Abstract
This research considers how the study of musical performances from around the world can be drawn upon as a useful resource for language instruction, particularly in EFL Japanese university classrooms. This study shares the insights gained from literature reviews combined with the researcher’s teaching experiences on the advanced English elective course of Computer Assisted Ethnomusicology. This work was carried out over a five-year period between 2013–2018 at a university in the Tohoku region of Japan, based on a course that focused on the music and culture found in Oceania, South East Asia, East Asia, Africa and North America. This study identifies the language resources present within the ethnomusicological content, and identifies the ways it can help awaken learners to the rich variation that exists among the cultures of the world, and highlighting the way local and global features combine in the ‘glocal.’ In addition to digital applications, approaches introduced in the study also include the combination of high and low contact activities based on ethnomusicological resources. This helps to emphasize how Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and open source multimedia make it possible to approach musical song texts and discourses that surround musical practice and performance and apply these to EFL teaching.
Highlights
In universities throughout Japan, industry-standard textbooks based on British and American English continue to support the delivery of undergraduate English language courses (Mishima, 2017; Sugimoto & Uchida, 2018)
I am motivated to learn more about how ethnomusicological resources such as traditional Japanese “Noh” drama are usefully appropriated in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university classrooms in Japan and curious about the pedagogical implications of this practice
This paper has highlighted the content-rich and aesthetically appealing nature of ethnomusicological resources, replete as they are with human language
Summary
In universities throughout Japan, industry-standard textbooks based on British and American English continue to support the delivery of undergraduate English language courses (Mishima, 2017; Sugimoto & Uchida, 2018). Samples of the offerings I have encountered over the last decade include Teaching English through Manga, 3-D Printing, Film, Global English, Cyber Culture, and Culture and Society. My own work has explored teaching English through music (Rockell, 2015a, 2015b, 2016; Rockell & Ocampo, 2014). The initial promising results of this work with music generally prompted me to consider ethnomusicology as a possible vehicle for language education in developing my own elective courses. I am motivated to learn more about how ethnomusicological resources such as traditional Japanese “Noh” drama are usefully appropriated in the context of EFL university classrooms in Japan and curious about the pedagogical implications of this practice
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Englisia: Journal of language, education, and humanities
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
