1. English through music: effective CLIL lessons for young learners
Jane Willis
(ELT specialist)
Anice Paterson
(music specialist)

2. OVERVIEW
What potential does Content & Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) have for language development?
Why is music particularly suited to CLIL?
What kinds of musical activities are there? (with brief demonstrations of some of them)
How can you ensure these music activities fulfil conditions that are likely to promote language learning? What about another Content area?

3. Content & Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
Learning a subject through English provides
young learners with:
exposure to spoken English
a clear purpose for listening to English and trying to understand
a context for using English
a reason for reading and writing

4. Music through English. or English through music
Music through English? or English through music? Why music and English together?

6. Singing is an excellent way for children to
learn and memorise words and phrases
develop familiarity with the sounds, rhythms and stress of English

7. Songs, rhymes and rhythm activities
help children to
learn to listen carefully – with a real purpose
respond to the ranges in tone, pitch, and expression in the voice
concentrate hard on small details of pronunciation, stress and rhythm

8. Musical pictures and musical stories
help children to
experiment and use the qualities of sounds effectively
express their feelings
recognise the structure of stories and poems and to sequence ideas
talk about what they are doing and why
tell and perform their own stories

9. Rehearsing and giving musical performances
provides children with a real purpose for developing and practising their English
helps children to develop self-confidence
- in using English in a range of contexts
- in performing with control and expressiveness
keeps children motivated and excited by their experience of making music
Also, NFER has evidence of beneficial effects on general behaviour and learning skills

10. A giant

11. The giant story Recorded in a class of 9 year-olds who
have various sound-makers
listen to the story, bit by bit, and suggest sounds for each action
perform the whole story, with sounds
create variations
CD 55
First of all, I want you to imagine that there’s a huge giant and he’s eating his dinner at his table. Can you make eating sounds?
And on the door there’s a tap tap tap tap… Can you repeat that rhythm for me? Keep it going – tap tap tap tap…
The giant stands up and slowly walks to the door

12. Teacher with five-year-olds
The enormous carrot
Teacher with five-year-olds

13. So what are they learning?
Musical skills
Experimenting with sounds
Creating sound patterns
Remembering a sequence
Performing a piece
Creating variations
Language development
Exposure to story text
& to teacher talk that engages attention
(imperatives, repetitions,
on-going commentary)
Opportunities for participatory use of language

15. What kinds of music activities are there?
These activities cover musical objectives that appear in any typical music syllabus.
A Warm-up activities
‘Listen and Do’ – physical and vocal exercises to prepare children for music making and to develop their co-ordination, voice control, and pronunciation.

16. Physical warm-ups Some examples (all on CD) ‘Stretch, shake and wiggle
‘Pat your head and rub your tummy’
Baby 1, 2, 3

17. Vocal warm-ups Breath control: snakes, bees, humming
Musical vowels: sirens, scales
Consonant patterns: slow - ping pong;
fast - ch ch ch ch
Voice expression: Boom chicka boom

18. B Listening and experimenting with sounds
Hands and feet CD15
(Body Percussion)
Let’s make a band
(Sound-makers)

20. Action songs & rhymes Section C (minimal language) The Rocket Rhyme
Count down, count down,
rocket leaving soon
leaving for the moon
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Blast off!
Section F (more language)
There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf

21. A Rhythm Grid Some very small creatures
‘OK, Let’s start with a steady beat…..
a very quiet beat.. Keep it going… Now listen

23. D Rhythm games & patterns
Clap it back (fruit, vocabulary sets)
Pop
Spider Ant (small creatures, party food)
Language and music aims:
Syllable stress in words and phrases
Performing layered patternings (in parts)

24. E Listening and responding to music
How long does it last? (instrument sounds)
I like it (different styles, images, moods, countries) CD 40
Let’s dance
Children hear about where the music is from, think what it could be about, express how the music makes them feel...

26. Composing and performing class music
G Story-based music
Musical books (any story)
The giant
The enormous carrot (growing food and farm animals)
H Musical pictures
Rainstorm (tropical climate)
Where shall we go today? (zoo, market…)

28. Activity Page LANGUAGE MUSIC RESOURCES AND PREPARATION TIME GUIDE AGE
………………………………………
Activity (numbered steps and suggestions for what to
say in English).
Variations (ideas for other similar musical activities)
Language extensions

29. Language extensions
Suggestions for building on the language used in the activity:
same music aims but new context or song
mini-dialogues for intonation work
games for vocabulary revision e.g. miming
tongue twisters
follow-up chats / discussions
mini-projects with cross-curricula links.

30. Questions How does this fit my English syllabus?
Are the activities graded?
How to use the CD?
Musical expertise? Teacher support?

31. What language learning opportunities do these CLIL lessons provide?
Four main sources
1. general classroom management and instructions
2. the language used to introduce the topic, to set up the music activity itself,
to attain the music aims & lead to a musical performance

32. What language learning opportunities do these CLIL lessons provide?
3. the words and phonological features of the songs, rhymes, chants, stories, and mini-dialogues,
4. further development of specific language features and topic themes

33. And finally… the three most important things…
use the musical activity to generate opportunities to interact with the children in English
encourage children’s language and music development by being positive
make sure you all enjoy making music.

34. ‘English Through Music’ Anice Paterson & Jane Willis
OUP 2008