Abstract:

Many scholars share the point of view that art in the education system should, first and foremost, be a method of upbringing. The article is dedicated to new methodological approaches in a foreign language study. What is meant here is the inclusion of the great musical legacy of Italy in the Italian language course, because nowadays preference for music is gradually increasing among teenagers and youth.

The paper states the enormous educational potential of using Italian classical opera in the learning process and describes the experimental training of third-year students (A2-B1 level) at the Linguistics department of RUDN University. The experiment consisted in teaching listening on the material of Italian opera pieces. In the course of the research, the hypothesis of the effectiveness of inclusion of “opera lirica” in the teaching listening was confirmed.

Significant attention in the article is given to the main practical aspects of training: the stages and requirements for the educational learning material. The new methodology is in conformity with the modern world, as a foreign language study is inextricably linked to the culture and lyrical traditions of Italy.

The authors emphasise the importance of this work in the formation of ethical standards of students' behaviour, because sharing moral experience is effected not through abstract theoretical concepts, but through real characters who seek answers to eternal questions and are ready to share their background with young listeners, experiencing difficult personality development. Emotions and impressions, obtained during the study of music compositions transform into a lived human experience, which later becomes knowledge, stimulating motivation. The results of the experimental training enabled the researchers to come up with a number of pragmatic recommendations.

Keywords:

Experimental training, opera, teaching listening, personality development, operatic repertoire.