Supplementing the ESL Classroom With Music

Supplementing the classroom with music can make the entire learning process more enjoyable for students by creating enjoyable activities that attract students interests and create an open atmosphere for a communication class. Studies have shown that music can improve concentration, improve memory, bring a sense of community to a group, motivate learning, relax people who are overwhelmed or stressed, make learning fun, and help people absorb material. Music is often used in class by teachers in many different ways to help second language learners acquire a second language. Creating a classroom mood may be one of the desired effects of classroom music. In this paper, I will introduce the possible effects that music can have on an ESL class and present findings from a survey and opinions from Japanese university students in a survey of using background music in an ESL class