Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Country Music: Access To American Culture In The Esl Classroom, Deborah Hadas

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses the use of country music lyrics in teaching American culture. Country music, as any aspect of popular culture, reflects the values of the society which produce and experiences it. The paper starts with a brief history of country music. Then the values of work, family, romantic love and individualism are analyzed and matched with appropriate songs. Within each value a dichotomy emerges: the contrast between a cultural ideal and a more ambiguous reality. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how the songs may be used in the ESL/EFL classroom. Included are nine transcriptions and lesson plans, …