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Songs in the Classroom “Music is the universal language of mankind (Longfellow). “ In other words, everyone, regardless of age, gender or origin, can relate to or likes some kind of music. Here we will explore how songs can be used in the classroom to make learning more enjoyable and effective. People listen to music for a variety of reasons, whether they are to change their mood, inspire dance or help provide inspiration while performing a task. According to Henry Wadsforth Longfellow, music can help students to concentrate and absorb material as well as can help inspire creativity. One can see where music would be helpful during the study or activate stage of a lesson. For example, while students are completing a worksheet or other exercise, the teacher can play calming classical music to help aid in the students’ focus. While students are brainstorming before creating something for the activate stage of a lesson, the teacher may want to play an instrumental jazz tune. Aside from simply playing background to the main task, songs can be the tool with which students learn specific items or can actually be the focus of the lesson. For example, “using music to introduce an exercise is a great way to activate vocabulary... (Beare).” In ‘Music in the ESL Classroom,’ Kenneth Beare uses the example of the song ‘New York, New York’ during the engage phase of a lesson, to bring about vocabulary associated with the city. According to Hans Mol in “Using Songs in the english Classroom,” students can learn an entire song in order to acquire new language, and learn stress and intonation. He used the example of lip synching in order to demonstrate how songs can be used for the above purposes. Outside of using songs as a learning tool, music can also be a helpful device for managing the classroom and organizing activities. Michelle Lazar explains how songs can provide “structure to the daily schedule” in her article ‘Tunes for Tasks.’ Using songs in this manner is specifically geared towards classrooms with children and can cover tasks such as lining up at the door for recess. Lazar explains how selecting a familiar and catchy children’s song is key in getting children to readily respond and act accordingly. To encourage students to ‘line up at the door,’ for example, Lazar suggests using the famous tune ‘Farmer and the Dell,’ replacing the words with your own commands for the task at hand. Lazar also notes that songs created by the teacher should be made to fit the melody of the popular song. For instance, in order to encourage students to take their books out of their bags, the teacher can sing a song to the theme of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ that may be sung like so Get your books out of your bags, Get your books out of your bags, Put them on the table now. Get your books out of your bags. Music is not just a way to pass the time or show off your extensive IPod collection. It is a great way to stimulate and inspire teachers and learners alike. However a teacher decides to use songs in the classroom, they can be rest assured that they will provide enrichment and fun to the learning environment.