I'm Alex Villarreal with the VOA Special English Education Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com |http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
Songs teach language. Consider a song like "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. An American teaching English overseas once told us that students love that song.Recently we asked people on the Special English Facebook page to suggest other songs that English learners might like. Noemi Nito wrote: I'm one of those English students who love "Tom's Diner." I started learning English with "Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden. Another favorite is "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden. Another person, Asi Tambunan, suggested the song "God Only Knows" by Orianthi. Gyongyi Jako wrote that ABBA's songs from Sweden are perfect for class work. Other good songs for learning English are songs by the Beatles and John Lennon, as well as Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World." Paul Cifuentes says Bob Marley's songs are amazing for teaching. Another teacher, Joseph Deka, says songs by Johnny Cash have always worked in his classroom. He says his students can hear the words, plus the songs often have stories. He also likes "We Will Rock You" by Queen and "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston. He says young children love "C Is for Cookie" by Cookie Monster from the TV show "Sesame Street." Nina John Smith suggested these songs: "It's My Life" and "We Weren't Born to Follow" by Bon Jovi. Also "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica.Aurelio Lourenco Costa Gusmao says he began to like English after his teacher played the Westlife song "I Have a Dream." He wrote: That was eight years ago. I was in the seventh grade. And from that day on, my dream of improving my English skills became attached in my mind. Teachers can use this song to convey the message to their students that they should have their own dream for the future. Aurelio's story was no surprise to another commenter, Katie Kivenko. She especially likes songs by Michael Jackson and Queen. She wrote: When you listen to your favorite songs, you feel emotionally high and it moves you to action.For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villarreal. Do you have any favorite songs for learning English? You can share other music suggestions for English learners at our website, voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook at VOA Learning English. We are also on Twitter and iTunes. 

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 06Jan2011)