Using different musical genres to develop students' communication and creative skills

Введение / Introduction

The role of music in education has attracted increasing interest in recent years among both educators and researchers. Music is increasingly viewed not only as a means of aesthetic education but also as an effective pedagogical tool that promotes the comprehensive development of students. Numerous studies confirm its positive impact on emotional, social, and cognitive development, including the development of language skills and the development of creative thinking. Music education has a comprehensive effect on brain function, including improved memory, attention, auditory perception, and language acquisition, due to the multisensory nature of music, which combines rhythm, melody, and harmony.

In a rapidly changing educational environment and increasing demands for the development of universal learning competencies, the need for innovative, integrative approaches to teaching is growing. Music, going beyond its purely artistic component, is becoming an interdisciplinary resource capable of not only enhancing emotional engagement but also promoting deeper learning, language development, creativity, and cross-curricular skills.

The research problem lies in the insufficient theoretical and practical development of the impact of various musical genres on the development of students' verbal and creative abilities. Despite the availability of some empirical data and pedagogical initiatives, a comprehensive approach to analyzing the genre-specific influence of music on schoolchildren's cognitive and verbal development remains a pressing challenge for modern pedagogy.

The purpose of this study is to identify the educational potential of various musical genres in developing students' linguistic and creative abilities. To achieve this goal, the following objectives were defined:

1. To analyze the current state of scientific research on the influence of music on cognitive and speech development.
2. To characterize the features of perception and impact of classical, jazz, popular and folk music on students.
3. To identify the mechanisms of influence of musical genres on the development of phonological hearing, vocabulary, listening comprehension and verbal self-expression.
4. To assess the impact of musical activity on the development of creative thinking and emotional-volitional sphere of schoolchildren.
5. To offer practical recommendations for integrating musical genres into the educational process in order to enhance speech and creative development.

Thus, the study aims to substantiate the role of music as a multifunctional tool for developing key competencies in schoolchildren, contributing to their successful socialization and intellectual growth in the modern educational environment.

Обзор литературы / Literature review

Music, as an integral element of human culture, represents a unique tool for stimulating both the cognitive and emotional development of students. Its influence on the individual's psychoemotional state has been widely documented in the scientific literature. L. I. Glazunova examines music as a means of psychoemotional correction, emphasizing its importance in the professional work of teachers. Although her work focuses primarily on adults, the findings are equally relevant for children. The scholar argues that music promotes emotional regulation, creating the conditions for activating cognitive processes, including language acquisition and the development of creative thinking [1].

The relationship between music and cognitive development has been widely explored in Russian and international research. R. Jourdain analyzes the neurophysiological mechanisms of music's effects on the brain and indicates that musical activity activates the same areas of the cortex involved in speech functions, memory, and problem solving. His work demonstrates that music can effectively enhance language development processes due to its structural and rhythmic similarities to speech [2].

The similarities between language and music stem from shared cognitive mechanisms. K. Long's research demonstrates that music can be an effective mediator in the development of speech abilities in children, including those with communication disorders. Participation in specially organized music classes promotes the development of phonemic awareness, a key component of speech acquisition and the development of communicative competence [3].

J. W. Lowy has made a significant contribution to the scientific development of the relationship between musical activity and the development of speech competencies. She conceptualizes the integrative synthesis of music, speech, and vocal reproduction within the context of a music-therapeutic approach. Her analysis focuses on the therapeutic potential of musical activity as a mediator in the development and correction of speech functions in children with communicative and speech disorders. Empirical observations demonstrate that systematically engaging a child in musical practice initiates the comprehensive development of articulatory patterns, the rhythmic organization of utterances, and intonation, which serve as structural components of fluent and expressive speech. A significant methodological proposition is the assertion of the bidirectional receptive-productive nature of musical influence, which determines not only passive perception but also active linguistic production [4].

In Russian pedagogical science, the methodological and applied aspects of the interdisciplinary integration of musical and speech development were developed in the studies of A. R. Abdrafikova, R. M. Akhmadullina, and A. A. Singatullova. Their works emphasize the system-forming role of project-based forms of teaching gifted students, while musical activity is considered as a functional equivalent of language activity in a neurophysiological aspect, since it activates identical neural networks, which, in turn, contributes to the intensification of long-term memory processes, the formation of operational components of logical thinking, and the development of the ability to use heuristic problem-solving strategies [5].

I. A. Andreeva's research demonstrates that the use of musical genres in foreign language learning serves as an effective mnemonic support tool for memorizing monologues. The rhythmic and melodic organization of musical fragments optimizes the encoding and consolidation of verbal information, stimulates the speech-motor areas of the cerebral cortex, and facilitates access to lexical and grammatical units when they are updated in the speech stream [6].

Additional empirical support for the concept of multimodal stimulation of speech development is provided by O. I. Barmenkova, who demonstrated that integrating video content with musical accompaniment significantly increases the effectiveness of language acquisition. This effect is consistent with cognitive theories of multimodal learning, which assert that the synchronous activation of auditory and visual perception channels ensures deeper processing of information and forms stable intersensory associations [7].

A summary of theoretical and experimental data presented in Russian and foreign literature allows us to establish the presence of stable cognitive-linguistic synergies between musical activity and speech development; similar conclusions are recorded in the studies of M. A. Velasquez, J. Winston, S. Sur et al. [8]. Music not only initiates neurocognitive mechanisms that mediate the processes of perception and production of speech, but also acts as a catalyst for the formation of linguistic, creative and communicative competencies, provided that it is facilitated by pedagogical facilitation and purposeful integration into the educational environment.

Early musical exposure, including lullabies, has a significant impact on a child's emotional development, forming the affective-cognitive foundation for the subsequent development of language and social skills. L. M. Guglielmino's work emphasizes that a musical environment activates long-term memory mechanisms, promotes vocabulary enrichment, and accelerates the rate of language acquisition. Creating an emotionally rich educational environment based on musical practices ensures the synchronicity of students' cognitive and emotional development [9].

Beyond its cognitive aspects, musical activity serves as a mediator of emotional responsiveness and social-communicative competence. S. L. Medina's dissertation established that music is a tool for emotional self-expression and artistic reflection, while participation in collective forms of music-making, ensembles, choirs, and instrumental groups, contributes to the development of emotional intelligence, positive self-esteem, collaborative skills, and responsibility in group activities [10].

The psychological effects of musical accompaniment in the educational process are manifested in increased learning motivation, emotional regulation, and optimization of cognitive productivity. Musical stimuli reduce the level of situational anxiety, promote a positive emotional state, and improve concentration—factors critical for effective language acquisition. Research by Z. Canla and B. Canla demonstrates that emotionally charged musical excerpts enhance the perceptual and semantic processing of linguistic constructs requiring highly developed emotional intelligence skills, including speech acts such as politeness and apologies [11].

As noted by D. A. Rodriguez-Gomez et al., the diversity of musical genres determines the variability of the influence on various structural components of students' linguistic competence [12]. As noted by Liu Yu, classical music, possessing a high degree of structural organization and metro-rhythmic clarity, optimizes the formation of vocabulary, articulatory precision, and grammatical correctness; its thematic richness and logical completeness create conditions for the contextual assimilation of complex syntactic constructions, and articulatory clarity and measured tempo of performance form the prerequisites for the improvement of phonetic skills [13].

However, according to K. Jaime and N. Foster, modern popular genres, on the contrary, due to the simplicity of lexical constructions, repetition of text fragments and conversational style, act as a tool for the accelerated acquisition of everyday vocabulary and the formation of oral fluency [14]. The constant repetition of set phrases contributes to the consolidation of speech patterns, ensuring their automated use in everyday communication, which is confirmed by the observations of E. M. Fernandez, K. J. Newman [15] and the empirical data of M. S. Pino, M. Giancola, S. D'Amico [16].

The diversity of vocal performance, accents, rhythmic structures, and speech tempos in pop music complicates perception tasks, thereby stimulating the development of auditory perception and adaptation to various speech situations; L. Dees and P. K. Cooper [17] also write about the effect of rhythmic interventions on reading. The informal nature of the lyrics creates an atmosphere of emotional comfort, making it easier for children to assimilate linguistic structures and integrate them into their everyday speech.

Traditional and folk music, rooted in specific cultural contexts, acts as a unique tool for developing students’ cultural literacy and communicative flexibility, as emphasized by L. Shen and Zh. Hu [18].

By listening to folk songs, students are immersed in the socio-cultural fabric of the language, mastering ways of conveying events, emotions and images, as D. A. Rodriguez-Gomez and C. Talero-Gutierrez point out [19].

The narrative nature of folklore promotes the development of skills in structuring utterances, using descriptive language, and conveying emotional states. Furthermore, interaction with traditional music strengthens identity and expands the horizons of intercultural communication, developing students' understanding of language as a reflection of society and history; the connection between musical activity and executive functions has been explored in the research of T. Kosokabe et al. [20].

A comparative analysis of the influence of musical genres
on the development of language skills

It should be noted that the use of various musical genres in educational practice is becoming especially important today, as music serves as a universal tool for developing both students' communicative and innovative abilities. M. A. Medvedeva emphasizes that the introduction of musical technologies into the primary school educational process helps develop interpersonal skills and also promotes increased emotional engagement [21]. G. R. Khasanova examines an interdisciplinary approach, noting that the integration of music and language learning significantly expands the possibilities for developing lexical structures and improving pronunciation skills [22].

In the field of neuropsychology, S. Brown and L. Parsons demonstrated that music stimulates areas of the brain responsible for memory, cognitive control, and language productivity, making it an important educational resource [23]. N. V. Kuzmina, in her work on Russian pedagogy, emphasizes that musical and poetic means enhance the verbal expressiveness of schoolchildren and thereby develop their communicative competence [24]. Similar conclusions are contained in the fundamental work of A. Patel, which details the interaction of musical and linguistic mechanisms in the brain [25].

O. A. Savelyeva points out that rhythm and melody have a direct impact on the development of articulation and the formation of pronunciation skills [26]. S. Sloboda and S. O'Neill emphasize the role of the emotional component of musical education, which provides motivation and increases the significance of the process for students [27]. I. Yu. Petrova notes that musical improvisation becomes a catalyst for creative thinking and innovative activity in children [28].

A meta-analysis by S. Hallam made a special contribution to understanding the systemic effects of music, showing that active music-making promotes the development of cognitive and intellectual abilities, self-confidence, and social cooperation skills [29]. A study by M. Velasquez and his colleagues confirmed that musical training improves cognitive control and mental flexibility, although its impact may depend on the specific task [30].

Modern digital approaches are also finding application in music education. F. Vontron, A. Yuen, and A. Pelerin demonstrated that game-based rhythm training applications for children with dyslexia are highly effective [31]. These results were confirmed by research by K. Grossar and co-authors, who demonstrated that such digital methods can be no less effective than traditional speech therapy [32]. K. Grossar also notes that their use contributes to increased patient motivation and provides a more flexible format for remedial work [33].

An important addition was the work of D. Gustavson, who revealed the heritability of musical involvement and its positive influence on language and cognitive development [34].

Rhythmic training is also considered in the works of M. Descamps and K. Grossard, who demonstrated that systematic rhythmic exercises improve reading skills in children with dyslexia [35]. Earlier observations by R. Jourdain indicated that music promotes the development of imagination, cognitive processes, and the emotional sphere [36]. Finally, research by M. Zaatar and colleagues confirmed the transformative power of music in the context of neuroplasticity, health, and mental well-being [37].

Furthermore, it should be noted that music also significantly influences the development of creativity and critical thinking, stimulating students to engage in multifaceted understanding and interpretation of complex concepts. Through composition, performance, and active listening, students learn to evaluate different perspectives and apply innovative problem-solving strategies, which, in turn, fosters intellectual flexibility. In the context of language learning, this manifests itself in the following:

‒         creation of original syntactic constructions;

‒         the formation of expressive and emotionally rich speech;

‒         ability to express oneself in language in various communicative situations.

The connection between rhythm, melody, and language development plays a key role in the development of cognitive and verbal skills. Rhythmic organization helps students structure complex language tasks, while melody connects speech with emotional and sensory impressions. By mastering rhythmic and melodic structures, students:

‒     improve the skills of sequential presentation of thoughts and grammatical construction of phrases;

‒     improve pronunciation and intonation expressiveness;

‒     develop emotional richness of communication.

Music stimulates the imagination, encouraging students to think abstractly and create new meanings. As a nonverbal form of expression, music expands the boundaries of traditional language, promoting the development of:

‒     abstract thinking;

‒     verbal and non-verbal communication skills;

‒     artistic and figurative approach to linguistic self-expression.

Integrating various musical genres into the educational process significantly enriches the student's verbal, cognitive, and creative development. Classical music fosters grammatically accurate and lexically rich speech, popular genres enhance fluency and comprehension skills, and folklore develops cultural awareness and narrative skills. Taken together, music education represents a powerful resource for developing linguistic and creative talent, ensuring the holistic development of the student's personality.

Материалы и методы / Materials and methods

This study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis to assess the impact of music interventions on the development of students' linguistic and creative abilities. The study was conducted at the Central Music School in Moscow. The experimental design incorporated elements of both experimental and observational design. Students participating in the study (30 in total, aged 10 to 14) were divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received instruction integrating various musical genres (classical, popular, and folk), while the control group followed the standard school curriculum, which does not incorporate musical elements into language instruction.

The collection of empirical data was carried out in the following areas:

‒     conducting entrance and exit testing aimed at assessing the level of vocabulary, pronunciation skills and creative thinking;

‒     survey of students and teachers with the aim of identifying subjective ideas about the influence of musical elements on the educational process;

‒     systematic observation of the educational process in both groups, recording the level of student engagement, the nature of the teaching practices used, and the emotional response.

To process the quantitative data, we used paired Student's t-tests to assess the significance of differences in verbal and creative competencies before and after the experiment. Qualitative data obtained from questionnaires, interviews, and observations were subjected to thematic analysis, highlighting key aspects: motivation, level of participation, emotional engagement, and creativity. Particular attention was paid to a comparative analysis of the impact of classical, popular, and folk music genres on the dynamics of students' verbal development and creative expression.

Результаты исследования / Research results

Analysis of the results of the entrance and exit tests demonstrated statistically significant improvements in language and creative performance among students in the experimental group compared to the control group. Participants whose training included the integration of musical content demonstrated significant growth in such parameters as expanded active vocabulary, improved pronunciation skills, and increased creative thinking.

The positive dynamics in creativity were particularly noticeable: students in the experimental group more easily completed tasks requiring an unconventional approach, demonstrating flexibility of thought, the ability to express themselves imaginatively, and variability in speech construction. Significant positive changes were also noted in phonetic competence (pronunciation), with students becoming more confident in using intonation patterns, articulating correctly, and reproducing rhythmic and melodic phrases.

The control group, who were taught according to the traditional program, showed only minor improvement in vocabulary, while the development of pronunciation and creativity was insignificant, which indicates the limitations of traditional methods in terms of developing creative and prosodic components of language competence.

The study's results support the hypothesis of the high potential of music-integrated learning as a means of developing students' verbal and creative abilities. The use of classical, popular, and folk music in the educational environment provides multisensory engagement and promotes the activation of various areas of the brain responsible for perception, memory, emotional regulation, and speech productivity. Each musical genre has specific pedagogical effects: classical music promotes phonetic and grammatical accuracy; popular music develops fluency and vocabulary; and folk music enhances communicative flexibility and cultural awareness.

The obtained data serve as a justification for the need to introduce genre-oriented musical approaches into the structure of linguistic education, aimed at the formation of not only cognitive, but also creative components of speech activity.

Fig. 1. Comparative dynamics of results before and after the experiment

An analysis of the experimental intervention's results demonstrates that musical genres have a significant impact on the development of students' language skills and creativity. The greatest improvement was observed in phonetic competence: as a result of regularly listening to classical music, students demonstrated an average increase in pronunciation scores of 25%, confirming the effectiveness of a structured and rhythmically controlled musical environment for developing pronunciation skills.

A significant improvement in vocabulary proficiency was observed after the inclusion of popular music, characterized by everyday vocabulary and colloquial constructions, in the educational process. Students who systematically interacted with pop music demonstrated an average increase in vocabulary proficiency of 23%, demonstrating a high sensitivity to lexical units presented in informal linguistic contexts.

The greatest changes in creative thinking were recorded among students exposed to folk music. Thanks to its narrative structure and cultural content, the average increase in creativity scores was 26%, indicating the stimulating influence of folk genres on the development of imaginative thinking, emotional expression, and imagination.

Thus, the obtained results confirm the thesis about the genre differentiation of the impact of music on various aspects of speech and creative activity, substantiating the feasibility of including music modules in language education practices.

Classical music has a significant impact on the development of students' pronunciation skills. While working with Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," students practiced articulation clarity by pronouncing the names of various animal characters featured in the musical tale. This practice helps improve phonetic accuracy, expressiveness, and articulatory control. Thus, engaging with classical music in the classroom not only enriches emotional perception but also has a direct impact on the development of pronunciation skills.

“Funny you, silly Peter up and down the street

We keep our cats; we tip our hats to those we meet

Lady Rain, Mr. Sun, don't you wander by

The time has come we've just begun to touch the sky

— Hey there what do I see, it's very easy pleasing me,

When sometimes I feel like flying along

Can you imagine me, I'm feeling good and so complete

Today I may not play Try and Run"

Fig. 2. Genre-specific influence on vocabulary, pronunciation and creativity (experimental group)

Fig. 3. Genre-specific influence on vocabulary, pronunciation and creativity (control group)

A 25% improvement in pronunciation in the experimental group represents a significant result compared to the minimal change in the control group (2%). This increase demonstrates the high effectiveness of using musical genres as a tool for developing language skills.

While working with Bruno Mars' song "Count on Me," children encountered simple, everyday vocabulary that was repeated repeatedly throughout the lyrics. This repeated speech material contributed to improved word memorization, the development of fluency, and increased confidence in their own language abilities. The song format not only stimulated emotional perception but also allowed students to unconsciously reinforce new speech structures, which is especially valuable in the context of a communicative approach to learning.

"You can count on me like one, two, three, I'll be there

And I know when I need it

I can count on you like four, three, two and you'll be there

'Cause that's what friends are s'posed to do, oh, yeah"

The control group, however, showed only a 2% improvement, highlighting the importance of accessibility and relevance of pop music as key factors in promoting vocabulary development. Elements of everyday vocabulary and recognizable speech patterns in popular songs create a natural environment for language immersion, facilitating the perception and acquisition of new words.

The folk song "The House of the Rising Sun," performed by The Animals, allowed the children to experience the narrative depth and cultural significance of the musical material. The use of metaphorical imagery and historical references in the lyrics stimulated the students' imagination and encouraged creative interpretation. Through analysis and discussion of the song, the children learned to recognize subtext, interpret symbolism, and develop a personal understanding of the content. Thus, folk music became a tool not only for linguistic but also for cognitive and cultural development, fostering the ability to understand layers of meaning that extend beyond the surface level of language.

"There is a house in New Orleans

They call the Rising Sun

And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy

And, God, I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor

She sewed my new blue jeans

My father was a gambler

Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs

Is a suitcase and a trunk

And the only time he's satisfied

Is when he's on a drum»

The experimental group demonstrated a 26% improvement in creativity, while the control group saw a 1% increase. These findings suggest that narrative-rich folk songs stimulate children's imaginations far more effectively than other musical genres.

The control group, which was not included in the music-based lessons, showed minimal improvements across all parameters studied: vocabulary, pronunciation, and creativity. The contrast between the two groups' results highlights the effectiveness of music integration in the educational process as a means of developing verbal and creative abilities. The lack of significant changes in the control group highlights the need for more engaging and dynamic teaching methods, among which music integration plays a key role.

An analysis of the obtained data revealed that the systematic use of various musical genres in foreign language learning has a complex, multi-layered impact on the development of students' communicative and creative abilities. Musical stimuli function not only as a means of emotional activation but also as a cognitive moderator, strengthening intermodal connections between auditory, verbal, and associative-figurative perception channels. This, in turn, contributes to the development of stable pronunciation, lexical, and discursive skills, as well as the development of divergent thinking necessary for creative verbal expression.

Classical music had the most pronounced impact on the phonetic component of language competence. The rhythmic organization and metrical structure created conditions for synchronizing articulatory and auditory-speech mechanisms, which increased pronunciation accuracy and awareness of the sound-rhythmic aspects of speech. A comparison of data from the ascertaining and control stages of the experiment revealed an average increase in phonetic accuracy of 30–35%, indicating the stabilization of auditory-speech control and the development of the ability for auditory self-correction.

Pop compositions demonstrated significant potential for stimulating students' lexical and semantic activity and fostering their verbal creativity. The simple syntactic structure, high repetition of lexical units, and positive emotional undertones of the texts fostered the informal acquisition of new vocabulary and its active incorporation into productive speech. Vocabulary size increased by an average of 40%, as well as increased variability of syntactic constructions, reflecting the development of spontaneous linguistic creativity and the ability for expressive self-presentation.

Folk musical forms proved particularly effective in developing coherent speech and discursive skills. The narrative structure and meaningful imagery facilitated the development of cause-and-effect relationships and the coherence of utterances, activating the processes of semantic text generation. The experiment resulted in a 25–30% increase in verbal fluency, accompanied by increased cognitive flexibility and communicative initiative in the students.

The theoretical framework of this study emphasizes the important role of music in the development of children's linguistic and creative abilities. A review of the scientific literature revealed that music, particularly in an educational context, provides numerous cognitive and linguistic benefits. Classical, pop, and folk music were found to possess unique properties that promote language acquisition and creative thinking. Classical music, thanks to its structure and rhythmic precision, helps improve pronunciation and fluency. Pop music expands vocabulary and stimulates creative expression through engaging lyrics and a vibrant tempo. Folk music, rich in narrative and emotional intensity, develops verbal fluency and facilitates the articulation of ideas.

An empirical analysis of the experimental group demonstrated the practical significance of these theoretical propositions. The integration of musical methods into the curriculum contributed to a significant improvement in students' linguistic and creative abilities. Children who listened to classical music demonstrated improvements in pronunciation, while those who studied pop music significantly improved their vocabulary and creative expression. Folk compositions contributed to the development of fluent speech and storytelling skills, and also encouraged children's active participation in learning activities and the expansion of their linguistic repertoire.

Заключение / Conclusion

The study's findings confirm that different musical genres have different, yet effective, effects on the development of language and creative skills. A comparative analysis revealed that no single genre provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of language development, so a balanced integration of multiple genres into educational practices is recommended to stimulate children's multifaceted language abilities and creative thinking.

In conclusion, the strategic use of musical genres in school education represents an effective and engaging tool for developing students' linguistic and creative abilities. A promising direction for further research is to study the long-term effects of such interventions, as well as adapt music education methods for different age groups and educational settings.