If the idea of sitting through another English lesson isn't motivating you, maybe it's time to sing a different tune.
Children are naturally drawn to the rhythm and rhyme of music. Though they are not aware of it, the songs of childhood have a profound influence on their language development. Singing helps kids to naturally understand the underlying rhythm, colloquial expressions, reductions, speech patterns, stress and intonation used in English. It programmes the brain to recognize and imitate the inflection and speech patterns allowing children to develop a more neutral accent. Music also provides a common language for kids to share with their peers, regardless of fluency.
Take the ABC song. It is probably one of the most famous English songs of all time. Every single English speaking person has sung it, and probably still sings it when doing any alphabetizing. Not only does it help to remember the letters, it’s also useful for associating sounds with those letters. Good luck getting this song out of your head after singing it a few times.
Beyond children's music, the benefits of learning English songs and participating in a singing group within an English environment extends to adults too. Singing lessons can be much less frustrating than standardized run-of-the-mill textbook instruction, and serves as an easy way to familiarize yourself with popular culture, slang and idiomatic expressions. Participating in a class is ideal to keep motivated and the English environment affords you conversational practice.
And, if taking a class doesn't work for you, sing along to English music at home. The lyrics can be found online to help you better understand what is being said. Here is a site that has done the work for you: Private Native English Tutors of Hong Kong.
0 comments:
Post a Comment