Teaching
English as a foreign language in Indonesian context required some kind of
strategies to build up students’ confidence in oral communication. When young
learners start learning English, there is usually an emphasis on developing
listening and speaking skills. They are led naturally into speaking and
gradually develop the ability to produce language and to interact with
others.
So
far, English young learners tend to get difficulties in producing language.
This evidence is strongly influenced by their native language or their
psychological factors such as being afraid of making mistake and shy to express
their mind. On the other hand, English teachers get difficulties in creating an
appropriate strategy for their students. As a consequence, they cannot communicate
or interact with others although they have learned English for long time. So,
it is important for English teachers to provide frameworks for speaking
activities which encourage students to build up students’ confidence through
the acceptance of approximate pronunciation and give them time to acquire good
habits in unforced way.
Young
learners are usually familiar with rhythm, music, and movement. It is broadly
recognized that the use of rhyme, chants, and songs plays a special role in
drawing children into producing language in ways which are natural, spontaneous
and enjoyable. As well as enhancing students’ learning and acquisition of
language, the use of rhyme, chants, and songs promotes the development of
positive attitudes and motivation towards learning a foreign language in both
the immediate and longer term (Read, 2007). Furthermore, Harmer (2007) stated
that music, songs or chants, is powerful stimulus for students’ engagement
precisely and it can make a satisfactory connection between the world of
leisure and the world of learning in the classroom.
Theoretical Basis
According to Graham (1979) Jazz
Chants are the rhythmic expression of standard American English. It may convey
powerful and varied emotions, the rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns of
the spoken language are essential elements for the expression of feelings and
the intent of the speaker. While, Read (2007) stated that rhyme, chants, and
songs allow both verbal and non-verbal participation through physical movement,
actions, drama, and play. They can be integrated into sequences of work which
develop a range of skill. An example of chant can be used as the springboard
for a whole sequence of work is as follows:
Pizza Train Chant
Mushrooms,
mushrooms
Cheese,
tomatoes, cheese, tomatoes
Sausages, beef,
sausages, beef
Chicken and
ham, chicken and ham
Chicken and
ham, chicken and ham
Red and green
peppers, red and green peppers
Olives, onions,
olives, onions
Tu-u-una,
tu-u-una
Repetition
has always played a part in language learning. It also helped students transfer
their knowledge from their short- term to their long-term memories. The words
mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, sausages, beef, chicken, ham, red and green
peppers, olives, and onions above have been repeated twice. Furthermore, Brown
(2007) stated that drills offer students an opportunity to listen and to orally
repeat certain strings of language that may pose some linguistic
difficulty-either phonological or grammatical. In addition, the above Jazz
Chants engage students’ multiple intelligences; visual-spatial (reading the
pizza flashcards), logical-mathematical (deducting the food items to ask about
the mingle).
Another
example of Jazz Chant which train the students’ syllable stress, enunciation,
intonation; to have fun as stated by Maley (1992) is Free to Love Jazz Chant.
The following example of Jazz Chant also provides ear-training and develops
students’ awareness of sound-spelling correspondences. It also engage students’
multiple intelligences; verbal-linguistic (repeating, writing the chant, and
doing the role play), musical (rhythm), and kinestetic (attractive movement,
and the mingle activity):
Free
to Love
Darling you can
love one
2x
You can love one
and it still be one
Darling you can
love one
Darling you can
love two 2x
You can love
two and it still be true
Darling you can
love two
( The following lines have the same tone as the above)
Darling you can love three it still be free
Darling you can love four it still be moreDarling you can love five
it still be right
Darling you can love six it still be fix
Darling you can love seven we still in heaven
Darling you can love eight
it still be right 
Darling you can love nine it still be fine
Chants
also teach the students how to pronounce words well. Pronunciation teaching not
only makes students aware of different sounds and sound feature, but can also
improve their speaking immeasurably (Harmer, 2007). Some students have great
difficulty in hearing pronunciation features which we want them to produce
between 2 (two) and true, 3 (three) and free, 4 (four) and more, 5 (five) and
right, 6 (six) and fix, and so on. So, the ear-training should be developed by
practising sound-spelling correspondence and magically they forget to be shy.
This following example of Jazz Chant
is an Adventure Jazz Chant which provides not only teaching pronunciation but
also the past simple form and vocabulary. It also provides Wh-question,
continents/countries, geographical features. This Jazz Chants helps students to
memorize the form of Wh-questions and past simple statements using regular and
irregular verbs. It also helps them to use a falling intonation pattern for
Wh-questions in natural way. Read (2007) cited the example of Jazz Chant which
engages students’ Multiple Intelligences; Interpersonal (preparing and doing
role play), musical (rhythm), and kinestetic (attractive movement) as follows:
Adventure Jazz Chant
What did Jack do
?
He said goodbye to his friends one day.
He wanted to travel far away.
Where did he go
?
He went to Africa and
Asia too.
He went to Mexico and Peru
What did he see?
He saw volcanoes, deserts, and seas.
He saw high mountains and tropical trees.
Why was he sad ?
He wanted his friends, he wanted his home.
He didn’t like seeing the world alone.
Sample Material
City Jazz chant , as a sample material,
will be presented briefly in this part. It provides the way how to learn
grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation spontaneously. It also help to develop
students’ awareness of stress, rhythm and intonation pattern in English. The
following sample material of interactive Jazz Chant have three stanzas. The
first stanza consists of words starting with the alphabet B, Ben (the name of
man), Brisbane
(the name of city), Bringing (verb), big (adjective), and book (noun). The
second stanza, some words starting with the alphabet P, Path (the name of
woman), Perth
(the name of city), Paddling (verb), pool (place). The third stanza, some words
starting with the alphabet M, Mac (the name of man), Melbourne (the name of city), Moving (verb),
mom (Noun). Those are pronounced spontaneously with rhythm, music, and
movement. The following interactive chant is the sample material:
City Jazz Chant
BRISBANE
S1: Where’s Ben from?
S2: He’s from Brisbane
S1: What’s he doing?
S2: Bringing a big book
Ben’s from Brisbane
he’s Bringing
a big book
Ben’s from Brisbane
he’s Bringing
a big book
PERTH
S1: Where’s Pam
from?
S2: She’s
from Perth
S1: What’s
she doing
S2:
Paddling
in the pool
Pam’s from Perth and
she’s paddling in the pool
Pam’s from Perth and
she’s paddling in the pool
MELBOURNE
S1: Where’s Mac
from?
S2: He’s
from Melbourne
S1: What’s
he doing?
S2: Moving with his mom
Mac’s
from Melbourne
he’s moving with his mom
Mac’s from Melbourne
he’s moving with his mom
The
sample materials above help to familiarize chunks of language memorable and
have a positive impact on all aspect of students’ pronunciation (e.g. the
consonant b /bi: / in Ben, Brisbane, Bringing, Big, and book ; the consonant p
/pi: / in Pam, Perth, Paddling, and
pool; the consonant m /em/ in Mac, Melbourne, Moving, mom). It also provides
the use of the present continuous tense (e.g. She is paddling in the pool), and
asking and giving information (e.g. intonation in Wh-question: Where’s Ben from
?, He‘s from Brisbane, What’s he doing ?, Bringing a big book). This Chant also engages students’ multiple
intelligences; Naturalist (observing and categorizing country and city),
Kinestetic (interactive movement), Musical (rhythm and tone).
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