FunSongs News

The new website - coming soon

2010-02-04T10:29:00.002+02:00

In the next few days FunSongs will be launching its new-look website. We hope the new design conceived in collaboration with Creospace in Norfolk, England will provide teachers and parents visiting the site with an entertaining and interesting experience.

Some of the new features you will find on the site:

Free downloads of action song packages
Free download of Charles Goodger's pdf book
Music and Mime, Rhythm and Rhyme
Improved action song packages with more worksheets
Details of the international conferences and events FunSongs will be present at
The chance to register with FunSongs fr updates and free materials
Incorporated FunSongs blog
News of FunSongs Shows in Italy and Latvia
Info on job opportunities for young teachers and actors in Germany and elsewhere

We hope you find time to visit the new site and to support FunSongs by buying the school licence - still the same price as last year.

FunSongs Worldwide Distribution with BEBC

Through contacts first made at the 2009 IATEFL teachers conference, FunSongs recently agreed to allow the UK's leading distributor of ELT and EFL materials BEBC (Bournemouth English Book Centre) to handle the worldwide distribution of the FunSongs CD and booklet "Action Songs for Learning English." Already a number of bookstores which FunSongs has been supplying directly such as the Uppsala English Bookshop in Sweden have welcomed the move. "That's great - well done Charles! We already have an account with BEBC and that'll make ordering new copies of the CD a lot easier for us," commented Jan the outlet's manager in a phone call.

Action Songs for Learning English ISBN 0954396316,

The CD is also available from the FunSongs website

FunSongs on YouTube

2009-12-23T16:55:00.006+02:00

YouTube is an incredible resource for teachers and students. FunSongs has uploaded a number of action song videos with captions to show English teachers how best to teach and present the songs. You will find a Teaching Actions playlist on the www.youtube.com/funsongs channel. At the time of uploading this post the following action songs could be viewed:

Water is Everything
Best for the World
What's Your Favourite Sport?
65 Million Years Ago
On Halloween
The Monster March

The packages for all these songs and many more are available for download on the FunSongs website.

Emelie Loeb at Rome TESOL

2009-12-02T17:59:00.006+02:00

FunSongs practitioner Emelie Loeb making a point.

Emelie Loeb has been teaching other teachers how to use the FunSongs Method for almost three years. She assisted Charles Goodger at many workshops and conferences before he left Italy to promote FunSongs in other parts of Europe at the start of 2008, and together with Valentina D'Errico has continued to train teachers in the action song-based teaching method ever since.
At the recent TESOL-Italy teachers conference in Rome, Emelie was sponsored by FunSongs' sister organization CAIL - the Cultural Association for Interactive Learning. CAIL, whose headquarters are in Bologna, organizes shows, events and camps for young learners throughout Italy.

Unfortunately Emelie's slot at the two-day conference was at the end of the final day when many of the participants were leaving. Despite this, her workshop on interactive teaching methods drew a large crowd of over 35. Emelie completed her session by showing participants how to teach I Love Christmas.

I Love Christmas and I Hate Christmas

Christmas is a magical time for kids so how about teaching your primary school classes I Love Christmas and working on its language? Kids love to perform this song which is far more useful linguistically than overused standards such as the difficult Jingle Bells. The original action song presents and teaches the vocabulary English uses to describe several typical Christmas traditions. The song also alludes to the real meaning of the Christian festival.
As a special bonus teachers who download the package, which contains nine graded worksheets, will also receive the words and music of I Hate Christmas - an amusing parody that makes fun of the commercialisation of the festival.
Free samples of the I Love Christmas action song package can be downloaded from www.funsongs.co.uk/available

FunSongs Workshop at Paris TESOL

2009-11-15T00:13:00.003+02:00

Charles Goodger teacher the action song "Water is Everything"

Friday 7th November Charles Goodger flew to Paris from Riga to hold a FunSongs workshop at the annual English teachers' colloquium organized by France TESOL in Paris. He was presented to participants by Prof. Mauro Verde from Milan representing TESOL Italy and whose blog you can view here. Though most of the teachers registered for the conference were not primary school English teachers, feedback from the organisers confirmed the workshop was highly appreciated. You can view a video clip of teachers acting out and singing "Water is Everything" on the FunSongs YouTube channel and download Goodger's power point from the TESOL France website.

FunSongs Halloween events in Italy and Latvia

2009-11-05T10:49:00.010+02:00

Kids at the Halloween Fashion show at Laimite, Riga

Halloween never fails to fascinate children with its ghosts, witches and pumpkins. One of FunSongs most popular download packages is “On Halloween” with nine graded worksheets to recycle and practise different aspects of the song, including difficult plural nouns. The song is also the basis for the FunSongs Halloween Show performed this year in a number of school and venues in different countries. In Italy the Cutural Association for Interactive Learning, as well as staging several Halloween shows, organized another American Halloween Event for families in Bologna while in Latvia English teacher Vita Caice put on a Halloween fashion show for the children at the Laimite Children’s Centre in Riga as you can see from the video.

FunSongs Robin Hood Show for Scuola Media

Australian actor Costa Latsos as Professor Krettin
As well as Halloween Shows and events, CAIL in Bologna (the cultural association responsible for FunSongs activities, courses and events in Italy) recently visited a large Scuola Media - Scuola Farini - in one of the poorer areas of the city, to perform the hilarious FunSongs Robin Hood Show. Working with ten and eleven year-old students is always a challenge as kids that age may not appreciate the FunSongs Method based on mime and action song as much as younger students. However FunSongs actors Emelie Loeb and Costa Latsos valiantly succeeded in teaching over 60 "tweenies" the action song Robin Hood's Band, a useful tool for presenting a range of themes, including medieval England world and language-wise, possessive adjectives. After the event, the school was given access to the package on the FunSongs website for follow-up work in class.

FunSongs Day in Vilnius
On Friday 23rd October LAKMA the Lithuanian Teacher's Association invited Charles Goodger to Vilnius Pedagigical University to hold a FunSongs Day for teachers of English to young learners. Assisted by Patrick van Rensburg who intends to launch FunSongs in China in 2010, Charles involved 42 teachers in an intense series of activities designed to underline the didactic power of action songs in EFL. All teachers participating received free downloads from the FunSongs website. Upcoming national and international English teacher conferences at which Charles Goodger and Emelie Loeb will be speaking are TESOL France in Paris this weekend, TESOL Italy in Rome on November 21 and the Children's Literature in Education conference in Hildesheim, Germany on 25-27 February 2010.

What's your favourite sport?

2009-10-11T16:31:00.006+03:00

In Livani, basketball is a favourite sport

The FunSongs website is evolving and enlarging. The aim is to provide an increasing number of quality worksheets, more action song package downloads and an easier experience for visitors to the site. This week sees the completion of the latest language-learning action song written by Charles Goodger entitled What's your favourite sport? designed to focus primary school classes on the kind of words English uses to describe a range of team sports including football, soccer, cricket, rugby and basketball. Just this week rugby was officially recognized as an olympic sport.

Part of Verse 3

Bounce the ball
And throw it fast
Make sure your aim is true!

The theme lends itself well to the TPR aspects of the FunSongs Approach.
What's your favourite sport? will be available for download before the end of November 2009.

FunSongs in Livani, Latvia

On Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th October the FunSongs Latvia mother-tongue team will be in the town of Livani near Daugavpils Latvia to involve over 100 children in FunSongs Quiz Shows and a special On Halloween workshop and promotion.
Livani is famous for its basketball team and the event will also provide Charles Goodger and his actors with the opportunity to showcase the new action song.

FunSongs in Jurmula and Riga

2009-09-21T19:54:00.001+03:00

Charles Goodger and Talis Smits teaching the

action song "Water is Everything."

This week Charles Goodger and FunSongs teacher Talis Smits from Toronto visited the large Pumpuri School in Jurmula. The purpose of their visit was to provide a free FunSongs Workshop. About 65 children and several English teachers participated. At the end of a physically and linguistically challenging 40 minutes everyone had more or less learnt two new FunSongs action songs: "Time to Play" and "The Monster March". After the workshop the teachers were given a link to download a free action song package. The FunSongs team then met with the school administration to discuss several future events including, FunSongs Puppet Theatre Shows and FunSongs Quiz Shows for older kids to be staged by three mother-tongue actors at school during the annual language week at the end of February.

Ecole Française adopts the FunSongs Approach

The Ecole Française in Riga has decided to teach its pupils English using the FunSongs Approach and on Wednesday this week the year-long course began! At the very first session, held by FunSongs expert Talis Smits, seven kids aged from 4 to 7 were delighted to start learning the language in the play-based way FunSongs proposes.

Water is Everything

On Monday 14th September Charles Goodger and Talis Smits visited one of Riga's largest schools, Mezciema padaskola in Ipocrate iela. They were invited by the head Silvija Tikmere to teach two classes of 8 and 9 year-olds "Water is Everything," the action song about climate change and clean water. As part of a cross-curricular project on science, nature and water the song was seen as an ideal complement. Teachers from Riga and the surrounding area are welcome to contact FunSongs to organize a fee workshop. Please call +371 25995781.

New school year ahead!

2009-08-19T10:55:00.000+03:00

Kids learning the action song On Halloween at a FunSongs Show.
The Australian singer and actor Costa Latsos has worked for
FunSongs and CAIL since 2006.

Everyone in education is getting ready for the new school year which starts on September 1st in Latvia and a week or so later in Italy. Since the FunSongs theatre group started travelling around Italy performing its interactive FunSongs Shows back in 2000, the FunSongs Halloween Show has been one of its most popular. The worksheets in the "On Halloween" package recycle and practise the words of Charles Goodger's song in a variety of different ways including in Worksheet 9 practise with the difficult plurals of witch and mouse and sky. In Latvia where Charles Goodger is currently living, FunSongs Shows are performed by the National Latvia Puppet Theatre in Riga.

LATE English Teachers Conference

This week at the Faculty of Modern Languages of Riga University, Charles Goodger will be holding a plenary at the annual English Teachers conference organized by LATE. He will talk about combining entertainment with learning and assisted by two mother-tongue actors present the FunSongs Quiz Show, a language competition for older children aged 11 upwards.

FunSongs and Teachitworld

2009-07-18T01:27:00.000+03:00

Lucy Palmer, Charles Goodger and Garry Pratt

Last Tuesday 14th July, Charles Goodger travelled to Bath in Somerset, England to meet up with the people from the worldwide ELT resources website Teachitworld. Managing Director Garry Pratt, site editor Lucy Palmer and Charles Goodger worked out an agreement whereby several FunSongs action packages will made available to teachers on the Teachitworld site.

FunSongs reunion in Central London

Benjamin Seifert, Charles Goodger, Benedict Protheroe

A recent trip to London provided the opportunity for a FunSongs reunion between Charles Goodger and former FunSongs performers Benjamin Seifert and Benedict Protheroe. The two worked for FunSongs during their year in Italy when studying Italian at Oxford University. Benjamin Seifert is now a lawyer and opera singer while Benedict Protheroe a television producer.

Almost everyone who has worked for FunSongs over the years is a member of the Facebook FunSongs Group. The reunion, which took place at the Bonne Bouche Patisserie in Praed Street, was organized through the popular social networking facility.

FunSongs plenary at Russia conference

2009-05-30T07:42:00.001+03:00

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

2009-05-12T11:40:00.000+03:00

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

2009-04-30T10:36:00.000+03:00

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

2009-04-18T10:10:00.000+03:00

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

2009-03-22T09:34:00.001+02:00

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

2009-03-12T22:33:00.000+02:00

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

2009-03-11T00:12:00.000+02:00

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.

FunSongs Russia launch

2009-02-25T08:50:00.000+02:00

Moscow celebration at the Kremlin

Last week at the Hotel Revel in Riga Charles Goodger attended a seminar dinner organized by the British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia - an opportunity to meet people and make new contacts. There he spoke to James Fanshawe of the British Department of Trade and Industry and discussed the possibility of promoting FunSongs in Russia. Tentative plans were made for a field trip to the Ministry of Education in Moscow to present the benefits - and considerable savings for education budgets - of FunSongs materials. In the next few days FunSongs will launch the Russian-language version of its website.

FunSongs rehearsals at the National Puppet Theatre of Latvia

His Excellency Richard Moon with Samuel Goodger, 8

At the seminar event Charles also spoke to the British Ambassador for Latvia, HE Richard Moon. The Embassy supports FunSongs and its joint project with the National Latvia Puppet Theatre. It was agreed to host a promotional event for teachers and educationalists at the British Embassy on March 18th. The aim is to showcase the FunSongs Show, currently being rehearsed by professional actors at the Latvia Puppet Theatre and scheduled to premiere in the Latvian capital during the last week of March.

Actresses rehearsing "The Monster March" at
the National Latvia Puppet Theatre

CAIL celebrates its first birthday

2009-02-11T19:40:00.000+02:00

Costa Latsos, Emelie Loeb and Valentina D'Errico

C.A.I.L. the Bologna based Cultural Association for Interactive Learning was set up to continue the activities of FunSongs Ltd in Italy after its founder Charles Goodger left Bologna for the Baltics a year ago. In just one year the new Association has established itself on the Italian educational scene. Its main activities are booking and supplying FunSongs Shows, English Weeks and Labs as well as holding seminars and events for teachers and students alike.

You can see the leading members of the international team of people behind C.A.I.L. in the photograph above. Each brings their own particular talents to the growth of the organization - and in a broader sense to furthering the benefits of foreign language education to young Italians. At the time of writing, February 2009, C.A.I.L. boasts a growing part-time staff of over fifteen mother-tongue teachers and actors.

Valentina D'Errico (on the left in the photo) is the association's vice-president. From Apulia, she graduated from DAMS at Bologna University with a degree in dramatic arts in 2007. Part of her studies involved an Erasmus year studying at Bangor University in the UK where she perfected her English. Valentina also attended a class in English language proficiency held by Charles Goodger at the university's language centre CILTA where she first came into contact with the FunSongs Approach of language learning. It was also through Charles Goodger that she met Emelie Loeb (June 2006) who had just started working for the UK-based organization as an actress and English teacher.

Emelie Loeb

Emelie graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2006 with a degree in education and languages. She heard about Charles Goodger and FunSongs through her Bologna roommate Kerstin Zimmerman (who had worked for the organization) and Peggy Kidney who runs the University of California liaison centre in the Italian city. Emelie is highly musical and as well as a background in singing and theatre has a TEFL qualification from Eurotefl in Florence.

Costa Latsos

Though not part of CAIL's administration, Costa who comes from Sydney, Australia dedicates much of his time to the association as the leading FunSongs Show actor and puppeteer. He is also an experienced English teacher. A trained opera singer Costa has been involved in many prestigious musical events. He played the role of the Italian tenor in Italian American Reconciliation at the Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney, and that of Tadzio in Death in Venice (after Thomas Mann), directed by Bogdan Koca for Sydney Art Theatre.

FunSongs Seminars in Latgale, Latvia

2008-12-12T11:29:00.000+02:00

Teacher training seminar in Daugavpils 2nd December 2008

Latgale is Latvia's poorest region but it is famous in this part of Europe for the quality of its schools and education. In the south of the country bordering Belarus, Lithuania and Russia, Latgale also hosts the Baltic country's second-largest city Daugavpils. Last 2nd December Charles Goodger accepted an invitation from Daugavpils Local Education Authority to hold a seminar for primary school teachers of English entitled "Exploiting the relationship between Music and Language." None of the teachers had ever heard of The FunSongs Approach prior to Charles visit. However the keen interest teachers showed in the FunSongs Licence and CDs after the event means many local children will soon be singing and acting out FunSongs in this area!

Singing about Robin Hood in Kraslava

Teachers in Kraslava singing and miming "Robin Hood's Band"

The next day Charles Goodger held another seminar at a large school in the nearby town of Kraslava. Teachers who attended the event were also keen to make use of the "I Love Christmas" package available on the FunSongs site.

Charles was told that Kraslava is well worth a visit in the summer as there are some stunningly beautiful lakes nearby.

Charles expresses his thanks to Rita Kursita of Latvia Ministry of Education, Ilona Ustinova of Daugavpils Education Authority and Jelena Klimova of Kraslava Viduskola for organizing these events.

FunSongs Shows for Latvia Puppet Theatre

2008-11-26T08:05:00.000+02:00

Latvia Puppet Theatre, Riga

Last Monday 24th November Charles Goodger met with the administrative staff of the National Latvia Puppet Theatre in Riga to map out plans for FunSongs Show productions - starting early 2009. The idea is that school children from all over the Baltic Republic will come to meet the bilingual puppets Britty and Latty and learn FunSongs action songs in the theatre's small 60-seat experimental venue. There are also plans for an English-Russian version.

Jumava Bookstores FunSongs CD deal

The FunSongs CD "Action Song for Learning English" ISBN 0954396316 is now officially on sale in Latvian Bookshops! Yesterday Charles Goodger reached a deal with Juris Visockis, head of the Jumava Publishing and retailing group. The CD has been selling steadily since it came out some years ago. Just last week FunSongs received repeat orders from the Cambridge International Bookshop, Feltrinelli International and the specialist "Il Libro" bookstore in Milan, Italy. The CD can be ordered on line too. A new FunSongs CD is planned for 2009.

FunSongs Lithuania Launch!

2008-09-29T17:56:00.000+03:00

Kids performing part of "Our Autumn Song" in Riga, Latvia

Last week Charles Goodger made a brief trip to Vilnius to speak at the annual LAKMA conference for Lithuanian teachers of English. The conference took place at the prestigious Pedagogical Faculty of the Lithuanian capital's university. The title of Charles's workshop was "Exploiting the relationship between music and language." The event also marked the official launch of FunSongs in Lithuania with many useful contacts made with teachers and language experts.

Best for the world - a new song about our future!

2008-08-23T22:25:00.000+03:00

Charles Goodger at Late Conference, Riga, 23 August

FunSongs is proud to announce the latest addition to its catalogue of language-learning action songs: Best for the World.
Suitable for older children the song focuses on the themes of sustainable and unsustainable natural resources, overpopulation, technology and ecology.
Provocative and thought-provoking, Best for the World asks a key question using the first and second person singular and the first person plural of the verb:

Are you doing your best for the world?
Are we doing our best for the world?
Am I doing my best for the world?

From the perspective of vocabulary it can be used to teach and reinforce the names of staple crops and other nouns related to the song's themes. The song also features a direct reference to The Millennium Song in its final seconds.

At the Late Conference where he gave the plenary keynote speech, Charles was invited to talk at other upcoming teacher events in the Baltics in Riga and Vilnius.

Teacher Development Workshops in Riga

2008-07-12T09:30:00.001+03:00

Charles Goodger at FunSongs workshop in Riga

During the first two weeks of June 75 Latvian teachers of English participated in a series of teacher development workshops at the Kunieru Teacher Training Centre in Riga, Latvia.

Charles Goodger was invited by the Local Education Authority to run a series of sessions:

Communicative Teaching
Music and mime, rhythm and rhyme - The FunSongs Approach
CLIL: writing and teaching an action song module

The encounters provided an interesting insight into how English is taught in Latvian primary schools and gave teachers the opportunity to try out some new approaches based on FunSongs action songs. "It was a great experience - I met some really interesting people," says Charles. "The level of enthusiasm was high and despite one or two exceptions language competence was good, better than the average among Italian teachers of English."

Charles hopes to repeat this cycle of workshops in other Latvian and Baltic cities soon.

Further photos can be viewed on Facebook.

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Latvian interest in FunSongs action songs

2008-06-06T10:18:00.000+03:00

Jeff Canada in action song teaching mode,
FunSongs English Weeks, Zola Predosa

Last Monday 2 June Charles Goodger started a series of teacher development workshops for 75 Latvian Primary School English teachers in Riga. Organized by the Riga Sports and Educational Institute participants were divided into three groups of 25 teachers; each group will spend a total of 9 hours with Charles.

"It's a really worthwhile experience," he says. "These close-up encounters are helping me get a much more focused feel for how English is taught in this country, the system, the level and expectancies of the teachers and so on. Many of them started teaching English when Latvia was still part of the Soviet Union and almost half are Russian speakers. On a more personal level I am happy with the enthusiasm shown for the action songs and the interest from teachers in how a FunSongs learning-language action song can work as the basis of a CLIL-based teaching module."

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First FunSongs Show in Latvia!

2008-05-28T15:57:00.000+03:00

On Saturday 24th May, Vija Bluzmen, Emelie Loeb and Valentina D'Errico presented the FunSongs "Water-Udens" Show to a group of children and parents at the International School of Riga. The event took place in the school's gymnasium. We minimized the effects of bad acoustics with the use of radio-microphones. All in all the event was a success considering many of kids were tired after a day of outside activities. The girls did a great job under difficult circumstances. I was also very grateful to Vizma Bluzmen of the National Puppet Theatre for translating the script into Latvian and acting Latty.

Visit to a Latvian school

2008-05-07T18:55:00.000+03:00

Thanks to the Riga Education Authority on Friday 9th May I was invited to visit the Ziemelvalstu Gimnazija school just outside Riga. It was a most interesting encounter. I had the pleasure of meeting three Latvian English teachers. They were very welcoming and I observed two English lessons. The standard of teaching was good with a strong level of interaction between teacher and child. I look forward to meeting the teachers again at the FunSongs workshops in Riga next month.

Best for the World

I have finally found time to work on a new language-learning action song entitled Best for the World. The song has a strong melody line and mentions several of the world's staple crops such as wheat and rice. As well as a language tool, the song has a cross-curricular dimension. It highlights the difficulties of a growing population, fuel and diminishing natural resources.
I intend to get it recorded, choreographed and available on the site for classroom use soon.

Getting ready for our presentation show

On Thursday 22 May Valentina D'Errico and Emelie Loeb arrive from Italy to present a FunSongs Show at the International School of Riga. FunSongs is glad to be able to count on the help of Vija Bluzmen, the artistic director of the National Latvian Puppet Theatre. Vija will provide the voice of the new Latvian-speaking puppet Latty, Britty's baltic sidekick!

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International moves

2008-04-27T08:26:00.000+03:00

Detail of FunSongs Show promo flyer for Spain

Now that Andrew Tyree is settled in Madrid he is again working to promote FunSongs in the Spanish capital. One way of spreading interest is to stage a presentation show and invite people who could book it in the future. With this aim in mind, last Friday I got on the phone from Riga and called up Jonathan Pitt who teaches at Madrid's British Council School. The three of us first met in May 2007 when Andrew and I first went over to Madrid in May 2007. Jonathan Pitt remembered FunSongs well and expressed interest in the scheme; my hope is he will be able to organize an event at the school for Andrew. Watch this space for developments - and do contact Andrew if you are in Spain. His details are on the FunSongs Spain website.

The International School of Riga, Latvia

Samuel Goodger now almost 8 has attended this school since moving to Riga from Italy in January. He likes it and is learning. The ISR uses the IB Primary Years programme increasingly used throughout the world. This emphasizes life-long learning, education of the whole person and a global, 21st century approach.
Through contacts with the school I have organized a special FunSongs presentation show schedules for Parents' Say on 24th May. FunSongs has already purchased Emelie and Valentina's ticketsand they will be coming over to Riga to do the show - act out the puppets and showcase some action songs - probably Water is Everything and 65 Million Years Ago.
The aim, as well as offering the school an entertaining and educational free event, is of course, to kick-start FunSongs in Riga and Latvia. Vija Bluzma, artistic director of the National Latvian Puppet Theatre will attend and has agreed to lend us a puppet theatre for the show. It is my hope that other educational luminaries from Latvia's somewhat dysfunctional (so I've heard) state school system will come too!

FunSongs workshops for Riga teachers

2008-04-06T16:56:00.000+03:00

Teacher training session with Charles Goodger

Since coming back to Riga from a trip to Bologna to meet with CAIL, there have been several developments in my plan to promote FunSongs in the Baltic.
First last Friday I agreed with Signe Neimane and Guntaris Helmanis of Riga Education Council to hold a series of teacher training session for Latvian primary school teachers of English . These sessions will conists of three 9-hour modules for 75 teachers and will take place at the teacher training centre in Kaniero iela in June. There I can familiarize teachers with the FunSongs Approach which they will be able to start using in class from the start of the new 2007-2008 school year.

Last week I had a meeting with some teachers at the International School of Riga (attended by my seven-year-old son Sammy). They have decided to start using FunSongs packages in their classes in the next few weeks starting with "The Ladybird Song" package.
On Tuesday I will finally meet Iveta Vītola the Longman agent to discuss the Latvian education system and possible areas of collaboration.
I'm also looking forward to meeting Silvija Andernovics current president of Late Latvia's professional association of English teachers. She has just retruned from an interational Tesol conference in New York.

Contacts and sponsorship in Riga

2008-03-13T10:38:00.000+02:00

You can't get anywhere without contacts and one task I've set myself is to meet and talk to the right people here to get a better idea of how things work school-wise. One person I haven't actually met yet but hope to soon is Iveta Vītola, the Longman-Pearson agent. I did met her assistant Liga at the Baltic Book Fair on February 29th together with Tatiana Ginzburg who represents another big English language publisher Express Publishing. In competition for what looks like quite a complex market both women seemed interested in FunSongs but were quick to point out they only sell or promote their own houses' publications.

I tried to get them interesed in a sponsorship deal - their publishers buy a packet of FunSongs shows as a prize or for textbook adoptions but for the time being nothing. On the phone yesterday Iveta asked me for proof FunSongs has worked this way in the past with Longman in Italy and so I'm going to ask Elisa Casarini, the Longman rep in Bologna who has helped us with our sponsored shows over the last few months, to contact her - and we'll take it from there!

Yesterday I met up again with Igors Gruars from Riga City Council at an event organized by the Italian Embassy. I hope he will introduce me to the right people at the Education Department.

I'm also waiting to find out exactly what kind of administrative tasks need to be completed for FunSongs to be able to supply the Gramata un Raps bookshop chain with its CD.

Learning English in Latvia

2008-03-11T09:11:00.000+02:00

Latvia is a small country of large contrasts

While Charles Goodger struggles to learn Latvian, a fascinating language with direct connections to ancient sanskrit, he is also keenly interested in how Latvian children learn English - and how the school system here is organized. Part of his time here in Riga is spent researching and from time to time reports of his findings will be posted on the FunSongs Blog.

He hopes people who appreciate FunSongs and have an interest in English-language learning, in teaching and culture in general, may find some of the reports interesting.

FunSongs Latvia launch

2008-02-15T23:26:00.000+02:00

Riga, Latvia's ancient capital and cultural centre

Following growing interest in the FunSongs Approach from schools and teachers in a number of EU countries and his wife's appointment to Latvia University as an Italian language teacher, Charles Goodger relocated to Riga at the start of February. He hopes to work on and promote his language-learning action songs and shows in Latvia and the surrounding states. You can contact him on +371 25995781 or by email.

A Landmark Year for FunSongs!

2007-12-17T09:06:00.000+02:00

Charles Goodger presents a FunSongs Choir at a
national Telethon event in Bologna 15th December.

FunSongs English Weeks

2007 turned out to be an important year in the development of FunSongs. As well as successful shows including an unforgettable Naples tour in May, the seven weeks of FunSongs English weeks summer camps in June in Rome, Valle d'Aosta, Bologna and Zola Predosa with over 500 young learners will be remembered as a triumphant learning experience for us all.

FunSongs Madrid Launch

In January Andrew Tyree from Los Angeles took over from Australian David Crisante as the main FunSongs actor working together with Emelie Loeb. David went to London to do a course in journalism. He is now working for ABC TV in Sydney. After completing his stint as a FunSongs actor and FunSongs English Weeks Team Leader (Dino Pack), Andrew moved to Madrid. He is there now working to promote FunSongs shows in the Spanish capital.

FunSongs Labs

FunSongs Labs started in October 2008 in the wake of the interest generated by the FunSongs English Weeks summer camps in Zola Predosa and Bologna. Specially trained FunSongs teachers hold 10-lesson cycles of FunSongs lessons to small groups (never more than 6) of young learners in their homes. In December the following mother-tongue teachers held FunSongs Labs in Bologna and Zola Predosa: Ashleigh Arnott, Krissy Fischer, Edward Calcott, Costa Latsos, Natasha Hannoun, Valentina D'Errico, Beata Lenkiewicz and Emelie Loeb.

C.A.I.L.

As Charles Goodger gets ready to leave Italy to concentrate on writing new action songs and promote FunSongs shows and events in North-Eastern Europe, Emelie Loeb and Valentina D'Errico, together with Michele Chieffo will soon be running C.A.I.L. - the new Cultural Association for Interactive Learning. CAIL will be responsible for promoting and managing FunSongs events and courses in Italy.
Look out for the CAIL website scheduled to go live by the end of January 2008.

FunSongs Christmas Shows!

2007-11-23T16:12:00.000+02:00

On Thursday 22nd November FunSongs inaugurated the first Christmas shows of the season at Scuola Primaria Padre Marella in Bologna. Teachers at the school decided to book the show a month before Christmas in order to allow themselves enough time in class to work on the "I Love Christmas" worksheets available on the FunSongs website.

FunSongs training workshop in Reggio Emilia

The same day Charles Goodger, Emelie Loeb and Valentina D'Errico conducted a teacher training workshop for 60 teachers in Reggio Emilia. Organized by Prof.ssa Carla Bazzini of the Local Teacher Authority, the event gave teachers their first experience of the FunSongs approach.

FunSongs European Union Show in Milan

2007-11-20T08:30:00.000+02:00

FunSongs teachers and performers Emelie Loeb
and Krissy Fischer

On Saturday 17th November we performed a FunSongs European Union show at Istituto Cardarelli Massuau in Milan for primary school and middle school students. As well as the children, many parents came too, invited by Prof. Mauro Verde. This was Krissy's first show.

FunSongs at Feltrinelli International in Florence

2007-11-04T10:14:00.001+02:00

Shop window of Feltrinelli, Via Cavour , Florence

The FunSongs CD "Action Songs for Learning English" ISBN 0954396316 is the glue that has held our relationship with prestigious Italian bookstore chain Feltrinelli together since 2004.

On Saturday 27th October Emelie and Charles took a train down to Florence from Bologna to present the "FunSongs Approach". Given the modest but steady sales the CD generates for them, Feltrenelli are happy with the product which they sell in their branches in Milan, Padua, Bologna, Rome, Naples and of course Florence.

Halloween and Autumn Shows

2007-10-27T13:10:00.000+03:00

Emelie and Costa teaching "On Halloween" in Budrione (MO)

The hundreds of children who have participated in our shows these last few weeks have been celebrating Halloween and the season of Autumn through song, dance, movement and of course, English. It is always a pleasure to return to schools that know us and appreciate our method and material. The video clip shows Emelie and Costa, (our new FunSongs actor from Sydney who is also an opera singer) leading the children in a collective performance of On Halloween.

FunSongs Labs

Andrew Tyree helping kids to be creative in English

FunSongs Labs is a new project we are developing after the success of our FunSongs English Weeks summer camps. Families form small groups of 4 to 5 children and once a week for ten weeks FunSongs provides a trained English teacher. He or she holds the lessons at home. The scheme is currently limited to Bologna and the surrounding area. For further details, please contact the FunSongs Italy office to ask for an application form.

New developments as the School Year starts

2007-10-04T11:32:00.000+03:00

Robin Hood's Band by Charles Goodger
Collective performance during a FunSongs Show

As always the month of October is a busy time for FunSongs. As well as organizing the many bookings for FunSongs Shows, the Italy office in Zola Predosa is also coordinating a new project entitled "FunSongs Labs". These are English lessons for small groups of children based on the FunSongs Approach.

September 2007 - multilingual FunSongs!

2007-08-31T08:28:00.000+03:00

Charles Goodger and Andrew Tyree present the
FunSongs method to kids in a Madrid school

After a season working for FunSongs Italy, Californian actor and teacher Andrew Tyree (tel. 0034 665 11 53 86) is now based in Madrid. He is working to interest schools and teachers in the validity and effectiveness of the FunSongs Approach. Andrew and his staff in Madrid are now available to bring the magic and joy of FunSongs language-learning action songs to Spain.

A seguito dell'ultimo anno scolastico lavorando per la FunSongs Italy, l'attore e insegnante californiano Andrew Tyree (tel. 0034 665 11 53 86) ora vive a Madrid. Si sta impegnando per interessare le scuole e gli insegnanti della capitale nella validità e efficacia dell'Approccio FunSongs. Andrew e la sua équipe sono pronti a presentare la magia e la gioia delle canzoni animate didattiche FunSongs ai bambini spagnoli.

Después de trabajar para FunSongs Italy, ahora el actor y profesor californiano Andrew Tyree (tel. 0034 665 11 53 86) vive en Madrid. El objetivo de Andrew, que habla perfectamente el castellano, es de interesar las escuelas y los profesores de la ciudad en la validez y la eficacia del Enfoque FunSongs. Andrew y su personal en Madrid están disponibles a traer la magia y la alegría de las canciones de FunSongs a los alumnos españoles.

FEWs June 2007 - unforgettable events

2007-07-20T17:39:00.000+03:00

Kids performing an action song at FunSongs
English weeks Show in Zola Predosa

This June FunSongs organized six weeks of FEWs - FunSongs English Weeks - in four different locations. In Rome, Chatillon (Valle d'Aosta), Zola Predosa and Bologna.

Thanks to its staff of mother-tongue teachers and team leaders, the events were much appreciated. The format of each FunSongs English Week is based on a series of themes. Participating students are placed in teams, each of which works collectively to develop a particular theme.

This summer there were three teams: The Dino Pack and their special classroom "The Saurus Cave". The Dip Pack's project was the Age of Dinosaurs; the Water Drops in their classroom "Behind the Waterfall" - climate change, ecology and water conservation and the Space Monsters in their classroom "Starship Command" - astronomy and the solar system.

At the end of each FEW, the children exhibted their arts and crafts and performed their action. Som videos of these performances can be viewed on the FunSongs channel at http://www.youtube.com/.

Given the success and interest in these innovative events, FunSongs is planning to offer FunSongs English Weeks to schools during the school year. Teachers interested in hosting a FunSongs English Weeks are invited to contact the FunSongs Office.

FunSongs English Weeks 2007!

2007-06-10T01:37:00.000+03:00

Kids enjoying a FunSongs Monster show at
IC Berlinguer, Secondigliano, Naples

These last two months have beeen, to say the least, busy for FunSongs. The Naples Tour in May came after several intense days of meetings and presentations in Madrid where actor and teacher Andrew Tyree will be managing FunSongs Espana from September 2007. There was much interest in the FunSongs Approach both from the British Council School and several state schools participating in the "bilinguismo" project.

Charles Goodger and his team have been getting ready for FunSongs English Weeks, opportunities for young learners to immerse themselves in the English language through our particular blend of music, rhyme, rhythm and mime. This year FunSongs will be coordinating FEWs in Rome, Chatillon near Aosta, Zola Predosa and Bologna.

FunSongs launches in Spain

2007-04-19T00:12:00.000+03:00

Actor and teacher Andrew Tyree from Los Angeles
after a FunSongs Quiz Show in Ferrara

FunSongs is getting ready to launch its first franchise. Although FunSongs CDs and books have been sold around the world since the organization's foundation in 1998, FunSongs Shows and Quiz Shows have been limited to Italy where Charles Goodger, author of the songs and shows lives. However next month Charles Goodger and Andrew Tyree who has been performing FunSongs Shows with great success since January 2007 will be flying to Madrid to conduct market research in the Spanish capital. Andrew speaks fluent Spanish and is looking forward to the challenge. He hopes to start promoting and performing shows in Madrid from the start of the next school year.

FunSongs English Weeks 2007

Children playing during last summer's
FunSongs English Weeks in Zola Predosa (BO)

From Monday 11th June through Friday 22nd June FunSongs will be coordinating four FunSongs English Weeks - summer camps for primary school children in which participants learn English using the FunSongs approach. There will be a FEW in Rome, one in Chatillon near Aosta, another in Bologna and finally one again in Zola Predosa. FunSongs hopes to be able to host several hundred children and will be hiring over twenty part-time English teachers. For further details look at www.italian.funsongs.co.uk/english weeks or contact FunSongs direct.

FunSongs Seminar in Bergamo

2007-03-20T13:12:00.000+02:00

Teachers learning "The Monster March" at a CRT
Lingue Conference, Bergamo 22 February 2007

More than 200 teachers attended a training seminar organized by Bergamo's Centro Risorse Territoriali last 22 February. After a brief presentation by Ispettrice Giovanna Barzanò, Charles Goodger and Emelie Loeb involved participants in a number of song-based TPR techniques. Teachers were also given free material to use in class.

New FunSongs Shows in March

This month sees the launch of two new FunSongs shows for Primary and Prima Media classes: The Dino Show, which showcases aspects of prehistory and the new FunSongs Water show, scheduled for March 30th in Calderino near Bologna. This workshop is based on ecological themes including water conservation and climate change. Downloadable work sheets related to both songs will soon be available on the

FunSongs Quiz Shows - a full immersion experience

2007-02-26T09:40:00.000+02:00

The Sala Magna at IC Cassino set up for a Quiz Show

February 2007 stood out for the many Quiz Shows presented in several Italian regions. Charles Goodger, and his team travelled to Bologna, Cassino, Rome, Scandicci and Ferrara to involve hundreds of Scuola Media and High School students in the FunSongs Civiltà Quiz Show. From the highly positive comments received from teachers on the FunSongs feedback form on the www.funsongsshow.com website, we are confident the format we use with revolving spokespeople is the most interactive possible.

Charles Goodger with School Head Venturini at the
start of aQuiz Show at IC Cassino February 2007

The Quiz show is a competition between two teams - the boys and the girls. Both teams represented by a spokesperson, compete to win points based on questions drawn from six categories: Food, People, Places, Sports Hobbies and Games, School University and Work and The Animal World. For further details, visit the FunSongs Quiz Show website.

New action song on climate change

2007-01-26T10:28:00.000+02:00

Alessandro Macchiavelli recording "Water is
Everything" 23 January 2007

FunSongs is proud to announce the arrival of a new action song to add to its growing repertoire. "Water is Everything", written by Charles Goodger presents and teaches vocabulary related to the broad themes of water conservation, respect for the natural environment and climate change. Like all FunSongs action songs, "Water is Everything" which teachers will soon be able to hear on the FunSongs website, can be used as the starting point of a new project together with teachers of other subjects - specially natural science and geography.

FunSongs in 2007

2007-01-08T16:21:00.000+02:00

Kids displaying their Time Travellers poster

Action songs are always a great way to start a new teaching module. This photo shows a class of children proudly displaying a poster based on the song "Words for Time, Time for Words".
You can hear the full version by clicking here .

End of the line? No it's 2007!

2006-12-22T10:19:00.000+02:00

Itty and Britty at Scuola Carducci, Bologna
FunSongs Christmas Show 15 December 2006

FunSongs would like to wish everyone who appreciates our songs, material and shows a happy and peaceful Christmas holiday and all the best for 2007. Thank you for your interest and support.

Best wishes from us all at FunSongs, Italy.

Charles Goodger, David Crisante, Emelie Loeb, Andrew Tyree, Sarah Holloway

FunSongs Christmas Shows!

2006-12-09T10:04:00.000+02:00

David and Emelie with kids in Carpi (MO), December 2006

Teachers and children congratulate FunSongs!

The last few weeks have seen FunSongs actors Emelie Loeb from California and David Crisante from Sydney performing shows in three regions of Italy: Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. Most of the shows chosen have been FunSongs Christmas shows. This gives the teachers time to work on the songs and download material available from the FunSongs Resources website.

On 2nd December in Sant'Agostino near Ferrara David and Emelie - together with Quizmaster Charles Goodger presented two FunSongs Civiltà Quiz Shows and a Robin Hood FunSongs show to classes attending the local Scuola Media. The teacher, Prof. Anna Tassinari was highly complimentary and told us she would spread the word to other schools in the area. FunSongs is grateful to Giancarlo Guzzi for introducing us to Prof. Anna.

On 7th December Charles Goodger spoke about action songs at the British Council Conference for English teachers in Milan which attracted about 150 participants.

FunSongs English Weeks 2007

FunSongs English Weeks in Zola Predosa June 2006

FunSongs is starting to plan a series of FunSongs English Weeks camps for June 2007. On the basis of the success of last June in Zola Predosa, we hope to organize FEWs in three or more locations around Italy. Keep reading this blog for developments!

FunSongs Halloween shows

2006-11-07T23:27:00.000+02:00

Charles Goodger with teachers at a workshop in Genoa

This has been a busy period for Charles Goodger, author of FunSongs action songs with appearances at the national TESOL conference in Naples and a number of workshops and seminars in Veneto and Emilia. The British Council conference in Milan at the start of December will be another opportunity to inform teachers about the latest FunSongs proposals.

David Crisante at Scuola Carducci, Bologna

The end of October brought an intense series of FunSongs Halloween shows to a close in Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. Actors Emelie and David are now preparing for Monster, Christmas and Winter shows to perform in Valle d'Aosta, Milan Province and Emilia in November and December.

Our Autumn Song!

2006-10-01T18:44:00.000+03:00

FunSongs Autumn Show in Modena

More and more schools are acquiring the FunSongs Download licence as teachers come to appreciate how effective using action songs can be in presenting new themes and language. Just last week there were orders from schools in Bologna, Bergamo and Valle d'Aosta.
The staff at FunSongs are busy improving and updating the song packages. For details and samples visit the FunSongs website.
In October Charles Goodger will be busy hosting a series of FunSongs workshops and seminars for teachers in Veneto and Emilia Romagna including a high profile LEND workshop on 20th October at ITIS Nobili in Via Makallé, Reggio Emilia. At the start of November he will be speaking at the national Tesol teachers conference in Naples.
This is also a time of rehearsal and with a spate of FunSongs Halloween shows booked for Halloween and the FunSongs actors Emelie Loeb from California and David Crisante from Sydney are gearing up!. The first shows this season are at a large Istituto Comprensivo near Bergamo on October 26th.
In the meantime work continues on the new FunSongs publication Songs in Action.

FunSongs gets ready!

2006-09-04T00:08:00.000+03:00

FunSongs Monster Show, Scuola Corridoni Parma

With Summer 2006 almost over, there is growing excitement at FunSongs about the New School Year and the many challenges and projects that lie ahead. These include the new FunSongs textbook, Songs in Action, which should be ready for worldwide distribution in the first few months of 2007. Schools interested in Songs in Action may already use some of the songs and worksheets by acquiring a FunSongs Licence. For a limited period this is available at a reduced price. Please contact FunSongs directly for details.

In Italy the latest season of FunSongs school Show is about to start. FunSongs now has its own Sales manager Giancarlo Guzzi, responsible for all show bookings in the provinces of Bologna, Ferrara and Modena.

Following the success and interest generated by FunSongs English Weeks, Charles Goodger expects to reach a joint agreement with Zola Predosa Council to set up the very first FunSongs Language Centre. All details will be posted here!

Songs in Action in Production

2006-07-16T12:56:00.000+03:00

Teaching actions for Our Autumn Song

A few days after the end of FunSongs Summer Weeks at the end of June, Serena De Santis, Claudia Catinelli and Charles Goodger met to plan the latest FunSongs publication "Songs in Action". This is a new photocopiable textbook containing twelve action song-based modules. It will contain a CD with two versions of the songs and multimedia material. Charles Goodger had originally been invited to publish a similar textbook with a large international publisher but then decided that FunSongs itself could do the job! Songs in Action should be available from the start of 2007.

FunSongs Summer Weeks
- an unforgettable experience

Jeff Canada with his Space Monsters

As you can see from the photos, the kids all had a great time - and also learned English as they danced, sang, played and drew. The second week was even more successful than the first. Charles Goodger and his team received praise for the quality of the organization and contents from FunSongs's sponsor, the local council of Zola Predosa as you can see in this email from local councellor Stefano Fiorini:

Ho avuto l'opportunità di constatare, tramite alcuni genitori che mi hanno informato, l'alto livello di questa iniziativa.
La relazione del Dr.Goodger mi conferma ancora una volta la sensibilità e la competenza di questo professionista che, peraltro, abbiamo la fortuna di avere come nostro concittadino.
Come cittadino e consigliere comunale ringrazio tutti coloro che hanno contribuito a questa iniziativa. Cordiali saluti, Stefano Fiorini

FunSongs English Weeks on Target

2006-06-25T01:07:00.000+03:00

Amy, Team Leader of the Time Travellers

After more than a year's planning the very first FunSongs English Weeks project is underway! Every day last week 60 kids aged from 6 to 11 came to the Centro Torrazza in Zola Predosa near Bologna to take part in an intensive programme of action songs, games, competitions and handicrafts.

Children found themselves in one of four teams: Time Travellers with Amy Hough, Rainbow Kids with Scott Bishop, Space Monsters with Jeff Canada and Dino Pack with Emilie Loeb. Lots of fun and learning were had by all and many kids decided to enrol for the second week. As well as his stalwart Californian team leaders, Charles Goodger, who organized the event, was ably assisted by Massimo Braile, a local English teacher at the nearby Scuola Elementare Albergati.

Appreciation for FunSongs Rome shows

Amy and Scott performing the FunSongs
Monster Show, Rome April 2006

We were naturally glad to receive a highly complimentary review of the FunSongs shows performed in Rome at Scuola Elementare Lombroso Besso 105th Circolo in Rome last April including a mention on this important school's website. The teacher who invited us, Marzia Catalani, wrote this: "Abbiamo tutti trovato molto interessante il vostro modo di usare la lingua inglese attraverso il teatro e le canzoni e ciò che abbiamo visto sarà un buono spunto per i nostri lesson plans del prossimo anno scolastico. Le scrivo di seguito l'indirizzo del sito. Si trova una recensione sulla pagina "I nostri Progetti" per l'anno 2005-2006. http://scuolabessoroma.altervista.org/ Ringrazio Lei e la FunSongs e auguro a tutti voi buone vacanze."

I couldn't have put it better myself!

FunSongs English Weeks countdown!

2006-05-28T11:41:00.000+03:00

Now that May's almost over, the countdown for the very first FunSongs English Weeks is on! To date 65 children aged between 7 and 11 have enrolled for the event, some for two weeks. FunSongs will be relying on an all-Californian team of teachers and entertainers: Amy Hough, Scott Bishop, Jeff Canada and Emilie Loeb.
Italian teacher of English Massimo Braile will be assisting Charles Goodger and coordinating handycraft activities together with Emilie. FunSongs is grateful to local teachers Rossella Gualandi, Antonella Gasparini and Gloria Vannucchi for their encouragement and support.

The Union Song - teaching module goes live

Kids performing the Union Song

Though completed in January, Italy's INDIRE website, part of the Ministry of Education, waited until mid May to publish Charles Goodger's introduction to language learning action songs in the form of a free module based on the Union Song. The module is restricted to teacher trainees signed up with the training programme. Details of the site can be found at http://puntoeduri.indire.it/lingue/index.php.

Letter to Charles Goodger

This shows an extract of a letter (apologies for the poor scan) given to Charles Goodger at a teachers' conference in Venice recently. It was collectively written by Classes 4a and 4b of Marcon Primary School near Venice to tell the creator of FunSongs writer how much they like the songs and which are their favourites. Charles Goodger wrote back personally to the class to thank them.

FunSongs English Weeks

2006-05-13T10:25:00.000+03:00

FunSongs Animals Show, Zola Predosa 5th May 2006

As days get warmer and the school year draws to its close, the focus has switched to FunSongs English Weeks. Thanks to the support of local teachers and heads, Charles Goodger has been promoting the very first FunSongs English Summer Camp; it will take place at the Centro Torrazza, in Zola Predosa near Bologna from June 19th to June 30th. For further information please call or write Charles Goodger on +39 348 2338787.

FunSongs Stowaway Story in Ferrara

We used this ship as the backdrop to our show!

On Saturday May 6th alongside the River Po in Ferrara, Scott Bishop and Amy Hough in the roles of Captain Krettin and Sailor staged the very first "FunSongs Stowaway Story". This open-air event was sponsored by Assonautica to promote interest in yachting. It's a fast-paced musical based original action songs and chants and tells the story of Jack, an 11-year-old English boy from Bristol who hides on The Esmeralda, a clipper bound for New York. Though everyone appreciated the show, Assonautica had failed to promote it properly and Scott and Amy ended up performing to just two 4 year-olds! It was a valid experience though and FunSongs will include the Stowaway Story in its new repertoire of shows for the 2006-2007 school year.

FunSongs in Rome and Naples

2006-04-30T12:21:00.000+03:00

Santa Chiara church in the heart of old Naples

April 2006 was a difficult month for schools in Italy as there were so many vacations and interruptions. The Easter vacation and, a week before, the national elections, broke up the month and considerably reduced the number of study days. However, FunSongs made the most of the month culminating in a successful Rome-Naples tour with Animal, Robin Hood and Monster shows at the 105th Circolo Didattico in Rome and at the Minucci Primary School in the Vomero district of Naples. The photo of this famous church was taken from the roof of our Bed & Breakfast in the chaotic but colourful downtown of the ancient city. The kids in Naples were particularly responsive to the FunSongs Approach.

FunSongs Stowaway Show in Ferrara

Our sponsor Massimo Gardelli
at the venue in Ferrara

Next Saturday 6th May, Scott, Amy and Charles will present the new Stowaway Story show sponsored by Assonautica. Watch this space for reports and developments.

FunSongs English Weeks

This is a copy of the official FunSongs English Weeks flyer. Next week Charles Goodger will start to promote the event at schools in Calderino, Zola Predosa, Casalecchio and Bologna.

FunSongs in Lombardy and Modena

2006-04-09T00:32:00.000+03:00

Bergamo kids question Scott and Amy at Longuelo

The last week of March and first week of April included shows in Saronno near Milan, Modena and then back to Lombardy, Brescia and Bergamo Provinces. Scott and Amy spent several nights on the road entertaining and teaching hundreds of kids. Many of the sessions were FunSongs Easter shows. License holders can download a series of new worksheets based on Charles Goodger's Easter! Easter! Click here for further photos of our Bergamo shows taken by Mestro Tix!

FunSongs stages Quiz Show for fourth and fifth formers

Che Guerrera, Charles Goodger and Amy Hough in Modena

On Saturday April 1st FunSongs was in Modena at Istituto Dante Alighieri for two Civiltà Quiz

Shows. The event took place outside in the school courtyard. This was the first time FunSongs has worked with High School 4th and 5th formers. The shows were arranged by Laura Valentini, FunSongs Modena agent.

March 2006 - an action-packed month!

2006-03-19T23:35:00.000+02:00

Scott and Amy teaching "Nature's Plan" at Scuola Cerretta, Bologna

As you can see from the "Calendario degli Eventi,"March 2006 was an action-packed month of FunSongs shows, conferences and workshops, all successful and well-attended.

FunSongs at "A Changing World"

At the National British Council Conference on 23 and 24th, Charles Goodger and Marica Triola demonstrated the power and effectiveness of action songs to an audience of English teachers. With the help of 22 fifth-formers from Bologna's Scuola Carducci where Marica teaches, participants were able to experience the approach first-hand.
The children sang and mimed several new songs including Words for Time and 65 Million years Ago.
The conference provided an invaluable opportunity for those keen to improve their language and teaching skills.

Writer Beppe Severgnini OBE and Charles Goodger
at the Conference

Charles Goodger had the opportunity to meet many old friends and make new contacts in the ELT field. FunSongs is grateful to LEND for allowing us some space on their stand. This collaboration was also extended to DOCET, the school materials exhibition which also took place in Bologna at the end of the month.

FSC - 19th June to 30th June

We can now confirm that the very first FunSongs Summer Camp for Primary school children will take place at the Centro Torrazza alongisde the Scuola Media in Zola Predosa. Families will be able to enrol their children in May.

FunSongs at Modena Book Fair

2006-03-11T23:36:00.000+02:00

Charles Goodger at the Memo Centre in Modena

Last Friday and Saturday FunSongs took part in the annual "Libri Senza Frontiere" educational books exhibition at the Memo centre in Modena. It was a good opportunity to meet teachers and tell them about FunSongs material and shows.

FunSongs Shows in Calderino and Castel di Casio

Scott and Amy at Calderino Tuesday 7th March

Last week FunSongs performed eight shows to children in local Primary schools in Bologna Province. Wearing the new FunSongs T-shirts, Scott Bishop and Amy Hough presented this season's first Easter Show. From comments received after the shows, teachers and children were delighted with the experience. This was FunSongs's third visit to Castel di Casio and fourth to Calderino.

Big turnout for FunSongs Cesena workshop

2006-02-26T10:57:00.000+02:00

Head addressing participants

Last Friday 24th February at Scuola Elementare Rodari in Cesena, Charles Goodger, Marica Triola and Fiacra Stockman spoke about action songs, CLIL and Cambridge exams respectively. The event, organized by teachers Silva Severi and Valentina Biguzzi was extremely well attended with almost 100 participants.

Quiz Shows in Finale Emilia

Amy chats up the boys

FunSongs - Charles Goodger, Scott Bishop and Amy Hough - headed north out of Bologna for the country town of Finale Emilia early last Tuesday to host three European Civiltà Quiz shows. The event, also attended by the local press, was a great success.

FunSongs Summer Camp on track

Zola Predosa council building

Following a special meeting with Domenico Neto, head of the Servizi alle Persone department of Zola Predosa Council last 14th February, Charles Goodger can now confirm the FunSongs Summer Camp for local primary school children will take place from 19th to 30th June. FSC will be held either at Zola Presdosa's Centro Torazza or in school premises nearby. Watch this space for further developments.

FunSongs Feltrinelli workshop in Bologna

2006-02-12T23:47:00.000+02:00

Live Edutainment!

After an intensive week of FunSongs Animals, Time, Monsters and Robin Hood shows Charles Goodger and his team met up again today in the heart of Bologna at Feltrinelli Bookshop to teach some action songs and promote the updated FunSongs CD. This was also the first appearance of the new FunSongs T-shirts.

FunSongs shows and workshops in Valle d'Aosta

2006-02-05T23:22:00.000+02:00

All this week the Italy FunSongs Team made up of Amy Hough, Scott Bishop and Charles Goodger will be presenting a series of FunSongs shows and workshops to hundreds of children and teachers in the Valle d'Aosta region of North-West Italy. After a day of school shows in Como Province, FunSongs will be travelling to Aosta on the invitation of the Local Invitation Authority. This is the fourth time we have been to Aosta since Charles Goodger met the Aosta Education Board Inspector for English, Laura Verdura at a TESOL conference in Rome in 2002.

FunSongs radio promotion

2006-01-27T20:17:00.000+02:00

Bologna's most listened to radio station Radio International has started promoting the updated FunSongs CD on FM 97.40. In Bologna, the CD is on sale at Feltrinelli International in Via Zamboni. Other branches of Feltrinelli are selling the CD and accompaying booklet in Rome, Milan and Florence. Charles Goodger will be presenting "Action Songs for Learning English" as part of the Eventi per Bambini at Feltrinelli on Sunday 12th February at 11 pm. In London the CD is on sale in the EFL department of Foyles Bookstore in the Charing Cross Road.

Native Americans in Castelguelfo

2006-01-22T12:26:00.000+02:00

Native Americans in castelguelfo
Originally uploaded by Charles J..

Last Thursday children at Castelguelfo Primary School took part in our FunSongs Native Americans show, presented by Scott and Amy. The event which had been organized by teacher Maddalena Poletti was a great success and we look forward to returning to the school soon.

FunSongs Quiz Show at Liceo Copernico, Bologna

2006-01-11T09:02:00.000+02:00

Charles Goodger, Quizmaster

This high profile event took place at one of Bologna's best known High schools, the Liceo Scientifico Copernico in Via Garavaglia, Bologna. Teacher Carmen Scarabino who invited us to Liceo Righi where she was teaching last school year had been favourably impressed with the event and wanted to give her new first formers the experience. At the end it was a draw with both teams scoring the same number of points.

Welcome to a New Year of FunSongs!

2006-01-03T15:09:00.000+02:00

Teaching action from "Time to Play"

Gearing up for the New Season

School starts again soon and the FunSongs Team is already gearing up for the new season. Charles Goodger is working on a new action songs project for the teaching training section of Italy's Ministry of Education Indire website. Entitled "The Union Song" based on the song of the same name, it should be available by the end of January. FunSongs Music, Theatre and Quiz Shows start again on January 10th with a high profile European Quiz Show at Liceo Copernico in Bologna. Jazz singer Melissa Stott who last worked for FunSongs in 2003 will be returning to work together with Scott Bishop and Charles Goodger until Amy Hough returns from a vacation in her hometown of Los Angeles.

FunSongs Summer Camp

Charles Goodger has spoken to both Francesco Giacomini and Domenico Neto of Zola Predosa council in the last few days. He wanted to know if the FunSongs Summer Camp project as part of UISP Summer activities will be approved - and therefore eligible for financing. Giacomini was upbeat but vague and all Neto could say was that the Council is undergoing an internal reorganization of its departments and this is prolonging a decision. Final approval, if it ever does, may not arrive before February. FunSongs is now considering making contact with Elena Iacucci of Casalecchio di Reno again after she expressed interest in the FunSongs Summer Camp last November.

FunSongs Christmas Shows

2005-12-03T18:35:00.000+02:00

Santa Claus visiting children at SE Garibaldi in Bologna

The last few weeks have been particularly busy with Christmas, European Union and Civiltà Quiz shows in three regions: Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany. Our action songs "I Love Christmas" and "The Union Song" on which the shows are based have charmed and presented key vocabulary and language to another generation of young learners.

PuntoEdu Indire interest in the FunSongs approach

Last week Charles Goodger was again contacted by Italy's national teacher training organization Indire to produce a module on using action songs. His module which will explain how to make the most of a song for teaching purposes, should be available on the national teacher training site PuntoEdu soon.

FunSongs in Milan

2005-11-23T22:50:00.000+02:00

Scott Bishop teaches "Robin Hood's Band"

Yesterday Charles Goodger and FunSongs actors, Scott Bishop and Amy Hough set off at 5 in the morning for Milan to present four FunSongs Christmas shows at a Primary school in Lainate just outside the city. After a meeting with a Lainate-based record company to organize the reprinting of the new FunSongs CD, Charles then travelled into the centre - to the British Council in Via Manzoni - to attend the annual ELT conference where he hosted a well attended workshop for Primary School teachers entitled "Songs in Action". There was considerable interest in the FunSongs method.

Imminent show dates include Christmas shows in Bologna and European shows for a large Scuola Media near Siena.

FSC - waiting for Zola Council

FunSongs is still waiting to hear from Zola Predosa council for approval of the Summer Camp project. We hope to receive an answer from Domenico Neto in the next few days.

FunSongs bulletin after Frascati shows

2005-11-13T17:10:00.000+02:00

Final round of a Civiltà Quiz Show

Our FunSongs shows at the large Scuola Media (Tino Buazzelli) in Frascati were well received last week. Scott and Amy travelled down to Rome on Monday evening in time for a series of Autumn and Monster shows and Charles Goodger came down to Rome on Wednesday evening to host six FunSongs Civiltà Quiz Shows. Our thanks to Prof.ssa Daniela Rosati for organizing everything.

Italy's Ministry of Education and University Research,
Viale Trastevere, Rome

While in Rome Charles Goodger visited the MIUR to deliver a folder of FunSongs worksheets to Inspector Raffaele Sanzo. The Ministry is interested in the FunSongs Approach and will indirectly help us promote our material by mentioning it at workshops and conferences.

FunSongs Summer Camp

On Saturday 12 November Charles Goodger finally met up with the Director of Servizi alle Persone of Zola Predosa Council. There is definite interest in the project as part of the UISP Summer Camps. In the next few days Charles will submit a formal proposal to the Council which should approve it in the next few weeks.

Monster and Quiz shows in Frascati

2005-11-05T00:20:00.000+02:00

FunSongs Monster Show

FunSongs in Frascati

After a successful start to the new season of FunSongs Shows in Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, we are now getting ready for a week of shows and workshops at Scuola Media Tino Buazzelli in Frascati, near Rome. Scott Bishop and Amy Hough will be driving down with the equipment on Monday evening to be joined by Charles Goodger for the last two days of shows on Thursday and Friday.

Sixty-five Million years Ago

A new action song based on the fascinating world of dinosaurs is reaching its final phase. We hope to be able to put up a sample of the song on www.funsongs.co.uk before long.

FunSongs in Liguria and Valle d'Aosta

2005-10-27T22:50:00.000+03:00

Part of a worksheet from the
"Our Autumn Song" package

Scott Bishop and Amy Hough, our regular FunSongs Show actors have been presenting Halloween and Autumn shows in Liguria and Valle d'Aosta. This has been Amy's first tour and from all accounts she's been well received. Puppeteer, singer, choreographer and actor, Scott Bishop has built up invaluable expereince entertaining and educating thousands of children. This is his fourth year with FunSongs.

FunSongs Summer Camp - latest developments

Charles Goodger expects to reach a deal with Zola Predosa Council for next summer's two weeks of FunSongs fun straight after the school year. After a constructive meeting with President Casadio of UISP in Bologna a few days ago, there is hope the council will agree to part-finance the scheme. We shall see. . .

Genoa workshop

Tomorrow Charles Goodger will be at the British School in Genoa to host a workshop entitled "Songs in Action". The event is being sponsored by Cambridge ESOL to promote interest among Primary School teachers of English in its Young Learner qualifications.

Local start to new shows season

2005-10-23T23:41:00.000+03:00

Scott Bishop teaching The Millennium Song during
the FunSongs Halloween Show

On Friday 21st October we started the new 2005-2006 season of FunSongs shows at Ceretolo Istituto Comprensivo near Bologna. The two shows were well received by both the children and teachers.
The school's new head Cesare Sarti who speaks good English, also came to see the start of the show. Stile di Bologna sent a TV cameraman to film the event.

Amy Hough and Scott Bishop are now in Albenga to present a series of Halloween shows. Arrigo Speziali of ACLE - Theatrino will come to see the shows at Villanova on Monday 23 October.
ACLE is keen to distribute FunSongs throughout Italy.

FunSongs Summer Camp - a hiatus

Unfortunately Domenico Netto of Zola Predosa Council appeared to forget a scheduled meeting with Charles Goodger last Saturday. Charles had wanted to present the results of last week's positive meeting with Sig. Casodio, Chairman of UISP and discuss finance. He will attempt to contact Sig. Netto again in the next few days.

FunSongs at Feltrinelli in Florence

2005-10-17T00:50:00.000+03:00

Amy Hough presents the FunSongs CD

The prestigious downtown Florence branch of Italy's well-known bookshop chain Feltrinelli invited FunSongs to present the CD "Action Songs for Learning English" as part of a series of events for kids. Amy Hough and I took a train down from Bologna and had fun teaching a group of primary school children "Time to Play", "The Monster March", "Our Autumn Song and "On Halloween".
Feltrinelli were happy with the event - specially as all the families that came purchased the CD. This was Amy's very first FunSongs event - she was able to show she has a real way with kids.

FSC Casalecchio meeting

On Saturday Gloria Vannucchi and I met Elena Iacucci, assesore della cultura at Casalecchio di Reno council, one of the largest municipalities in Bologna Province outside the city itself. She was most encouraging and supportive and we'll get back to her soon with a specific request in the light of meetings with Zola Predosa Council and Presidente Casodio of UISP this week. Still no word from Stefano Rizzoli of Monte S. Pietro.

Ministry approval for FunSongs!

2005-10-15T16:29:00.000+03:00

FunSongs Halloween Show with Benedict
Protheroe and Monica Paris

Yesterday I went to Rome to present the FunSongs on-line material to Inspector Raffaele Sanzo of Italy's Ministry of Education. He said it was highly valid and was particularly interested in its interdisciplinary characteristics - the combination of music, movement and language. He said he would mention FunSongs at presentations. He also gave me some advice about how to market the worksheets and song packages more effectively.

FunSongs Summer Camp - Casalecchio Support!

Today Gloria Vannucchi and I met with Casalecchio di Reno's Assessore della Cultura, Elena Iacucci. She was most responsive and guaranteed her municipality's support. I'm now waiting to hear from Stefano Rizzoli of Monte San Pietro Council. Next week I have meeting with Luigi Casodio, President of the Sports association UISP and Domenico Letto of Zola Predosa. With any luck we will soon have an agreement with the three councils and can start promoting the course.

Amy Hough, new FunSongs actress

Last night on a later train than mine, Amy Hough from Los Angeles, reached Bologna. She will be staying with us for a few days until she finds her own place to stay at in Bologna. We have already started rehearsing and I'm confident she'll do an excellent job. Tomorrow we leave for Florence to present the FunSongs CD at Feltrinelli bookshop. Scott Bishop is now back in Bologna and he will be rehearsing with Amy next week

Crucial time for FunSongs

2005-10-13T07:44:00.000+03:00

Scott Bishop, Erin Glass and Charles Goodger
FunSongs Quiz Show, Chiari (BS)

The next few days hold the promise of exciting prospects for FunSongs and its profile in ELT. On Friday I have a meeting with Inspector Raffaele Sanzo of Italy's Ministry of Education in Rome to present the licence scheme. On Saturday there's a key meeting to discuss and hopefully launch the FunSongs Summer Camp 2006 with Casalecchio Municipality. On Sunday our new actress, Amy Hough will be debuting at a presentation at Feltrinelli Bookshop in downtown Florence. And then of course FunSongs Shows kick off with the first FunSongs Autumn-Halloween workshops in Ceretolo prior to the Liguria and Valle d'Aosta tours the following week.

U.I.S.P. and the Italo-Germanic Centre

Yesterday I received a call from the President of UISP, Sig. Casadio, to discuss working with this national sports and leisure time organization in the summer. Thanks to their kind head Frau Sabine, I also managed to secure an agreement with the Italo-Germanic Association in Strada Maggiore, Bologna to use their premises for show rehearsals and equipment storage.

Amy and Scott

We're all looking forward to welcoming Amy and seeing Scott Bishop again. It looks like this school year will be as busy for them as it'll be crucial for FunSongs itself! I was glad to receive an email from Erin Glass who worked with us last school year. She's now back in California completing her studies. I'm sure Itty misses her touch!

A.N.I.L.S. Conference in Cento

2005-10-08T19:48:00.000+03:00

Prof. Paolo Balboni

The ANILS (Associazione Italiana di Insegnanti di Lingue Straniere) Conference at Cento suffered because of very bad weather. More people would have come if it hadn't rained. However the FunSongs Workshop which included a lively and highly responsive class of 22 primary school children was appreciated. I taught "On Halloween" and hosted a session "Songs in Action" later in the day.
There were many interesing people at the event including Paolo Balboni from Cà Foscari University in Venice. He gave a provocative talk on the close connection between language and culture. I also made several new contacts including Dott.ssa Lucia Cucciarelli. She runs a project called "Studi Sociale e cooperazione europea." Marika Triola was also there to present her "Baby CLIL" which includes several references to the FunSongs Approach.

FunSongs Summer Camp

I'm now waiting for confirmation from Zola Predosa Council for a meeting on Saturday 15th October which I hope to attend with Antonella Gasparini. That same morning I have another meeting with Casalecchio Council and Teacher Gloria Vannucchi. I'm still waiting to hear from Monte San Pietro.

FunSongs shows

Every day last week there were inquiries and bookings for FunSongs Shows. We're all looking forward to welcoming the new actress Amy Hough who should be arriving in time for the Fetrinelli Bookshop presentation in Florence next Sunday.

FSC - Contact with Monte San Pietro

2005-10-03T14:22:00.000+03:00

Parco dei Gessi between Monte San Pietro and Zola Predosa

Contact with Calderino
We have now made contact with all three municipalities involved in the FunSongs Summer Camp project: Zola Predosa, Casalecchio and Monte San Piuetro, often called Calderino. On Friday I tried to reach Stefano Rizzoli of Monte San Pietro Council after English teacher Rossella Gualandi forwarded me his name. I didn't manage to speak to him but got through to a helpful lady called Monica Santandrea.

FunSongs Promotional Drive
The weekend was spent preparing leaflets and updating the database for the FunSongs promotional drive. This essentially means sending out hundreds of leaflets publicizing the shows.

Sixty-Five Million Years Ago
The new action song about dinosaurs is now complete. It needed a final verse:

Sharp white teeth
In colossal jaws
You moved around
On your three-toe claws

I hope to be able to record it before the ANILS conference on 7th October.

Poised for success!

2005-09-28T00:07:00.000+03:00

Actress and musician Amy Hough

TESOL Conference

The Rome TESOL Conference was an opportunity to meet people and discuss projects. I made contact with Inspector Raffaele Sanzo of the Italian Ministry of Education. He specializes in English tuition in Primary Schools and invited me to Rome on 6th October to present the FunSongs License material. I also renewed talks with Arrigo Speziali ands Raffaele Nasti of ACLE Teatrino but we weren't able to reach a satisfactory agreement about distributing or licensing FunSongs Shows. Lingue Senza Frontiere, another theatre group expressed interest in using some of our songs in their own shows.
I met many teachers, publishers and people in education I already knew and got the impression FunSongs is now an established name in the field. My session was well attended and people appreciated the new action song about dinosaurs "Sixty-Five Million Years Ago".

Amy Hough

Amy Hough from Los Angeles will be presenting FunSongs Shows with Scott Bishop this school year. She should be arriving in Bologna mid October. The first scheduled FunSongs shows are on Friday 21st October in Ceretolo near Bologna.

FunSongs Summer Camp

I received an email from Rossella Gualandi with details of the people to contact in Monte San Pietro. The meeting with Elena Iacucci of Casalecchio was rescheduled for Saturday 15th October and by then I hope to have a definitive answer from Zola Predosa.

Shows and material

Requests and queries about shows and material have been steady all week. Only definite bookings appear on the FunSongs Show website calendar page.

Update on eve of Rome TESOL Conference

2005-09-22T02:55:00.000+03:00

FunSongs Monster Show

Update on the eve of TESOL 2005

Yesterday Gloria Vannucchi and I met Francesco Giacomini of Zola Predosa. He seemed interested in the FunSongs Summer Camp. However he mentioned the Council's ongoing contract with the UISP Association for Summer activities and said it may be necessary to reach an agreement with them. He agreed to contact us soon after consulting with other people in the Council.
Tomorrow (or rather today - it's late!) I leave for Rome and the National TESOL conference. Before leaving I hope to be able to record a draft version of the new "65 Million Years Old" action song to present during my session.
This afternoon I delivered several hundred FunSongs Licence and Show flyers to FunSongs distributors Spaggiari Spa in Parma to help with the promotion. This evening I called Scott Bishop now back in Los Angeles. He's well and looking forward to returning to Italy in October for the shows. Yesterday I received confirmation of two more licence renewals (Gazzaniga and Nembro in Bergamo Province) and bookings for shows in Aosta.
Yestreday afternoon the Florence Branch of the book shop Feltrinelli called to ask FunSongs to organize a presentation of the FunSongs CD on 16th October. Could be worthwhile!

The days ahead

2005-09-18T15:31:00.000+03:00

Zola Predosa Council Offices

Official Summer Camp meetings scheduled

In the next few days FunSongs has two important meetings fixed with Zola Predosa and Casalecchio local government officials. On Tuesday 20th September at 5.30 pm I have a meeting with Elena Iaccuci, Assessore della Cultura of Casalecchio and then the next morning with Francesco Giacomini in his office in the big building depicted above. I hope Antonella Gasparini and Gloria Vannucchi (and Rossella Gualandi of Monte S. Pietro too if she has time) will be able to attend. The aim is to lay the basis for the first FunSongs Summer Camp, scheduled for June 2006.

Licence and shows news

Requests for FunSongs shows are picking up. The promotional campaign with the new leaflets will help.
Yesterday Preside Perani of Gazzaniga Istituto Comprensivo in Bergamo Province verbally confirmed renewal of their FunSongs licence for the 2005 and 2006 and also expressed interest in doing shows again. This is a good moment to announce the arrival of a new action song package Words for Time, Time for Words

On Friday and Saturday next week in Rome the annual national TESOL conference for English teachers takes place and I hope to make more contacts and incite further interest in FunSongs there. My session will take place on Saturday afternoon.

Mid September Update

2005-09-16T17:29:00.000+03:00

New logo

FunSongs Summer Camp - developments

After Monday's meeting with Sig.ra Melchiorri at Zola Predosa Council, I met up with Gloria Vannucchi on Wednesday and we visited the Falcone Centre in Riale, possible venue for the FunSongs Summer Camp. I also showed Gloria the new action song about dinosaurs "65 million years ago." The next day Sig.ra Melchiorri called to say we'd be dealing with Francesco Giacomini, the councillor who handles external relations with the schools and I'm waiting for him to contact me.
Yesterday I had a meeting with Davide Montanari of Casalecchio and also saw Roberto Mignani, the Deputy Mayor. He kindly introduced me to Elena Iacucci, Casalecchio's assessore per la Cultura and we scheduled a meeting for next Tuesday. I hope to have heard from Sig. Giacomini of Zola Predosa before then.

Shows and Licences

SDB have now completed the art work for the two promotional leaflets and they are now at the printers. The new FunSongs logos are ready too. The promo flyers should be ready for the TESOL conference in Rome which I'll be leaving for Thursday. Today I got confirmation for the shows in Albenga and Valle d'Aosta. I have a number of appointments with schools to discuss the licence. Spaggiari told me yesterday they'd be pushing the scheme at an E-learning conference in Genoa.

Conferences

This week also saw further requests for workshops and conference talks. These include the ANILS conference at Cento in October and a workshop in Genoa sponsored by the Britsh School and Cambridge ESOL. I was also invited to speak at a conference in Chiari and organize two days of action song theatre workshops in Aosta in February.

FunSongs Summer Camp 2006

2005-09-12T20:52:00.000+03:00

Kids at a FunSongs Show

This afternoon I met with the FunSongs Summer Camp Committee (local teachers Antonella Gasparini, Gloria Vannucchi Rossella Gualandi) and the "Assessore della Cultura" Marilena Melchiorri of Zola Predosa Council to discuss the FunSongs Summer Camp. The idea is to provide local kids with a one or two-week full-immersion English language experience (using the FunSongs Approach)after the end of the school year. Sig.ra Melchiorri was most interested in the project and offered us her support. She will also help me to contact the right people in the neighbouring villages of Monte San Pietro and Casalecchio.
Linda Edwards of PET Brescia called to invite me to speak at a language teachers conference on October 20th. The event is sponsored by local educational pubslishers La Scuola .
Today we received a copy of the lastest issue of ET Professional containing my article "Songs in Action".
Thanks to the kind help of English teacher Carla Moretti of Milan's largest Scuola Media "Divona-Speri" I finally managed to complete the FunSongs Quiz Show leaflet and sent it off to SDB to get the graphics checked prior to printing.

2005-09-10T13:22:00.000+03:00

John Grisham at Bologna University

VIP day

2005-09-10T12:56:00.000+03:00

Today I met John Grisham and Romano Prodi at two separate events. The American writer was at Bologna University to mark the Italian launch of his thriller "The Broker" set in the streets of Bologna. After his public interview I somehow managed to approach him and ask him to sign my copy of the book which ex-FunSongs performer Jeff Canada had very kindly given me just before he left Bologna in July; that evening I exchanged a few words with Romano Prodi in a beer tent after his interview at the Festa dell'Unità. I was highly impressed with both men - John Grisham (the world's best-selling writer before Harry Potter came along!) was charming and witty, Prodi intelligent and credible.

2005-09-10T12:55:00.000+03:00

Romano Prodi at Festa dell'Unita, Bologna 9th September 2005

Rome shows?

2005-09-09T07:45:00.000+03:00

I met up with Andrea Arnsten-Harris from Seattle after she emailed FunSongs interested in working as a show performer. I liked her. Very musical and with experience both as an actress and working with kids. I told her we'd get back to her for auditions in October.

Andrea Arnsten-Harris

In the late afternoon, English teacher Marzia Catalana from Rome's 105th Circolo called to ask about shows. She'd been at a high-profile Tesol presentation I did with Scott and Megan Bishop at the Centro Americano in Rome some time ago. I told her we'd need to have at least six shows booked to be able to come.

Show bookings and licence requests

2005-09-08T11:08:00.000+03:00

Interest is picking up in shows and licences. Yesterday a school in Albenga ordered a licence and also confirmed two days of shows on 24th and 25th October. Today Zola Predosa again reconfirmed renewal of the FunSongs licence for the 2005-2006 year.
On a less positive note we were still unable to find out about an unpaid invoice dating back to January 2005 for the sale of 80 CDs. Fortunately I now have a lawyer lined up in Milan - Avv. Mangiarotti - and won't hesitate to take legal action to secure payment if the situation remains stalled. Finally after the presentation at UCSB I received a mail from Andrea Arnsten-Harris who's studying at Chicago University. She's most interested in auditioning as a FunSongs performer.

CRT Mestre - Teacher workshop

2005-09-06T00:20:00.000+03:00

The event was well attended and appreciated. The twenty teachers participating were there as part of a teacher training course organized by Annavaleria Guezzieri on behalf of IRRSAE Veneto. These teachers are working to achieve a high enough level (B2) to be able to teach English at Primary School along with standard subjects such as Italian and Maths. Carla from Associazione Morelli came along too.

FunSongs workshop with Charles Goodger

Mestre workshop

2005-09-04T17:00:00.000+03:00

Tomorrow all going well FunSongs will be holding a workshop for Primary school teachers. It will take place at Liceo Stefanini, Mestre and has been organized by Annavaleria Guazzieri whom Charles met at a Tesol conference two years ago.

FunSongsNews early September

2005-09-03T10:46:00.000+03:00

FunSongs is back at work getting ready for the new school year. Yesterday Charles Goodger met up with Sandro Morando of SDB and his partners to discuss the new Licence and FunSongs Show leaflet. It should be ready to go into print next week. Later in the day Goodger spoke to Davide Montanari of Casalecchio Library and arranged a meeting to fix shows for January and February 2006. He also spoke to Arrigo Speziali of ACLE/Theatrino about working together and they agreed to update at the 25th September TESOL Rome conference.
The Bologna office of UCLA and Indiana University are again interested in FunSongs Show opportunities for their students. Scott Bishop was in Bologna but is about to leave for Paris and will return in two weeks.

Still working in mid-August!

2005-08-13T20:56:00.000+03:00

Practically everyone is on holiday but FunSongs is still at work - this time on the new "Words for Time" package. The aim is to have it live on our site in time for Rome TESOL at the end of September. New worksheets are also on their way for the "Union Song" package.

Welcome to the FunSongs Blog!

2005-07-23T18:45:00.000+03:00

Hi! FunSongs has set up this blog to give teachers interested in FunSongs a regular update of our news.