More Than Words: Songs for the Language Classroom

English language teachers have long recognised pop songs’ potential for engaging young people 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.

In this Element we explore the phenomenon of ELT songs from our insider perspective as songwriters. We consider 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, we derive a framework of twelve criteria and ten dilemmas to guide ELT songwriting, before applying it in an analysis of our songs and songwriting process. In the final chapter, we propose a model for multidisciplinary collaboration between songwriters and non-musician collaborators including authors, teachers, and publishers.