More than words : songs for the language classroom / Tom Parkinson, Luke Vyner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Parkinson, Thomas, 1980- author.

Vyner, Luke, author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in twenty-first century music practice, 2633-4585.

Cambridge elements. Elements in twenty-first century music practice, 2633-4585

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Study and teaching--Foreign speakers.

English language.

Popular music--Study and teaching.

Popular music.

Music in education.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (83 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

English language teachers have long recognised pop songs' potential for engaging students and establishing positive classroom environments conducive to language learning. Educational publishers increasingly incorporate music into their coursebooks, including specially commissioned 'ELT songs', whose lyrics feature aspects of target language. This Element explores the phenomenon of ELT songs from the authors' insider perspective as songwriters. It considers the relationship between music and lyrics in songs, what this means for using songs in the language classroom, the historical developments through which ELT songs emerged, and the contexts in which they are written, listened to, and made. Through literature review and reflection, the authors derive a framework of twelve criteria and ten dilemmas to guide ELT songwriting, before applying it in an analysis of their songs and songwriting process. The final section proposes a model for multidisciplinary collaboration between songwriters and non-musician collaborators including authors, teachers, and publishers.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

More Than Words: Songs for the Language Classroom

Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Contribution to Knowledge

1.2 Methodology and Approach

1.3 Outline

2 Words and Music

2.1 What Are Songs?

2.2 Songs as Musical and Linguistic Texts

2.3 Songs as Recorded Sound

2.4 Songs and Emotion

2.5 Singing versus Speech

2.6 Conclusion

3 Contextualising ELT Songs

3.1 ELT Songs as Popular Music

3.2 ELT Songs: A Subgenre of Children's Music

3.3 ELT Songs as an Industry Commodity

3.4 ELT Songs as a Classroom Resource

4 Evaluating ELT Songs

4.1 The Songwriter's Perspective

4.2 The Publisher's Perspective

4.3 The ELT Author's Perspective

4.4 The Teacher's Perspective

4.5 The Young Learner's Perspective

4.6 What Is a 'Good' ELT Song? An Evaluative Framework

5 Writing ELT Songs

5.1 Responding to the Brief: From Extra-Musical Requirements to Musical Content

5.2 'Where Were You Last Night?': Emotional Engagement Through Deixis and Danceability

5.3 'Pencil Case': Reconciling Linguistic, Pedagogical, and Musical Priorities

5.4 Speech Proximity, Accent, and Pace

5.5 Lyrical, Musical, and Sonic Alignment

5.6 'What Is a Family?': Cultural Representation and Implicit Ideology

5.7 Summary

6 Multidisciplinary Collaboration in ELT Songwriting: Specialist, Adaptive, and Relational Expertise

6.1 Sites and Modes of Collaboration

6.2 ELT Songwriting: A Collaborative Model

6.3 Conclusion

References

Acknowledgements

Permissions.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 07 Feb 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-34506-0

1-009-34509-5

1-009-34507-9

OCLC:

1574117134