I was recently back home in the U.S. for a short visit to see family and friends.  I work at a humanitarian organization in Jericho, Palestine where I am teaching pre-school/kindergarden kids English.  Before the start of the new school year, I really wanted to practice conversational Arabic skills so I could better communicate with the children. 

Due to the short time frame of my visit, I worried about finding a teacher and in addition to that- one that would be able to teach me in the particular dialect that I needed to learn.  I was delighted to find out that The Language School employed a wonderful Arabic teacher who spoke the specific dialect that I needed to learn.  We were able to do an intensive mini-program where I came two days a week and spent about 5 hours a day in class.  Talk about immersion!  We listened to songs that I liked (but had no idea what the words meant), we watched movie clips, went over how to cook my favorite dish and she also shared about the culture and the city where she was from originally.  

All in all- a perfectly tailored program for my needs!  The LanguageSchool has excellent teachers that care about having students learn effectively and are also very flexible in working with the time constraints that one may face.  I never hesitate to recommend The Language School to my friends who are interested in learning languages.  -JT

Jamie Tong,
Jericho, Palestine
9/7/10

What is the main objective of performing?

Communicating.Communicating history, stories, and emotions to an audience.  As an American opera singer, I spend the majority of my time singing in a foreign language.  Telling stories, and being able to communicate to an audience in foreign languages is a challenge. 

 As a student at The Language School I have studied French, German, and Italian.  Even in high school, I knew that I wanted to go into opera, and knew that foreign languages would be an integral skill to the art form.  What drew me to The Language School was the one-on-one classes with native speakers.  Not only was I able to study languages in a personal and fun environment, I was able to learn at my own pace, learning the specific skill areas that were important to pursuing my classical singing career.  Diction is very important in singing, and I found that studying with native speakers helped me to tune my ears and tongue into the nuances of the language.  When I went off to college and majored in music, I was able to place out of three semesters of my language requirements thanks to The Language School.

 A perk of my industry is the opportunities that I have to study and perform abroad.  The language proficiencies I was able to achieve through The Language School have helped me in my travels and in making new friends.

What is the main objective of language? Whether you are a performer on the stage, or someone who just wants to learn about another culture, the common denominator is being able communicate.  The Language School will help you achieve that.

Corinne Schaefer, student, singer
2/23/11