25 the correct spelling of the word they learned.
Reading activity is an activity that also commonly happens in singing a song. It can be developed through song since it can help the students to know and
recognize the spelling and the pronunciation of each word, especially the unfamiliar words www.topenglishteaching.comdirectoryactivitiessongsusing-
songsarticle.htm, accessed on September 20 2006. Speaking skill can also be developed through the implementing of song in
language teaching. When the students sing they will produce words and sentences. It will help them practice their pronunciation. Good pronunciation will help the
students to speak clearly and they are able to produce the language correctly www.topenglishteaching.comdirectoryactivitiessongsusing-songsarticle.htm.
Based on the explanation above, it is obvious that songs have an important role in the vocabulary teaching and learning. Traditionally, learning vocabulary
was memorizing the lists of words, and then testing. It bores the students. Students naturally do not like sitting silently for a long period of time to learn and
memorize something. The use of song in class can also eliminate the students’ tendency to be noisy in class, because they will enjoy singing.
5. Previous Research on Related Field
In accordance with previous research in teaching and learning using songs, Plato 1983 claims that
“Rhythm and harmony sink deep into the recesses of the soul and take the strongest hold there, bringing the grace
of body and mind which is only to be found in one brought up in the right way.”
26 Teaching and Learning through Multiple Intelligences,
1996:134 There are many examples of successful research through music conducted
by several educators. For example, there was a report found by the Music Educators National Conference in 1987-1989. Students who are taking music
courses are scored an average of 20 to 40 points higher on both verbal and math portions than students who are not taking such courses. In addition, a College
Entrance Examination Board study found that students who took four or more years of music and the other arts scored 34 points better on verbal SAT scores and
18 points better on math SAT scores than students who took music for only one year 1996:134.
Another finding, Yamaha sponsored studies in K-1 classrooms in the United States that associate music instruction with remarkable achievement in
reading. One study in the Downey Unified School District in Downey, California, showed that reading skills for first grade children who had a single year of music
instruction were nearly one grade higher than those of their peers 1996:142. Don Schlitz, a songwriter, provided testimony to the National
Commission on Music Education in Nashville, Tennessee in 1990. He described how important music was for him as a secondary student:
“I’ll tell you about a class I had…music appreciation. I did not really think of it as a class. I thought of it as the period where we
went and sang songs. We were learning that English precisely presents a writer’s thoughts and feelings, that songs are a form of
communication. We were learning history through the songs of the nation. It was better than any other history class in my life. We
were learning math, discovering the relationships between parts, and that composition followed mathematical rules. And, we were
learning to listen; if you don’t listen you can’t learn. This music
