Songs in English: a way to take on the new challenges of learning foreign languages (Review)

Abstract

With the implementation of the Strategy for improvement of English in Cuban universities, which began in the 2016-2017 school year, English teachers face a great challenge, because the subject is projected to be integrated university professionals able to show communicative competence in at least one foreign language, mainly in the English language, as an aspiration sustained from the first years of our Revolution, as expressed in Ministerial Resolution 16/2016.

Most of the English teachers have used songs or fragments of these to motivate a certain class and the results are satisfactory, as long as a song is not chosen at the time of the orange blossom and it is in accordance with the interests of the students. Music as a branch of art, allows creating a favorable atmosphere in the classroom space, making it possible to establish a link between the personal experiences of the students and the teacher. In addition, it propitiates to give treatment to interpersonal conflicts of some members of the group, situations of love, consolation to the loss of a loved one, use of technology and attention to diversity among others. The teacher does not necessarily need to be a good interpreter, since he will be helped by the different means to work (recorders, cell phones, TV, etc.). Grosso modo, those are the elements that this article will address.