English through music:

effective CLIL lessons for

young learners
Jane Willis
(ELT specialist)
Anice Paterson
(music specialist)
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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?
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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
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Music through English?

or
English through music?
Why music and English together?
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Singing
is an excellent way for
children to
learn and memorise
words and phrases
develop familiarity with
the sounds, rhythms
and stress of English

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
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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
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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
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A giant

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The giant story

Recorded in a class of 9
year-olds who
have various soundmakers
listen to the story, bit by
bit, and suggest sounds
for each action
perform the whole story,
with sounds
create variations
CD 55

1. First of all, I want you to

imagine that theres a
huge giant and hes
eating his dinner at his
table. Can you make
eating sounds?
2. And on the door theres
a tap tap tap tap Can
you repeat that rhythm
for me? Keep it going
tap tap tap tap
3. The giant stands up and
slowly walks to the door
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The enormous carrot

Teacher with five-year-olds

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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
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14

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

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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
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B Listening and experimenting

with sounds

Hands and feet CD15

(Body Percussion)
Lets make a band
(Sound-makers)
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19

Action songs & rhymes

Section C (minimal language)
The Rocket Rhyme
Count down, count down,
rocket leaving soon
Count down, count down,
leaving for the moon
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Blast off!
Section F (more language)
Theres a tiny caterpillar
on a leaf
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A Rhythm Grid
Some very small creatures
OK, Lets start with a steady beat..
a very quiet beat.. Keep it going Now listen
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22

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)
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E Listening and responding to

music
How long does it last?

(instrument sounds)

I like it (different styles, images, moods,

countries) CD 40
Lets dance

Children hear about where the music is from, think

what it could be about, express how the music
makes them feel...
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25

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)
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27

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

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

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

Anice Paterson & Jane Willis
OUP 2008
jane@willis-elt.co.uk
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