The use of music in the foreign language classroom offers a vnique approach to enhance students' awareness of another culture, and also can aid in the practice of communication skills. Music provides an interesting mirror of the history, literature, and culture of a country, that can be seefl in song texts and in musical style. Musical styles and textual themes, along with pronunciation variations and dialects among countries speaking the same language, allow an opportunity for students to glimpse other societies representative of the target language. In addition, music texts offer a unique means of reinforcing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills through specially designed activities. Suitable music choices range from classical art music to popular contemporary music of all styles, and include traditional folk and children's songs. Music may be a powerful motivator in the classroom due to American students' general interest in music. The use of music in the classroom is also justified by Gardner's educational theory of multiple intelligences, which implies that a person's intelligence in music can be utilized to achieve skills in non-musical areas such as foreign languages. (Author) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** MUSIC AS MEANS TO ENHANCE CULTURAL AWARENESS AND LITERACY IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM Judish Weaver Failoni Fontbonne College St. Louis, MO Abstract The use of music in the foreign language classroom offers a unique approach to enhance students' awareness of another culture, and also can aid in the practice of communication skills. Music provides an interesting mirror of the history, literature, and culture of a country, which can be seen in song texts, and in musical style. Musical styles and textual themes, along with pronunciation variations and dialects among countries speaki...