Songs and Chants.!!

Songs and chants? Are they the same? No, they aren´t. So what is the difference? Songs are more musical and have more varied melodies. Chants are phrases that are repeated over and over with the same rhythm in order for students to learn.
I made this question to my classmates: How do you feel when you listen to music? Some answered relax, happy, etc. We human like music, enjoy music. So, why not to use music call it songs or chants in classrooms? Imagine the impact it may have on students. A song that is learned is really hard to be forgotten. May be students won’t remember what we said instead, they will remember the song or the chant. 

Now a day, more teachers are applying this in the classrooms. The purpose of songs and chants is not only to have a funny time but also to learn. The main objective is to learn. . We can add mimics, gestures and visual aids to make it even more meaningful for students. We can also change the lyric of the song or the chant or add specific tasks. The songs and chants can be adapted to the topic of the lesson and the necessities of the students.

The use of songs and chants has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages I could mention are that the motivate students to learn vocabulary, brings a relaxed classroom in which children and teacher get closer, “gives encouragement, even children are shy or slow learning, coming out and losing their embarrassment. Because they feel able to speak in a foreign language.” (Idurre Astigarraga, 2014) the disadvantage is how to choose the correct song or chant. There are so many popular music for kids that may be funny but not appropriate for the needs of the students. If you are a teacher and have never use a song or a chant in your class, think about it! You will see good results.