativity Counts ... A Little?
How do you open a lesson? Do you bring students to a
room full of wonders like they are entering Neverland and
every phase of the lesson is unfolded with a touch of mystery? You need not be hyper creative as resourcefulness and
improvisation is key. Lozanov points out that there exist
certain psychological and pedagogical techniques which are
quite often unnoticed by teachers themselves but which
nonetheless help them to attract and to keep the attention
of their students. It recognizes several factors like suggestions or sub-sensory signals both positive and
negative constantly emanate from the physical and social
environment in which we live, and that these are often
absorbed into the unconscious mind before being observed
and / or analyzed by consciousness(Bancroft, 1999). So

why not stop speaking for a few minutes and let the
teaching aids do all the talking?
Stimuli in the form of the teacher, a voice or musical
background could be more responsible for the learner`s
achievement than the actual organization of the lesson.
Observe children on playgrounds and in home settings to
understand what best interests and attracts their curiosity.
Though it seems new to teaching, this idea has long
been utilized in traditional settings like nurseries,
playrooms, and childcare units where children treat each
other more like playmates rather than co-learners. I believe
it`s a good idea to take Suggestopedia into formal
education, particularly language acquisition, as more careful analysis of the surroundings takes place that
consequently leads to an accelerated transfer of knowledge.
Kids learning a second language at an early age may be
faced with numerous obstacles different from those they
meet while mastering their native-tongue.
Thus, there`s a need for mood enhancers like audio and
visual effects to lead the children to a positive, right-brain
focused education. A loud or nagging teaching voice may
be effective at times, but children exposed to calmer tones
were observed to be more retentive. Establishing a friendly
setting with soft beats during set-up and quiet moments
can relax their nerves, rhythmic music when shifting and
transitioning the lesson focuses the kids, while fast-beat
tunes add speed when memorizing chants.
English teaching in Japan is possibly an entirely different
case compared to the various situations the forerunners of
Suggestology experimented on. Despite this, the magic can
be made applicable in even extremely challenging situations. With careful study of the target students` milieu
before applying a `formula`, the result could be the answer
to the dilemmas many a novice or expert teacher face in
management and discipline. I may have done some injustice
when I changed my elementary students` class schedule to
7 p.m. on Fridays. Especially during busy times of the year,
children may be coming to their ESL class exhausted and
hungry, frustrated and sleepy. Perhaps welcoming them
with a refreshing tea or small snack or using new games
with relaxing music that calm down their muscles and tired
brain may better help them to internalize material. Many
institutions that teach English as a major part of the curriculum schedule language studies either at the first two
periods in the morning or at the first two periods in the
afternoon to assure more cooperation from children.
Suggestology in Pre-schools and Informal Classes
The influence of suggestology (suggestopedia in pedagogy) can further be seen in how many commercial preschool or child-care units structure their curriculums.
Learning environments filled with fun and enjoyment
enhance children`s experiences. Competition and pressure
are replaced with individual achievement and personal discipline. Nowadays, hi-tech schools utilize interactive media
allowing personal or group development at either regular or

advanced paces.
In some Montessori kindergartens where the teacher
factor is often of lesser importance than the environment
and peer group, a lot of the principles in suggestology can
be observed. Kids interpret cues and available materials
according to their own talents, skills and interests and solve
problems through peer co-operation and individual capabilities.
How relieving it would be if the language teacher exerted minimal effort during the actual lesson and the students`
own motivation lead the learning experience. Since second
language learning aims mostly at native level competency,
some concerns may be raised regarding models, proficiency
and quality. Peer guidance may sometimes mislead instead
of develop, so the teacher as a model of speaking, reading,
and writing is emphasized and suggestion is limited to the
preparation phase. I wonder how expert educators would
react to this idea.
Conclusion
I believe that there are still other effective techniques
waiting out there for us to tap into and discover. Teaching
English in Japan does not have to be only a challage,, it can
actually be one of the most rewarding experiences of our
lives. If creativity and resourcefulness are always consid-

ered and implemented we may elevate some of the day to

day struggles facing this noble profession.

References
*http://www.gu.edu.au/school/lal/japanesemain/private.kaz.
suggestopedia.html
Bancroft, W Jane (1999) Suggestopedia and Language
Acquisition: Variation on a Theme. Amsterdam. Gordon and
Breach Publishers
Beare, Kenneth. English as Second Language, Richards,
Jack C., and Rodgers, Theodore S. (2001) Approaches and
Methods in Language Teaching, Second Ed. New York.
Cambridge University Press
Suggestopedia; Ask.com
http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa100998.html

If you have any questions or comments for Emily she can

be reached at jnj-hom@sta.att.ne.jp