These can include vocabulary exercises, comprehension exercises, discussion tasks, and links with other materials, such as a reading. Songs are an excellent launching pad for discussion classes as their meaning is often ambiguous. By including a few simple discussion questions on the topic of the song, learners are amazed at the different interpretations, and the personal nature of music encourages even the most reticent student to express opinions freely. As a musician and songwriter, I sometimes bring to class materials based on my own songs, and, each year, at least one or two musically inclined students reciprocate by bringing in songs that their bands have written. While teachers occasionally may have to listen to some dreadful music, students are always interested in classmates' compositions.
Students can compose their own melodies or change the words of standards.
These songs can then be incorporated into learner materials for use with the whole class or in groups. In many classes, the students, having developed the materials, are willing and able to take on the role of teacher and organize and lead the class in the task. Before introducing the gap-fill activity, students might give a short presentation about why they chose the song. In some classes, however, class size or the level of the students might make it necessary to choose the best of the student materials for presentations or to split the class into small groups to ensure that everyone's materials are used. Conclusion Learner-designed materials are an exciting area of language teaching, and songs in particular offer a strong motivation for students to enter willingly into material design.