Ghada, when I was in my high school, the AVA session during English is always what me and my friends were waiting for. We were ushered to language lab... we were given fill in the blanks sheet as mentioned by Mokhtar...and we listen to songs individually. First time, one song in 20 mins, then 2 songs in 30 mins, and then 3 song in half an hour. It's exciting because at home, we didnt have those facilities. It makes English an interesting subject. I ended up to be a choir member in high school.

In terms of memory, not so much because we listen to different songs every time we visited the language lab. But, when I was in the choir, and I needed to practice songs for various shows, I had to sing again and again and again till I remember. Just like when we want to recite holy words.

So, one time singing, will not give an effect to memory (unless the students are trying to figure out one of the lyrics to fill in the blanks, then the students need to rewind and rewind - in that case, yes).

But be careful in choosing songs. It might rhyme, but not grammatically correct. For grammar and pronunciation, why not watch English movies like Pride and Prejudice. There are a couple of good movies in the you tube. You may want to edit the censored part using Movie maker.

I checked thoroughly for any study in Palestine context but I found nothing

One of most common techniques in relation to music and lyrics is "fill in the blanks" activity. Students are given a song to listen to 2or3 times, then the teacher gives them the lyrics with missing words, or at advanced levels, they are required to write the lyrics based only on their listening.

This kind of activities help learners to develop their listening skill which eventually leads to better comprehension and speaking performance as well.

This is what i did in my experiment but i need more comments about its relation to recall and memory can any one help

Dear Ghada,

The role of songs in language learning pedagogy has been discussed at great length in the native and non native context, but I have yet to read anything in palestanian context. This is a good research gap! The framework for the experiment may benefit from the multiple intelligences theory and theory on sociolinguistic- with palestanian context.

Here are some citation that i would like to share with you, hope it helps.

Hall Haley, M. (2004). Learner-centered instruction and the theory of multiple intelligences with second language learners. The Teachers College Record, 106(1), 163-180.

Failoni, J. W. (1993). Music as Means To Enhance Cultural Awareness and Literacy in the Foreign Language Classroom. Mid-Atlantic Journal of Foreign Language Pedagogy, 1, 97-108.

Kramer, D. J. (2001). A Blueprint for Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures through Music in the Classroom and on the Web. ADFL bulletin, 33(1), 29-35.

Berwick, R. C., Okanoya, K., Beckers, G. J., & Bolhuis, J. J. (2011). Songs to syntax: the linguistics of birdsong. Trends in cognitive sciences, 15(3), 113-121.

The last one is related to the Chomsky theory of language learning and relates to the fundamental issues.

All the best Ghada!

Ghada, when I was in my high school, the AVA session during English is always what me and my friends were waiting for. We were ushered to language lab... we were given fill in the blanks sheet as mentioned by Mokhtar...and we listen to songs individually. First time, one song in 20 mins, then 2 songs in 30 mins, and then 3 song in half an hour. It's exciting because at home, we didnt have those facilities. It makes English an interesting subject. I ended up to be a choir member in high school.

In terms of memory, not so much because we listen to different songs every time we visited the language lab. But, when I was in the choir, and I needed to practice songs for various shows, I had to sing again and again and again till I remember. Just like when we want to recite holy words.

So, one time singing, will not give an effect to memory (unless the students are trying to figure out one of the lyrics to fill in the blanks, then the students need to rewind and rewind - in that case, yes).

But be careful in choosing songs. It might rhyme, but not grammatically correct. For grammar and pronunciation, why not watch English movies like Pride and Prejudice. There are a couple of good movies in the you tube. You may want to edit the censored part using Movie maker.

I agree with Ina Suryani and Fatimah Petra, very interesting answers.

Well, Fatimah's answer reminded me to add something in terms for the songs' choice. In addition to grammar and pronunciation accuracy, the tempo of the music played is of great importance. Relaxing music is the first choice for promoting language learners' listening comprehension skills. In addition to the benefits of calm music in general (reducing blood pressure, lowering anxiety, improving memory performance, motivating the brain to function better, etc), it gives learners the opportunity to process language items at a slow rate for better comprehension and memorizing far from the loud noise where the lyrics can be overlooked by the tempo. One thing to be considered when playing relaxing music is the students' energy level because it can make sleepy teenagers fall into a deep sleep. The alternative here is putting some of their favourite tunes to increase their energy levels and interest.

The familiarity with the songs might be a factor that impacts one's memorisation. When choosing a song for a group of teenagers, for example, try to find songs that are catchy and start from there. When the students are ready for a more challenging task, changing lyrics on a familiar tune (or an enjoyable one) can be a way to construct memory. If students produce something they like/enjoy, it will be more likely for them to memorise it more easily.

Thank you all for your valuable comments , I really appreciate your notes

Fatima, Ina, Mokhtar , Monica. Would also want to share you my happiness that i am proceeding quite well in my paper and i have recently received warm appreciation for my paper from the chief. editor of Asia EFL Journal and soon it will be published

Thank you Toledo and still waiting for more valuable ideas . Looking for a one year work experience out side my institution starting from 2016 any idea , please?

Dear Ina...my paper is the first in Palestine regarding the use f lyrics in FL classroom.

Songs are very effective in English learning for both ESL and EFL classes. I have used songs in my classes and they created not only a fun but also an effective learning environment for my students. Various activities can be planned using songs and lyrics if you want to get more details of the activities, you may refer to the following website which contains free worksheets for teachers using songs:

http://www.azargrammar.com/materials/index.html

There is this beautiful story from the composer and pianist Justice Olsson:

He was asked to teach english to a french plane pilot who had missed his line pilot license twice because of his bad accent. The third time was his last chance. Justice taught him songs of the Beatles and other accompanying him on the piano and helping hime to pronounce within the music practice sessions, singing the words and improvising on texts. 

This time, the pilot passed the exam easily. The end story is that in exchange he came on his sundays to build for Justice a brand new studio ;-)

When practicing music, hearing is wide awake, but in addition, reproducing sounds within the rhythm of music expression sharpens the attention and relaxes mouth muscles during effort. It also makes it more fun and helps to memorize.

Should someone study effects of pleasure on apprenticeship?

There are two features which make songs essential to children who are learning a language. First, they are fun and motivating. Second, they help language learners twist their tongues more easily and get more comfortable with pronunciation and intonation.

The second feature also holds true for adult language learners. 

Hello dear Ghada.

I have a friend that worked on this subject in his master dissertation. Try to contact   José Peixoto Coelho de Souza . Good luck. Cheers.