I use songs very frequently as a pleasant way to begin the day, or to make a certain
point. I have collected over a hundred songs, each with written lyrics. I always give out the written lyrics
whenever I use a song.
There is no good practical way for me to share these songs with you, but
you will certainly want to build up your own library. At first, I put them on cassette tapes, and some that I have
recorded from old vinyl LP's (remember those?) are still on tapes, but almost all are now on a little hand held storage device.
I use Wal-Mart's music download website, because my storage device is generic, but many people like the iPod and iTunes
or Napster or other sites.
It is easy these days to find lyrics on line. I no longer have
to play a tape over and over, trying to understand and transcribe lyrics.
Of course, older songs are generally easier to understand than newer ones.
Nat "King" Cole, Patsy Cline, Frank Sinatra, and many of their generation had excellent pronunciation.
Ballads are fun. I like El Paso, and Big John because
they have good stories.
I use some songs because they belong to American folklore. John
Henry, The Battle of New Orleans, and others are in this category.
I want everyone to understand the lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner.
(I wonder how many young Americans can explain all the lyrics.)
Whether or not to use songs is a personal choice, and the choice of the songs
themselves is also very personal. I like to use them and find them useful.
Try it.
