Vol. 16 Spring 2014 34 MUSICIANS IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM: THE TRANSFERENCE OF MUSICAL SKILLS TO TEACH “SPEECH MODE OF COMMUNICATION” Kim Rockell and Merissa Ocampo Introduction The communicative power of both language and music provide an evocative area of enquiry that has long fascinated scholars. Frequently compared, since both are “temporally organized, with the relevant structure unfolding in time” (McMullen & Saffran, 2004: 289-290), the capacities of music and speech appear to overlap significantly. Writing from a musicological perspective, Nettl (2005: 51)cautiously suggested: “Without pretending that language and music are of the same cloth, there are sufficient similarities to have permitted ethnomusicologists to take certain cues from the study of language in its structure and as a symbolic system to gain insight into the world of music”. Cross (2012: 24)described “music” and “language” as “culture-specific categories of communicative interaction that are distinguishable by being at opposite poles of the capacity for unambiguous reference”. Meanwhile, cognitive scientists continue to probe the “vexing issue” of modularity of mind, considering how specific cognitive processes, such as those involved in musical activity, are tied to specific domains of the human mind (McMullen & Saffran, 2004: 290). The issues surrounding the music/language nexus [link or connection] are clearly many and complex, confirming that this research area continues to be of increasing significance. For the authors of the current article, the link between music and language came into focus while teaching English as a foreign language in Japan during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Both authors have significant and practical experience teaching English in Japan as well as some formal training. However, both authors hold doctorates in areas not directly related to TEFL 1 . This professional situation not only demanded personal effort in affecting the skill transfer to a language-focussed environment but also drew attention to the process of skill 1 It should be pointed out, however, that the preparation of a doctoral thesis in any discipline makes rigorous demands on the author in terms of language use. transfer itself. After several personal encounters with musicians teaching English in Japan, it became clear that the way EFL teachers in Japan are managing the transference and application of musical skills to a language teaching environment demands further investigation 2 . Widespread anecdotal evidence endorsing the use of music in language classrooms around the world, including Japan,was reported by Li and Brand(2009). At the same time, these authors lament the lack of empirical studies such as their own, which is focused on the use of music with Chinese learners of English. Unlike Li and Brand’s, this study does not set out to demonstrate whether music is an effective tool in the language classroom. Nor does it emphasise the importance of singing, song writing or lyric deconstruction as “the most common interdisciplinary language learning approaches involving a musical basis” (Cotton, 2011: 8). Rather, as indicated, the focus is on teachers and their transference of a wide range of musical skills to the teaching of language. Such a transfer is an example of the kind of pro- active engagement in the knowledge economy proposed by Vella (2007). Skill transference was recently investigated in a study by Cullen and Mulvey(2012), but these authors focussed on language learners rather than teachers and not specifically on musical skills. In the present study, the way musical skills, in particular, help a teacher to be effective when using conventional modes of instruction, or expanding on these through the application of musical strategies,was examined. The effectiveness of musical skill transference was also evaluated. Table 1. Six Musical Skills or Qualities. 1 A well developed sense of rhythm 1 and 2 refer to acuity in processing sound, “the substance of expression” in language and music (Wilkins, 1974, p. 1). 2 Sensitivity to pitch and intonation 2 Fieldwork observations: 2004-2006, Hokkaido and 2006- 2008, Saitama, Yokohama and Okayama, Japan.