FunSongs plenary at Russia conference

Svetlana Ter-Minasova and Charles Goodger in conversation

From 27th to May 31st Charles Goodger and Igors Siminaitis were present at "Languages in the Modern World" held in Kolomna near Moscow - three days of workshops and seminars for language teachers working in Russian schools, universities and institutes. The event provided a useful insight into how English is taught in Primary Schools and how study materials procured. For Charles the best part of the experience was meeting new people, exchanging ideas and experiences and making new friends. The event brought together the crème de la crème of language experts in the Federation including the world famous Dean of the Faculty of Languages at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Svetlana Ter-Minasova.

Charles and Igors presented both a plenary entitled "What is FunSongs?" and a workshop on using language-learning action songs in the classroom which were both appreciated. Also during the conference banquet and dance, Charles and Igor sang, presented and involved participants in "The Monster March." Invitations to several upcoming teacher events including next year's event in Tomsk and an autumn workshop at the Moscow British Council were received.

Other UK language experts at the Kolomna Conference were Gavin Dudeney, Project Director of The Consultants-E and Christopher Graham of Center Com in Moscow. Further photographs and video footage of FunSongs in Russia will be available on the FunSongs Photos group pool soon.

FunSongs workshops in Bauska Region

Students and teachers outside Iecava School , Latvia

On Thursday May 7th Charles Goodger drove to the town of Iecava in the Bauska Region of Latvia to hold a workshop for around twenty-five English teachers. The event was organized by Aina Simonova who had heard about FunSongs through the Latvia Ministry of Education. Together with his assistant Igors Siminaitis, Charles showcased a number of action songs including Best for The World.

FunSongs at Kolomna Conference in Russia

The ancient Russian city of Kolomna near Moscow

On May 27th Charles Goodger, and his assistant Igors Siminaitis, will travel to Kolomna in Russia to hold two FunSongs workshops at the Languages in the Modern World conference. English is an increasingly popular foreign language in Russian state schools and there is a growing demand for innovative material for younger learners.

FunSongs at LAKMA Assembly

Vilnius Pedagogical University overlooking the River Neris
Click on the photo to see a video of FunSongs workshop.

Last weekend Charles Goodger accompanied by filmmaker Tiziano Giardiello of RigaBusiness, drove across the border to Lithuania's capital Vilnius to take part in the LAKMA Assembly for teachers of English in Lithuanian schools.
Assisted by music and language expert Giedre Balcytyte and teacher trainer Nida Buneikaite, Goodger involved participants in an action song workshop. The Vilnius trip was also an opportunity to meet Alma Braskyte of the Vilnius of the Puppet Theatre to present the FunSongs Show and it is hoped productions will start in Lithuania before the end of 2009.

Busy times for FunSongs in the Baltics

Latvian school children learning "Time to Play" at the Puppet Theatre

FunSongs Monsters in Downtown Riga!

Despite the Easter break, the last few weeks have been particularly full for Charles Goodger and his Baltic and Russia Schools assistant, Igors Siminaitis. On 24th March the FunSongs Monster Show had its "world premiere" at the National Latvia Puppet Theatre and was well received by the Latvian and Russian-language press. Rehearsals are being scheduled for the new FunSongs European Union Show. The plan is to offer schools a wide choice of workshops as in Italy.

FunSongs workshops and conferences in Latvia, Lithuania and Russia


Teachers at a FunSongs workshop, April 17th 2009

On April 17th Charles Goodger was invited to hold a workshop for teachers at Riga's prestigious Kulturas Skola. The event was well attended though not all teachers present work with young learners. Charles was helped in the mimed presentation of Time to Play and The Monster March by Igors and his eight-year-old son Sammy, (extreme right of the photo) still on Easter vacation from school.

Next week Charles will travel to the Pedagogical University of Vilnius to hold a workshop with music expert Giedre Balctyte at the LAKMA National Assembly of Language Teachers. He has also been invited to participate in a teacher's conference in the old city of Kolonma near Moscow at the end of May.

FunSongs at the British Embassy

FunSongs actresses Audra and Vita presenting the FunSongs
Monster Show to English teachers at the British Embassy, Riga

Last Thursday 18th March Charles Goodger and Vija Blūzme of the National Latvia Puppet Theatre, together with expert actresses Audra and Vija, presented the FunSongs Monster Show to a group of English teachers and press representatives at the British Embassy in the Latvian capital. The first FunSongs Monster Show will be performed on Tuesday. The theatre already has bookings for further shows throughout April.

His Excellency Richard Moon opened proceedings with a short speech on the importance of education and the English language followed by Charles Goodger, who also spoke in Latvian, and then Vija Blūzme, creative director of the National Puppet Theatre. Next the Theatre's bilingual actresses Vita and Audra offered participants a brief sample of the FunSongs Monster Show - designed to give young learners of English a PMA* experience in body vocabulary and verbs of movement.

This was also the début of the new FunSongs puppets Britty and Lati. In Italy FunSongs Shows are performed in Italy in schools using a special puppet theatre. In Latvia, however, the actors are also visible as they manouevre the puppets, a technique typical of Latvian puppetry that lends itself well to the highly interactive nature of FunSongs Show workshops.

* Permanent Memory Acquisition. For further details click here

FunSongs website for Russia

FunSongs Monster Show in Parma, Italy

In the last few days Igors Siminaitis, Andrew Taylor (FunSongs webmaster) and Charles Goodger have been working on the new Russian language version of the FunSongs website. You can see the cyrillic by visiting www.funsongs.co.uk/ru. The aim is to make FunSongs action song packages available to schools throughout Russia. With possible assistance from the UK Department of Trade and Industry, a field trip to Moscow is being planned for June 2009 to present the programme to Russia's Ministry of Education.

FunSongs Website for Lithuanian schools
Following the interest in FunSongs in a growing number of Latvian schools and the intention of the Lithuanian Ministry of Education to adopt the FunSongs programme throughout its primary school system from August 2009, Charles Goodger has been invited to give a special FunSongs workshop at LAKMA, the National Assembly of English Teachers in Vilnius, Lithuania on April 25th. Work has already started on a Lithuanian version of the website. It will follow the same format as the other versions of the FunSongs site in Italian, Spanish, Latvian and Russian with the explanatory ages of the website aimed at school heads and boards in the local language and the download pages for teachers in English.

FunSongs Monster Show - World Premiere
Rehearsals of the first Latvian-English version of the FunSongs Monster Show are well underway. The first performance at the National Latvia Puppet Theatre will be performed to the press and a group of Riga school children on Tuesday 24th March. The FunSongs puppets Britty and Latis have been made and a special set built. The two FunSongs actresses Audra and Vija (both fluent in Russian and Lithuanian as well as English) are working hard to perfect the songs and puppet routines - and the excitement is building. Watch this space for a special report on the British Embassy promotional event next Wednesday 18th March.

Purvciema School Riga

Thanks to the new FunSongs assistant Igors Simanatis who arranged the event, Charles Goodger presented the FunSongs Approach to an audience of interested English teachers at  Purvciema Secondary School one of the Latvian capital's largest educational institutes this morning.

As well as interest in FunSongs action song and worksheet downloads, teachers were curious about the FunSongs Shows and several intend to register with the British Embassy for the presentation event next week.