📚 About

I Know That Ache. My Dear Teacher, I’ve Been There Too.

Hi, I’m Márcia. Most people in this community call me Mars.

Let’s be honest. Have you ever felt that sinking feeling in your chest when a lesson just… flops? You are on a mission, hunting for song activities for ESL teachers that will actually make a difference. But instead of inspiration, you find a repetitive sea of the same old, soulless gap-fills.

I remember that ache so clearly. I would bring a song I adored into the ESL classroom, a track my students were already humming in the hallways, and yet the lesson still felt flat. It was like holding a vibrant masterpiece in my hands but being forced to show my students a blurry, black-and-white photocopy. I could feel the heavy silence where engagement should be. I knew, in my heart of hearts, that teaching English with music had to be more than just checking boxes.

So, I Stopped Following the Rules and Started Responding to My Students

One morning, I decided to stop reacting to the textbook and start listening to my students. I pushed the “standard” lesson plans aside, grabbed a song straight from their world, and built an experiential narrative instead of a worksheet.

The shift was instantaneous. It was electric.

The energy in the room transformed. Eyes that used to glaze over suddenly lit up. Students who usually hid in the back were debating, laughing, and finally using English with confidence and purpose. When I shared that first spark on my blog, the messages I received from teachers around the world told me one thing. I was not alone. We were all hungry for a way to make music meaningful, not mechanical.

From a Spark to a Classroom-Tested Method

Over time, I realized this was not random luck. It was a repeatable, classroom-tested path. I saw that music is not a break from the hard work of learning. It is the very pulse of it.

I wanted to make this success accessible to you. So I turned the noise of pop culture into a structured system for creative, song-based learning in the ESL classroom. That system became the MUSIC+ Framework, focused on Motivation, Understanding, Skills, Interaction, and Creativity. It is the engine behind my BEAT+ Method.

Today, that work has evolved into Pop CLIL. We use song-based ESL lesson plans to explore everything from Science to History, while aligning with CEFR descriptors and supporting observable student progress.

My Mission Is to Be Your Guide

After more than 30 years in the classroom, my passion has evolved. It is no longer just about the students. It is about you. It is about helping you reclaim the creative fire that made you want to teach in the first place, without burning out.

The Song Activity Factory is our shared laboratory. It is where you will find the tools and pedagogical logic to turn “fun” into real academic rigor, and song-based activities into meaningful learning experiences, even for reluctant students.

You are the hero of your classroom’s story. I am here to guide you with structure, clarity, and proven methods, as you help your students find their voice in English and beyond.

Are you ready to turn your next song into the lesson they will never forget?

Warmly,
Márcia Bonfim (Mars)
Founder, Song Activity Factory