Techniques for Using Music with L2 Learners
There are a variety of different ways to use music in the classroom. Some teachers prefer to use background music and others use music lyrics as the basis of a lesson. Music can be used to:
introduce a new theme or topic (Christmas/colours/feelings)
break the ice in a class where students don't know each other or are having difficulty communicating
change the mood (liven things up or calm things down)
teach and build vocabulary and idioms
review material (background music improves memory)
teach pronunciation and intonation
teach songs and rhymes about difficult grammar and spelling rules that need to be memorized ("i before e", irregular verbs, phrasal verbs)
teach reading comprehension
inspire a class discussion
teach listening for details and gist