New school year ahead!

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

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

Svetlana Ter-Minasova and Charles Goodger in conversation

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

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

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

FunSongs workshops in Bauska Region

Students and teachers outside Iecava School , Latvia

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

FunSongs at Kolomna Conference in Russia

The ancient Russian city of Kolomna near Moscow

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

FunSongs at LAKMA Assembly

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

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

Busy times for FunSongs in the Baltics

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

FunSongs Monsters in Downtown Riga!

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

FunSongs workshops and conferences in Latvia, Lithuania and Russia


Teachers at a FunSongs workshop, April 17th 2009

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

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

FunSongs at the British Embassy

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

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

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

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

* Permanent Memory Acquisition. For further details click here

FunSongs website for Russia

FunSongs Monster Show in Parma, Italy

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

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

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

Purvciema School Riga

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

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

FunSongs Russia launch

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!