Korean Job Discussion Forums

[julian_w]

If you were designing an esl university course and wanted to include one song lyric for each of two classes per week for 10 weeks (ie. 16 weeks but not counting the two weeks for revision and two for testing and one for holidays and one for freshman orientation or welcoming activities...), then, what would be the best 20 song lyrics you would include? And, on what basis would you choose those songs?

Here's my thinking, with the list beneath.

Firstly, the ultimate trick would be to get a big list of potential songs, and then the list of learning objectives for each week or even each class, and then match the songs up somehow. Failing that, it's probably worth having them just for fun, and for an introduction to class or for a time-filler for fast learners and early finishers at the end of class.

It could be worth keeping in mind that most students are (could be) nice young impressionable Korean students (who thus all like 'ballad' style love songs) and esl students (so, slower-tempo does in fact work in their favour anyway...).

It could also be worth remembering that while they may be familiar with only the most recent and only the very most popular international hits, this can also work in your favour, as you have decades of back-catalogue material to introduce to them, hopefully without their prejudice.

Perhaps the other thing though would be that it's worth including songs with simple lyrics that contain as much as possible of only good easy-to-hear clearly sung examples of standard modern conversational English. (eg. Chuck Berry wrote as he spoke, and he wrote really bloody well, but most of his tunes are quite quick.)

They would also need to be fairly straightforward in terms of tune, ie. achievable for all to sing (...including me – and there's the REAL challenge!...). Added value would be that they would be songs that any western (English speaking) friends they might meet in the future would know, and perhaps even some of those songs could be able to be found in norae bang.

As with all teaching, it��s best if it's fun, or failing that at least mildly positive. One of my favourite songs of all time is, for example, The River, by Bruce Springsteen. As potentially subversive an antidote it well is to all the romanticly-love-soaked ballads and TV dramas found in Korean pop culture, I think it may well be a little too depressing a song to maintain a fun atmosphere. I guess Angie runs the risk of this too.

My list:

Wild Horses - Rolling Stones
Angie - "
Don't Worry - Bob Marley
Four Seasons in One Day - Crowded House
Weather with You - "
Summertime - George Gershwin
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Blowing in the Wind - Bob Dylan or Joan Baez
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
Chuckie's in Love - Rickie Lee Jones
Hey Jude - Beatles
Yesterday - "
Imagine - "
We are the Champions - Queen
Lola - The Kinks
The Logical Song - Supertramp
My Baby - Ella Fitzgerald (& Louis Armstrong...?)
You Can't Hurry Love - Diana Ross and the Supremes
Nothing Compares to You – (Prince) Sinaed O��Conner
Thank You - Dido
Biko – Peter Gabriel


Other ideas?

[Ya-ta Boy]

I have two suggestions. Number one is to reduce the number of songs to four or five. Twice a week is way too much, IMO, especially for those students who don't like to sing. My second suggestion is to go to a noraebang and copy their list of songs. Let the students select the songs they will learn.

If you don't want to let them select the songs, I'd suggest one by Elvis. Everyone knows his name and most know at least one of his songs to hum to. They might enjoy learning the words. I would suggest a novelty song just because it's silly. Something different. Maybe "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-dot Bikini".