Abstract

 Most language teachers like to use songs in the classroom. One can find a recorded French or Spanish-language song for just any linguistic structure, but it is almost impossible to find a song that repeats the structure often enough to reinforce its use in a way similar to that of exercises designed to reinforce mastery of a targeted grammar point through listening and speaking.  More often, in the songs available on CDs or on the Internet the grammatical structure appears in the context of lyrics that introduce so many new expressions and unfamiliar cultural references that the grammar lesson gets diluted.  Some musicians have created songs specifically for the language classroom, but they tend to dumb down both the lyrics and the music, and are geared at a young audience.  Professor Rollet has been composing songs that zero in on a particular lesson that gets reinforced in lyrics that are meaningful and set to sophisticated contemporary music and instrumentals.  These allow for undiluted practice of precise structures through repetition with only slight modifications to show how the structure functions, while using more words that are familiar than unfamiliar.  Most importantly, each song is introduced and followed by distinct communicative activities that bear their own cultural focus.   This session will present the website he recently created to make these songs and activities available to the public.