I have been teaching ELT/EFL since the mid-1990s, and I’ve used songs extensively in my lessons from the get-go; Stevie Wonder Superstitious was the first song I ever used in the classroom, in case you ever wondered!

I have extensive teacher training experience, as well EFL examining experience, and that experience has broadened the way I view English language teaching. I currently lecture British History and culture at a UK university and that has had an influence on my work as a (materials) writer.

Music and lyrics have long been passions of mine, so I decided to combine them. Over the last decade, I have been promoting the use of songs and song lyrics in the ELT classroom through workshops, webinars, talks and training sessions both in the UK and internationally.

Check out these video links below to listen to a sample of those talks, and feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel. You will even see me singing, for a bit of comedy! Feel free to sing along!

Explicit Content – Exploiting Songs and Song Lyrics for the EFL Classroom
IATEFL Conference Liverpool, UK, April 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG0fPFAFUno&t=334s

Changing attitudes – Using songs and song lyrics in EFL.
IATEFL Conference Harrogate, UK, April 2014
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2014/sessions/2014-04-05/changing-attitudes-using-songs-song-lyrics-eflhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3aK6RPcd78&t=1s

Twistin’ My Melon.
IATEFL Conference Manchester, UK, April 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjra7fVKRVQ

The Most Important Words you are ever going to hear.
Ted X University of Essex, UK, June 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0yRU08UCy8https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/14424

The Most Important Words you are ever going to hear. (follow on lecture)
TED X University of Essex, UK, August 2015https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwp4D3HkWbY&t=411s

Waxing Lyrically – Creative EFL uses for songs and song lyrics.
ELT Council Malta, October 2016https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-tj0a6lLQ8

Creative EFL Uses for songs and song lyrics – The teacher’s video glossary.
December 2016https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udrs8-_pTJY&t=8s

Bad Language? – Are taboo words in EFL unacceptable or expressive?
IATEFL Conference Glasgow. UK, April 2017
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF8hH3qtSxY&t=2s
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRV69Ai4qVA

Express Yourself – Creating Materials/lesson plans from songs & song lyrics.
ELT Council Malta, October 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMSn4dfWDg0

The Message. Constructing meaningful, useable EFL materials from Songs/Song Lyrics.
IATEFL Conference Brighton, April 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmuLEbCIPjc&t=6s

Strange Fruit. Exploring Social Justice issues through songs in the ELT Classroom.
ELT Council Malta, October 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwqwITKgUAo&t=4s