More Than Words
Songs for the Language Classroom

ELT songs are listened to by millions of learners worldwide. This is the first known study of this global phenomenon.

Tom Parkinson (Author), Luke Vyner (Author)

9781009345088, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 20 March 2025

92 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.149 kg

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.

1. Introduction
2. Words and music
3. Contextualising ELT Songs
4. Evaluating ELT songs
5. Writing ELT songs
6. Multidisciplinary collaboration in ELT songwriting: specialist, adaptive, and relational
References.

Subject Areas: Music [AV]