13 songs. When the children are not interested to listen to the song, it will be difficult
for the teachers to teach English through songs.
2.1.4.3 The Benefits of Songs for Young Learners
Using songs in teaching and learning activities give many benefits for children. Brewster, Ellis, and Girard 2002, pp. 162-163 explain that there are
some postive impacts due to the use of songs, rhymes, and chants in teaching and learning activities. In linguistic resource, the use of songs can improve all aspects
of pronunciation. The students will imitate how to pronounce many English words by singing and listening to the songs. The use of songs gives many benefits not
only for linguistic aspect of children but also for other aspects. When the atmosphere of teaching and learning activities is enjoyable, it will affect on the
children’s mood. The children’s mood will be increased. It means that the children’s psychological also obtain the positive impacts.
If the children are in a good mood, they will do the activities happily and concentrate on what they do. After the listen to the songs, they will try to
remember the lyrics of the songs. This activity will sharpen their ability in memorization. It means their cognitive aspect also obtain postive impacts.
Moreover, The children usually share what makes them happy to their friends. In here, they will share what they have learnt by listening and singing to the songs.
The children will be happy to sing together with their friends. The teachers can make a group discussion related to the songs which develop the social aspect of
children Brewster, Ellis, and Girard 2002, pp. 162-163.
14
2.1.4.4 Learning Pronunciation by Using Song
In learning pronunciation through songs, songs give some benefits to the children. Based on Philips 1993, “the children can remember language easily by
listening to music and rhythm” p. 94. According to Paul 2003, by listening and singing song, the students’ feeling to learn language is increased p. 58.
Moreover, Paul says that songs also help children to remember words and practice language more easily. The children also get more deeply into a lesson. Based on
the explanation from Paul and Philips, the researcher inferred that song is a good learning material for the students to increase their pronunciation. By listening to
the music and songs, the students will be easier to imitate the lyric of the songs. Using songs in teaching and learning actitivities give many benefits for
children. Brewster, Ellis, and Girard 2002, pp. 163-164 explain the pronunciation benefits of using songs. There benefits are in four aspects, those
are : a. Individual sounds and sounds in connected speech
Songs and rhymes are useful for showing what happens to sounds in connected speech, for example, the way that certain sounds run on together : You’re not IT
Or All in together Rather complicated consonant clusters in English are often simplified, especially where a word which ends in t or d is followed by
consonant cluster Brewster, Ellis, Girard, 2002, pp. 163-164. b. Stress and rhythm
Stress and rhythm can also be practiced in a very natural way by using songs or rhymes. Encoraging children to clap the beat as they go along or say rhymes will
15 help to develop a sense of rhythm in English. Weak forms, where the
pronunciation of a word differs according to wheter it is stressed or unstressed, occur regularly in songs and rhymes Brewster, Ellis, Girard, 2002, pp. 163-
164. c. Intonation
Intonation can also be practiced in songs and rhymes Brewster, Ellis, Girard, 2002, pp. 163-164.
d. Ear training By using songs and ryhmes, the teachers can use ear training to help the
children distinguish between different aspects of English pronunciation. To do this activity, the teachers might ask the children to listen and count how many
times an individual sound or word occurs in a song or rhyme Brewster, Ellis, Girard, 2002, pp. 163-164.
Based on the experts’ explanation above, there are four aspects related to pronunciation that get the good impacts of using songs in teaching and learning.
By using songs, the teachers can teach the children about connected speech. Songs are useful for showing what happens to sounds in connected speech. The teachers
might use songs to teach about stress, rhythm and also intonation. In here, repetition is really needed so that the students will be accustomed to pronounce
words in a good stress and intonation. Intonation is really important, according to Brewster, Ellis, and Girard
2002, p. 77, there are some functions of intonation in English. The first function is to help emphasize the most strongly stressed word in a sentence, the second
16 function is to show the grammatical function of what is beid said, for example,
wheter something is a statement or question. The last function of intonation in English is to show feelings and emotions.
Due to the importance of teaching intonation for students, songs can be used as a teaching material which can attract the students’ enthusiasm. In the
lyrics of children songs, there are so many expressions which have different intonation. The teachers might use them to be taught in attractive ways so that the
children will be enthusiastic to learn. In addition, the teacher might do ear training to the students through songs. This activity will encourage the children to be
focused on what they heard.
2.1.5 Review of Related Studies
