This document summarizes the experience of a school participating in an English song contest over three years with different categories. It describes the steps they took to prepare students and teachers for the contest, including finding songs, learning pronunciation, practicing dancing and singing, making costumes, and recording performances. They had success in the pre-primary, primary, secondary, and teacher categories. Participating helped strengthen relationships and was an enjoyable way to incorporate music into language learning.

1. OUR EXPERIENCE IN CANTALENGUAS SONG
CONTEST
Charo Ramírez
María Sánchez
Juan Luque
...and the special
collaboration of our
mate Lucía Soto
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

2. Is music a good way to learn English?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8GM0jG-
aTcs&list=UUfYYi6aJNg70mFYnbBKcMQw
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3. Really…?
• In groups of three or four people propose reasons why teaching English with
songs is a good way to learn English
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4. Benefits of songs in the ELT
• They…. • Are easily obtainable
• Are active (specially in pre- • Promote a wide range of
primary/primary) activities and exercises:
• Introduce new vocabulary • Grammar
• Are adaptable to needs • Vocabulary
• Transmit culture • Pronunciation
• Are social • Debates
• Provide practice and repetition • …
• Are up to date
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5. …and the most important thing is…
•STUDENTS LIKE THEM!!!
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6. Our experience in Cantalenguas
contest…
• This is our third year participating
• The first year we competed in the category of teachers and Secondary
(live)
• Our second experience took place only in the category of teachers
• This year has been the most ambitious with participants in three
categories
• Pre-primary (karaoke)
• Primary (live)
• Secondary (Karaoke)
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7. We learn…
step by step
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8. Step
1
Teachers looked for
songs in order to find
their karaoke versions.
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9. Step
2
Listening to songs at
school might be a
good option to know if
children enjoy them.
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10. Step
3
If they like them, it is
necessary to listen to
them twice a day for
two weeks.
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11. Step
Meeting with 4
families.
At this meeting we…
Provide them with a photocopy with
the piece of the lyrics of the songs to
sing at home
Photocopy
Give them some Web pages where
they can look for videoclips and lyrics
versions
John
Lennon
-­‐
Imagine
-­‐
Lyrics
–
YouTube
Aqua
-­‐
Barbie
Girl
–
YouTube
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

12. Imagine-­‐
John
Lennon
lyrics Barbie
girl
–
Aqua
lyrics
Gangnam
Style
Imagine
there's
no
heaven I'm
a
barbie
girl,
in
a
Oppa
gangnam
style,
op
op
op
It's
easy
if
you
try barbie
world
Oppa
gangnam
style
No
hell
below
us Life
in
plas>c,
it's
fantas>c!
Ehhh
sexy
ladies
ou
ou
ou
ou
Above
us
only
sky you
can
brush
my
hair,
Oppa
gangnam
style
Imagine
all
the
people undress
me
everywhere
Living
for
today...
Imagina>on,
life
is
your
I
like
dance,
oh
baby
baby
please
crea>on
All
the
people
please
Come
on
Barbie,
let's
go
Dance
dance
dance
with
me
party!
Everybody-­‐
Backstreet
boys
lyrics
Everybody,
yeah
Rock
your
body,
yeah
Everybody,
yeah
Rock
your
body
right
Backstreet's
back,
alright
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

13. Step
5
Phonetic transcription in a big
paper.
Imagine-­‐
John
Lennon
Lyrics
Gangnam
Style
Barbie
girl
–
Aqua
lyrics
/ɪˈmæʤɪn/
/(Oppa)
(gangnam)
staɪl
(op)
/aɪm
ə
(barbie)
gɜːl
ɪn
ə/
/ɪˈmæʤɪn
ðeəz
nəʊ
ˈhevn/ (op)
(op)/
/(barbie)
wɜːld/
/ɪts
ˈiːzɪ
ɪf
jʊ
traɪ/
/(Oppa)
(gangnam)
staɪl/
/laɪf
ɪn
ˈplæstɪk
ɪts/
/nəʊ
hel
bɪˈləʊ
ʌs/
/(Ehhh)
ˈseksɪ
ˈleɪdɪz
(ou)
(ou)
/fænˈtæstɪk/
/əˈbʌv
ʌs
ˈəʊnlɪ
skaɪ/ (ou)
(ou)/
/jʊ
kæn
brʌʃ
maɪ
heə/
/ɪˈmæʤɪn
ɔːl
ðə
ˈpiːpl/ /(Oppa)
(gangnam)
staɪl/
/ˈʌnˈdres
miː
ˈevrɪweə/
/ˈlɪvɪŋ
fə
təˈdeɪ/
/ɪˌmæʤɪˈneɪʃən
laɪf
ɪz
jə/
/aɪ
laɪk
dɑːns
əʊ
ˈbeɪbɪ
ˈbeɪbɪ
/kriːˈeɪʃən/
Everybody-­‐
Backstreet
boys
pliːz/
/kʌm
ɒn
(Barbielet's)
gəʊ/
lyrics
/ɔːl
ðə
ˈpiːpl
pliːz/
/ˈpɑːtɪ/
/ˈevrɪbɒdɪ
jeə/ /dɑːns
dɑːns
dɑːns
wɪð
miː/
/rɒk
jə
ˈbɒdɪ
jeə/
/ˈevrɪbɒdɪ
jeə/
/rɒk
jə
ˈbɒdɪ
raɪt/
/(Backstreet's)
bæk
(alright)/
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

14. Step
6
We learnt by repetition and
emphasizing on
pronunciation.
Video:
Imagine
rep.
Video:
I
like
dance
rep.
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

15. Step
7
Children danced without
singing.
Video:
Imagine
only
dance
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16. Step
8
We sent the families a link
with directions to make the
costumes by themselves.
How
to
make
a
tutu
for
girls
-­‐
YouTube
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

17. Step
9
Children practiced dancing
and singing while listening to
the original songs.
Video:
Gangnam
style
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18. Step
10
They sang and danced with
the Karaoke versions.
Video:
Barbie
full
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19. Step
11
Parents helped us to decorate the
stage
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20. Recording the show Step
12
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21. It was Fun
and Stunning!
SÉNECA
MIX!!!
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22. Primary
• This year we have participated with the Brazilian song “Magalenha” performed
with our Seneca’s band “BATUCOLE”
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23. Secondary
• We have worked “The lazy song” by Bruno Mars,with a group of six
girls.
• In the link below,one of them talks about her experience in the contest
and the utility of songs in ELT
• Interview
• This has been the result…
• The lazy song
• At this moment they are FINALISTS of the 2013 edition
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

24. …AND THE ICING ON THE CAKE…
•Our school staff participated in the
contest the last two years.
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25. How did we organize everything?
• Send an email calling for participation
• Once we had the final number of participants,it was time to
decide the song.
• Suggestions were required on the message board.
• We voted the most appropriate song taking into account
the number of people (a song for more than twenty
people!!),the lyrics (because not all of the teachers speak
English),and the music rhythm (which must be easy to
sing)
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26. The first meeting
• Sheets with the lyrics were given to the teachers in order to
get in contact with the song.
• We watched the video and established the individual or
group performances.
• One of us coordinated the matter of costumes (even the
first year we made our costumes by ourselves)
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

27. Further meetings
• Practising including choreography.
• Finally,we recorded our performance.
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28. Benefits of our experience
• All the staff worked together in an aspect of our bilingual project
which was taking off two years ago.
• An important thing is that he song was an opportunity to
reinforce the laboral relationships not only between teachers but
also with the service and administration staff.
• The collaborative work in a common project.
• We as teachers,show to our students the importance of
participating in this kind of activities without shyness or
embarrassment.
• And finally,enjoy ourselves and have fun forgetting about our
daily routine.
jueves, 18 de abril de 13

29. Weren’t you anxious….?
• Walking on sunshine
• I will follow Him
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30. Thank you!!!!
jueves, 18 de abril de 13