Posts Tagged ‘learning’

MIDEM 2009: Bacardi case study Learning from a pioneer brand & artist relationship

In April 2008, Groove Armada eschewed the traditional record label model signing to Bacardi for a ground-breaking global multifaceted partnership covering recordings, live and promotion. All stakeholders involved in this partnership will discuss key outcomes for the brand and artists, as well as the innovative new B-LIVE Records music distribution model they will launch at MIDEM the same day*. * In compliance with the French law the partnership between Groove Armada and Bacardi is not applicable in France. Moreover no communication shall be made in France on this partnership. Speakers: Andy Cato, Artist, Groove Armada (UK) Tom Findlay, Artist, Groove Armada (UK) Mat Morrisroe, A&R Director, B-LIVE Records (UK) Dan oneill, Manager of Groove Armada, Angle Artist Management (UK) Sarah Tinsley, Global Experiential Marketing, Bacardi (UK) Moderator: Natasha Kizzie, Head of Entertainment, Euro RSCG KLP (UK)

Learning French in France – Why It’s not Necessarily the Best Way to Learn French

Learning French in France is a great thing to do and I wouldn’t want to put you off it for a second. There is perhaps no better way to improve your French than to be surrounded by the language and the sights and sounds of French life.

Paris, for example, is a beautiful city and you can imagine the joys of a French lesson followed by a walk along the Rive Gauche of the Seine, stopping at a riverside café for a coffee or a glass of something and just watching the people go by – to my mind it’s a marvellous way to pass an hour or two. What about Nice or Cannes? Places rightly renowned for their style and glamour. “Immersion Learning” is one of the current buzz-words when learning French so what better way to immerse yourself than to go to France?

If that’s the case, you might ask, why on earth would I suggest that learning French in France might not be the best way?

Well if you’ve got deep pockets then I’d thoroughly recommend it. As I said there’s probably no better way to improve your French. But the important word there is “improve”. If you haven’t got deep pockets and you’re just starting with learning French, I’d have to say there are not only much cheaper ways to learn but ones which, given your situation, are actually better for you, easier and will help you learn French faster.

The drawback with learning French in France if you’re just starting out is the pressure you’re almost certainly going to put on yourself. Many of us learn French long after we’ve left school, and we’re not all together comfortable with going back into the classroom situation. OK, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded individuals and it’s going to be a bit different to when you were fifteen, but it’s still a classroom.

On top of that, you will have travelled a long way and paid a considerable amount of money to be amongst four, six or eight people you probably haven’t met before and who almost certainly all have different levels of French language skills. It can therefore be quite difficult for the teacher to give you adequate attention and you won’t be able to get the best out of it. The result is that you might well feel dissatisfied with your progress, you’ll put more pressure on yourself and end up trying to study outside of class time when you should be enjoying the many pleasures and beauties of France!

Now if you’re thinking of going to France on vacation, don’t let me put you off in the least. You’ll get on better if you can speak a few words of French, but if you’re in one of the larger towns or cities you can probably get by just fine with English. Go, you’ll have a great time!

But if you’re thinking of learning French in France – and I mean going there specifically to study the French language – I’ll offer a small piece of advice if I may, as someone who’s been there and done it. Before you invest a thousand dollars there, invest a few dollars – and I mean around $100 – in a good home study course which gives you computer-based exercises, interactive games, written texts and MP3s that you can listen to at your PC or copy to a player to carry around with you.

Do that first, get a bit of a grasp of the basics, then go to France. Trust me, you’ll be so much better prepared and you’ll enjoy the whole experience so much more. As I said at the start, learning French in France is a great thing to do – a little work before you go can make it the trip of a lifetime.

A New Way of Learning Life Through Summer Camps in France

Summer camps offer a world of opportunity to the participants to socialize and develop new skills. Besides, they are the ideal place to help the children understand and appreciate the value of independence, friendship, team work. More and more parents, these days, are encouraging their children to participate in summer camps providing an informative way of spending summer vacation and having fun simultaneously. With so many organisations around offering summer camp services, it may be confusing for the parents to select the best one for their children. A traditional summer camp will offer the options like sports, swimming, art and craft for children. But a language summer camp is a unique way of enjoying vacation along with learning a new language.

ESL offers language summer camps in France where the prime goal is to revitalize the dormant skill of the students and develop their interest in French language. ESL selects the subject that catches the interest of the students by creating a dynamic and youthful environment. Various aspect of the program is developed carefully to motivate each participant of the camp. The French course offered during the summer camp is not merely any other language class. Students at the camp are guided for the various areas of language study such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. Learning grammar of the language is made easy to give the young learners the feeling of not being in a formal language class. The students have to appear an entrance test for the admission into the language classes which determines their level. Accordingly they are trained as beginners or new learners.

The centre for summer camp in France is situated in Cannes. The two buildings built at the end of 19th century are surrounded by a magnificent park. A self-catering restaurant, a play ground and a projection hall are the main parts of the school campus. Students are provided with special accommodation with 2 -4 beds in each room. The efficient supervision of the staff ensures complete security of the student during their stay. Web access and telephone facilities allow the students stay in touch with their parents. Students can enjoy a very unique facility of pocket money service of the summer camp that operates like a mini-bank.

The summer camps in France by ESL is not just a camp of learning language, it is another way of making children self-sufficient. The participants come from different parts of the world and share their culture and values while familiarize themselves with the French culture apart from learning a new language.

The added advantage of language learning

You are eager to learn French but don’t want to do it the conventional way. Don’t get worried! The holiday courses offered by ESL under the summer camp France section are what you were aspiring for. ESL provides the facility of well-planned and well-executed holiday courses to learn French in France, Switzerland and Germany. The locales for our holiday courses include the mesmerizing Alps, lake Geneva, Cote d’Azur and the great German Westerwald. Such summer camps are available in Leysin, Montreux and Cannes.

In Leysin: The ESL center for this course is located in the vivacious tourist resort of Leysin. It has 16 classrooms, two restaurants and even a cinema for your recreation and entertainment. You get to stay in 4-star bedrooms and get the facility of excellent private bathrooms, free Internet and TV. If you opt for the “Mercure Classic” course, you get the opportunity of meeting students from different parts of the world and learn a lot about their culture, food and people.

In Montreux: The center is located at the heart of Montreux with the railway station and Lake Geneva very close by. You never feel isolated or cut off from society. In addition to well-maintained and large classrooms you also have a common room with computers and free Internet to work on your assignments or just to pass your time. You can also choose to live with a host family and share food and experiences with them. You can share your breakfast and dinner with the host family and have your lunch at the cafeteria in the course center itself, so that you don’t get distracted from your course work.

In Cannes: The ESL center in Cannes is located only 20 minutes away from the hub of the town and the attention-grabbing beaches. It is situated in two 19th-century buildings that brim with awe and fascination for the past and is a stylistic way to learn French in France. In addition to the excellent course material and highly qualified and skilled staff, you also get care and protection of the supervisory staff and will be convinced for sure that it is a matchless school in the French Schools France category. The Pocket Money Service gives you the benefit of depositing or withdrawing money at your own sweet will. You can get to this place by car, plane or train as the case may be.

For adults: Similarly we have specially designed and custom courses for people who are above 50 years of age and are desirous of proficiency in French for a variety of reasons. These courses are available in Lyon in France and Montreux in Switzerland. Lyon is such a city as to be visited again and again in a lifetime. The added advantage of language learning makes your visit a memorable experience to be cherished for a long time to come. This city is close (almost only 2 hours away) to the major cities like Paris, Geneva etc. thanks to the high-speed trains. So, you don’t fear of being in an alien land with no way to reach back home quickly in case of urgency.

Montreux is an internationally renowned tourist attraction and you in the ripe years of your life will find it even more enchanting and precious, when you go there with the much desired aim of language learning throbbing in your hearts. You will soon realize that how the learning of French language makes you appreciate the culture and marvelous people of this city even better.