Yes we might be in the middle of Eurovision but there was only one place to be if you wanted the very best in music this lunchtime in Dublin. This morning after classes, City Language School invited its students and teachers to come and join us for an afternoon of fun and karaoke in the Student Room.
Get your weekend started with music
\”I think Fridays are supposed to be a relaxing day. You\’re supposed to have fun and enjoy yourself and that\’s one of our goals here at City Language School.\” says Fernando Bajo, Student Services Manager at City Language School. \”Friday to me has always been a very musical day. You get the rhythm for the weekend and so we decided to do a karaoke. I think the students really enjoyed it.\”
Judging by the fact that the event went on for over an hour, Fernando\’s assessment seems about right. But of course, while having fun is part of the motivation, it is also a great way of learning a language.
Music for learning
\”Music is great for learning languages,\” says Miriam Stewart, teacher and Head of Drama at City Language School. \”On a very basic level it\’s enjoyable and because it has a melody it\’s more fun and engaging and simply easier to remember. Karaoke is particularly good because it hits all the learning styles. So it\’s kinesthetic because it\’s oral when you\’re singing, it\’s aural because you\’re listening, you have to read the lyrics and you even have to write down your name to join the queue to sing. It\’s a great way to learn English. It\’s such a great idea.\”
Letting students decide and building their confidence
Another positive of something like karaoke is the fact that it builds confidence.
\”It can be terrifying for learners of a new language to even ask for directions,\” says Social Media Officer, Johnny Butler. \”So the fact that they can get up here and sing in front of people from different parts of the world that they might not know and step outside their comfort zone is great. It was also pretty cool to see some of the teachers get up there and pitch in too. They\’re great fun.\”
