Music is a powerful instrument that can be used not just to have fun but also to learn a language, thanks to its natural mnemonic ability and more.
At the beginning of the project, the POMELO partners did great research work to provide a strong scientific basis for all the outputs created. Thanks to these preliminary research phase it was possible to create resources for Youth workers so interesting and dedicated to social inclusion.
Now, you can find smoothly in one single page all researches, videos, interviews, TED talk and much else besides about the topic of the power of music that we studied before creating the POMELO outputs.
Do you think that songs can be used to teach Grammar phenomena?
Songs have been known to be a negative source of content for learning grammar, however, if well chosen, songs can be a valuable source of grammar reinforcement. Listening skills can also be enhanced through songs as they provide students with practice in listening to varying forms of intonation, and rhythm, which is very important in language acquisition.
Do you know that using songs to learn new vocabulary can be more easily memorized than presenting the new vocabulary in speech?
Another experiment tested implicit learning by asking adult participants to listen to a continuous stream of synthesised nonsense syllables, presented either as spoken or as sung syllables, for 7 minutes. Results showed that participants who heard the sounds presented in the two musical conditions performed significantly better at segmenting the stream of syllables into nonsense words than participants who heard the spoken version, who only performed at chance levels.
Do you want your group of migrants to acquire a new vocabulary of the hosting country?
Teach them songs of the hosting country. It is a great way to acquire new vocabulary, practice the oral language and listening skills while you encourage the active participation of the group. Everyone likes to sign, especially if it is a group singing procedure.
Do you know the 3 steps to teach language through music?
- Choose an enjoying music
- Analyze the lyrics and create a personal textbook based on lyrics of the song
- Deepen the understanding of the underlying culture
Using songs in teaching language can help ‘students’ to adopt language better!
The benefits from active engaged with music in language skills are various: Excellence of aural perception and language skills, development of literacy (reading, spelling, writing, listening and speaking) and phonological skills, development of aural and visual memory.
Did you know that using music for teaching a foreign language not only can accelerate the learning procedure but also can integrate new students with more confidence in the classroom?
A specific research made in Germany has started from the assumption that most children of new arrivals in Germany have either no (or only very basic) knowledge of the German language, which is the foundation of effective integration, the university in Regensburg together with one of the local elementary schools created a project in 2014 with the goal of teaching German through music. Even the preliminary results showed that such learning is extremely effective and brings good results – after a few months some of the children had mastered the language well enough that they could be transferred to regular classrooms. In addition, it was very clear that music can integrate new students into the classroom and give them a feeling of self-confidence.
Would you like to build fast bonding in your youth groups?
Then Sing! Singing bonds groups more quickly than any other activity… Communal singing can cause a significant increase in social closeness of large groups of unfamiliar individuals.
Music – making can have a great impact in students!
It has been proved that participation in group music activities can help students to learn support each other, maintain commitment and bond together in group goals.
Did you know that music has a positive impact in building lasting friendships?
Students frequently participating in collective music – making process tend to build lasting friendships with people from different social backgrounds
Can you write new lyrics using the melody of a well-known song?
Using a well-known song and recreating the lyrics is an amazing tool for language teachers. In this way you help ‘students’ to practice the oral language with pleasure and also offer entertainment
Do you think that Choir can be a strong medium to bring social integration of refugees with locals?
Singing in synchrony with strangers can further increase cooperation within groups. This can lead to increased self-determination and control of communities and also increase opportunities of employment
Did you know that the rhythm of songs can also help and boost your language learning?
A study in 2016 showed that during the learning of a new language, melodic and rhythmic cues assist participants in recognizing the contours of words and therefore they learn new words more easily than the participants to whom they come only presented speech sequences
