I vividly remember ONE lesson from my highschool years - granted, it was a long time ago, but the fact that I remember this particular lesson above all others, demonstrates the impact of relevance-based teaching. The Peace Corp volunteer from somewhere in the USA - whose name unfortunately didn’t stick - came into the classroom and played U2’s famous song One. Back then I hadn’t even heard of U2, I was more into Metallica, Sepultura, Dream Theatre, The Doors, and other such markers of a troubled youth.
She played the song once and she only asked one question:
“What do you think this song is about?”
Those of you who are familiar with the song and its background will surely understand how excellent this kick-off was. We in the classroom must have all looked very confused. So we listened to it several times, wrote down the text (by listening, back then we didn’t have computers or google in the classroom, just a good old CD-player), and discussed it in groups. Then we were asked to present our theories. “Lover’s quarrel” was the gist of it.
We were not far off - considering that we were about 15 - but we were about to find out how much more it represented for the band, and for our local history. The song was born in post-unification Germany (1990s) - in Berlin, of all places - where U2 were recording and were on the verge of breaking up. It came to signify not just the reunification of the band, but that of Europe. Launched as a benefit single with proceeds going towards AIDS research, it was also a promise of acceptance and brotherly love. That clever teacher taught us all this, and I was hooked on U2.
I can’t remember now if there was more to it - if she focused on any social or cultural ramifications and spent more lessons on this - but I thought to myself: what an excellent idea, learning and practising language through music. Pop or rock music is an intrical part of every teenager’s life, they can relate to it and they understand it. Hearing U2s song in post-communist Romania had ample significance for us. But, more importantly, it can give the ESL learner a marvelous segway into relevant aspects of the curriculum: learning about the culture and history of English-speaking countries, the global functions of English, among others.
I have often used music in my classes, especially for the purpose of SL learning. Language and music are intertwined in a myriad of ways, but it probably doesn’t occur to many educators out there that music can also be a superb way to teach cultural history, a practical means to engage students who otherwise would be reluctant to converse, and - last but not least - it encourages creativity.
Let me show you an example of how one can work with rock music in the ESL classroom. My case study? Nirvana’s unplugged cover of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World.
Teaching Cultural History through Music
From the 4th grade upward, learning about English-speaking countries is a must in Norway, according to the curriculum. Students are meant to:
give some examples of English-speaking countries and famous people from these countries
converse about some aspects of different ways of living, traditions and customs in English-speaking countries
Competence aims become more compartmentalized after upper secondary education, and culture, society and literature is viewed as a separate and fundamental part of the subject.
Music as such is not included in the English language curriculum, but the reformed plan encourages cross-subject / cross-curricular learning. The instructions below are suited for more advanced learners (from 6-7th grade upwards), but can be tweaked for a younger audience.
Phase 1: Introductory tasks
Start the lesson by listening to the song - why not as the students enter the classroom. Listen several times.
Brainstorm / discuss (ca. 10-15 minutes)
Have you heard this song before?
Do you know this band?
Have you ever watched MTV?
What do you think the song is about?
Do you like this style of music?
State the aim of the lessons:
You have heard a song by the punk-rock band Nirvana. This is what we are going to work with in the English and Music lessons for a while. This version is a cover, and your job is to learn about its origins, interpret its meaning, and discover the story of the band. Additionally, you will learn about pop-rock culture in the 1990s and MTV, and you will practice the past tense, and - during the music lessons - you will learn to play the song (guitar, drums, and vocals).
Any questions?
Divide the class into smaller groups.
TASK 1: Listening comprehension
(ca 15 minutes)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Listen to the song and try to write down the lyrics on a piece of paper. No extra aids are allowed!
The groups return after 15 minutes, at which point the teacher brings up the lyrics on the screen - and the students check their own texts. Any discrepancies?
Task 2: Reading comprehension
(ca 15-20 minutes)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Working in groups, read the text together and discuss what it is about. Write down your ideas (ca 10 minutes)
Discuss in the classroom what the text is about. All ideas are written down by the teacher in a master document that is saved for next time. Name the document “TMWSTW discussion”.
Phase 2: Research and digital literacy
Before you start the next stage it is recommended that you revise what was discussed and found before. Listen to the song one more time and look at the lyrics. Bring up the master document (TMWSTW discussion) and talk about what the students said about the song.
Point out that in the next phase we will be learning about rock music and the cultural history of the 1990s.
TASK 1: Individual research
(ca 20 minutes)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Go to google.com and find out as much as you can about the song The Man Who Sold the World. Take notes along the way. Think about who wrote it, when it first came out, covers, etc. Open a new word document and title it with the name of the song; share the document with your teacher.
TASK 2: Presentation in groups
(start-off ca 15 minutes, research next lesson/two lessons)
You are going to write a presentation about the band Nirvana and about David Bowie. You will be divided into groups and each group will be given either Nirvana or Bowie. Today you decide who does what in the group, plan your layout, and start your research. Your presentation will have to be in PowerPoint.
OBS:
You decide how long this work takes - in my experience group research that will lead to presentations tends to take a few lessons.
The final lesson in this phase should be dedicated to presentations.
MUSIC LESSONS:
I am not a music teacher, but here are a few suggestions:
learn about the history of punk rock
listen to several punk rock bands
learn The Man Who Sold the World - guitar, drums, vocal (form several smaller “bands” in the classrooms)
The possibilities are endless! :)
Phase 3: Embedded grammar
At some point in the work in progress bring up the lyrics again and discuss the TENSE of the text. Past simple, past continuous, past perfect can be incorporated here. Make sure to point out that all the written texts and presentations should also be written in the past tense.
For students who need to work more on the past tense, it is a good idea to send home some extra online and offline grammar tasks related to the past tense. Students with short attention spans can take a time-out in pairs and work with verb-cards. This is something I often use: make a bunch of laminated cards with verbs in the infinitive form, maybe highlight them in different colours according to verb groups. Students tend to enjoy playing with these in many different configurations:
charades - take a card and try to either do the action if possible, mimic the action, or describe it in other words, and the other/others need to guess;
give me the… - take a card and give the past simple, past perfect, past continuous form asap; if you can’t the other/others must try; the one who can say the right forms gets the card;
tell me all! - take a card and say if the verb is regular or irregular, give present, past, future forms.
There are great ways to use the verb cards, and here is a rather comprehensive list of verbs. Be sure to adjust according to the student’s level.
Another efficient way to practice past tense is to find verbs in the texts they have read for research.
FOR the more advanced students there is a fantastic peace in the New Yorker congregating articles about the nineties. Spend some time creating reading comprehension exercises and you won’t regret it.
Alternately, watch Ziggy Stardust with the class.
I hope I managed to show that working with rock music in the English language class renders immense scope to the imagination. Give it a try!
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