Absolutely not, you just need to love music! Canzoni a Tema is not a choir, during the sessions we analyze songs from different angles, listening and reflecting on the lyrics.
Canzoni a tema
LEARN ITALIAN THROUGH SONGS SET TO A THEME
Deepen your knowledge of the Italian language and culture through themed songs. The themes selected per term, reflect aspects of Italian life e.g. travel, food, iconic landmarks, and the people.
This course runs for 2 hours on 3 fortnightly Saturdays for beginners to advanced students. Term 1, 2024 begins on Saturday 24 February.
Teachers of Italian are welcome to participate and will be given a certificate of completion equating to 6 CPD hours, upon completion of the course.
ENROL - CANZONI A TEMA TERM 1, 2024 tIMETABLE (pdf) - canzoni a tema term 1, 2024Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
WHY ARE SONGS A GREAT WAY TO LEARN A LANGUAGE?
By memorising lyrics students learn full phrases and idioms that can be used in everyday life situations. Listening and singing along is also a great way to improve pronunciation; an aspect tricky to master when learning a phonetic language like Italian. Lastly, learning songs helps enrich one’s vocabulary and is an easy way to remember words.
CAN STUDENTS JOIN THIS COURSE IF THEY ARE ALREADY STUDYING ITALIAN AT SCHOOL OR ONLINE?
Yes, everyone is welcome. Canzoni a Tema is a short course designed for people who can’t commit to a full semester as well as avid students who just can’t get enough of learning Italian! This unique learning approach is also an opportunity to expose students to aspects of Italian culture in a way not found in a textbook or an app.
DO STUDENTS HAVE TO HAVE STUDIED ITALIAN PREVIOUSLY TO JOIN CANZONI A TEMA?
Everyone is welcome to join the course, even people with no prior experience. ILC offers 3 levels: Beginner, Improvers and Advanced, so students can start from where they feel comfortable. Activities carried out during classes are designed to meet each group’s abilities and needs.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM A TYPICAL LESSON?
The lesson starts with an association of ideas (we call this exercise brainstorming); after that, it’s time to listen to the song and reflect on the lyrics as well as the musical aspects. This is when the use of language and grammar is discussed in more depth. At the end of each class it all comes together and those who wish are welcome to sing along or just listen to the lyrics and perform their best lip-sync!
WHAT OUTCOME CAN STUDENTS EXPECT FROM PARTICIPATING IN THIS COURSE?
By participating in this short course students will improve their pronunciation, widen their vocabulary, experience a glimpse of modern Italian culture and of course, make some new AMICI!
SHOULD ITALIAN TEACHERS CONSIDER ENROLLING AS WELL?
The time spent attending courses such as Canzoni a Tema not only boosts continual professional development hours required by the Queensland College of Teachers, but also helps maintain language proficiency.
AIM OF THE PROGRAM
- Provide students with a unique learning experience that allows them to experience comprehension of current language.
- Learn authentic pronunciation and modern Italian culture in a different way to what is usually offered in an academic setting.
- Develop correct pronunciation, intonation, rhythm & flow through popular Italian songs.
- Learn new vocabulary.
- Enhance confidence and spontaneity.