‘La ballata dell’amore cieco’: a case study on the use of songs in Italian language learning

The song ‘La ballata dell’amore cieco (o della vanità)’ (1966), by Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André (1940-1999), offers students opportunities to practise their language skills, stimulate their cultural appreciation, and expand their knowledge of a musical and poetic form (the ballad), while reflecting on the close connection between poetry and dance. Moving from receptive to productive skills, from gist to detail, learning activities are staged over three sessions, where students examine the song’s musical features and lyrics and then produce their own ballads in writing. The paper first discusses the benefits and pitfalls of using songs as a tool to develop linguistic skills and raise cultural awareness. It then describes the learning opportunities offered by De André’s song and concludes with an evaluation of the effectiveness of these activities, examining the potential for further research.