Easy songs suitable for teaching English

Subject: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: GUEST,An
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 05:54 AM

Hi all,
I teach English as a foreign language; most of my students are refugees. I have started a singing group and most of my singers are at beginner level English, so I’m looking for songs that have a lot of vocabulary or handy phrases in them but are really fun to sing.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Long Firm Freddie
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 08:09 AM

Guest An, you don't say where you are, but if you don't mind your students talking a bit cockney, the late Bernard Cribbins had two great songs:

Right Said Fred

and

Hole In The Ground

LFF

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: The Sandman
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 09:19 AM

when the saints. the alphabet song and the sailors alphabet
a is for anchor etc with pictures

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 10:32 AM

My Croatian ex-wife found Anne Feeney's singing was brilliantly clear and understandable. The words use a vocabulary anybody would find useful.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: leeneia
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 12:01 PM

What age are your students?

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 01:08 PM

On Ilkla Moor baht at :-D

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 02:14 PM

Conjunction junction what's your function?
Hookin' up words and phrases and clauses...
Schoolhouse Rock!
RIP Beryl Cyril “Jack” Sheldon Jr. (1931–2019)

Schoolhouse Rock I'll show you mine if y
Link: I'm Just A Bill (from Schoolhouse Rock)
Chord Req: The Noun Song (Schoolhouse Rock)

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: leeneia
Date: 16 Feb 23 - 12:48 PM

Go to your public library and look for song collections. They should have some big, fat volumes of popular songs.

The thing is - how many songs do YOU know? If you see a song such as "Bicycle Built for Two", do you recognize it, or have you never heard of it? Clearly your project will go better if you know old songs already.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Feb 23 - 05:30 PM

Lots of counting songs. Ten in the bed, (one hundred and) ten green bottles.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Feb 23 - 06:32 PM

How about riddle songs? I gave my love cherry.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 05:57 PM

Thank you for your suggestions :))
I will check them out!
My students are adults of all ages.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Mo the caller
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 05:55 AM

If the are parents of young children how about the songs they might sing at school or Playgroup. I'm out of date now but 20 yrs ago we used the books Apuski Duski, Onki Tonki Ongar, Ta Ra ra Boom de ay, (which I can lend you). A mix of non-sense songs like 'Bananas in Pajamas', with Musichall songs like When 'Father Papered the Parlour'.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Mo the caller
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 06:23 AM

It must be hard to find songs that are just right.
a lot of folk songs are dated and rural (by their nature) so the vocabulary wouldn't be much more useful than 'my postillion has been struck by lightning'.
Songs about death might be sensitive even if treated jokily as in 'She sat Neath the Lilacs' which we sang at school (in the lunchtime, unprompted by adults).
We also sang 'Once I had an old Banjo'
One-l-l-nce I ha-la-la-d an ol-l-l-ld banjo-l-l-0
I pla-la-layed it on-lo-lon my knee-li-li-li-ly
But now-le-le-ow the strin-li-lings are bro-l-l-ken so
It no-lo-lo more u-l-l-use to me-li-li-li-li-ly

I to-l-look it to the me-l-l-nders sho-l-lop
To see-l-lee what he-l-lee could doo-loo-loo-loo-loo
And now-l-l-ow the stril-lings are mended and
It's quite-l-lite as goo-l-lood as new-li-li-li-li-lew

Well, something like that anyway. Which we used to sing at secondary school (1950s, Chiswick, London), sitting on the grass making 'banjos' by cutting the edge of plantain stems with a fingernail, then pulling the leaf gently to expose the strings.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 10:56 AM

Lol, Mo, you are correct, some of the old faves wouldn't be much help with learning useful vocabulary.

Perhaps more helpful would be our classic television jingles; the songs from Beverly Hillbillies and the Brady bunch clearly tell a story. Additional benefit would be if the Russkies ever invaded, they could prove they were 'real americans' by singing said jingles.

But seriously folks: I would vote for some of our catchier classics like This Land is Your Land, City of New Orleans (the train), Country Roads, This Little Light of Mine, Down by the Riverside.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 11:09 AM

Try some of the children's songs from The Singing Kettle (Cilla Fisher and Archie Trezise). The Train to Glasgow. Some songs have Scottish dialect!

And also the Canadian children's hero, Raffi. Baby Beluga, Down by the Bay.

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: Mo the caller
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 01:29 PM

Patty, An teaches. in England. Which doesn't rule out American songs, of course

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 11:47 PM

Oh dear, I really stepped in it. SORRY!! Well I guess I'll pack up my old kit bag and slink away as only a clumsy loud Murcan can.....

Subject: RE: Easy songs suitable for teaching English
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 05:29 AM

Your Song by Elton John has very simple lyrics.