It inspired me to start another learning-with-music blog post,  with a band I used to be totally crazy about at the end of 1980´s and beginning of 1990´s.

Their album “Joyride” was the first original album I bought with my own pocket money. Back then we didn´t have cd´s or MP3´s, we had casettes! Yes, I am that old, I come from a generation that  knows the relationship between these two objects ;)

Do you?

For those who don´t know anything about Roxette: they were a Swedish pop-rock duo (formed by Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle) who were very popular both in Europe and the US between mid-eighties till about mid-nineties. According to Wikipedia they achieved nineteen UK Top 40 hits and 4 of their songs hit number one in the US Hot 100. If nothing else, I am sure you know their song “It Must Have Been Love” from the movie Pretty Woman.

I believe listening to and singing  their songs helped me a lot with English grammar and vocabulary. The lyrics are simple and the melodies catchy, so go for it!

Suggested steps to work with the songs:

1. Watch the video clip, relax and enjoy it.
2. Watch the video clip again, paying attention only to the words.
3. Play it again and read the lyrics while listening. Why not sing along now?

How Do You Do – which one to better start with ;)

I see you comb your hair and gimme that grin
It’s making me spin now, spinnin’ within
Before I melt like snow
I say hello, how do you do?

I love the way you undress now, baby begin
Do your caress, honey, my heart’s in a mess
I love your blue eyed voice, like tiny Tim shines thru
How do you do?
(How do you do?)

Well, here we are crackin’ jokes in the corner of our mouths
And I feel like I’m laughing in a dream
If I was young I could wait outside your school
‘Cos your face is like the cover of a magazine, magazine

How do you do, do you do, the things that you do
No one I know could ever keep up with you
How do you do
Did it ever make sense to you to say bye bye bye?

I see you in that chair with perfect skin
Well, how have you been, baby, livin’ in sin?
Hey, I gotta know, did you say hello
How do you do?
(How do you do?)

Well, here we are spending time in the louder part of town
And it feels like everything’s surreal
When I get old I will wait outside your house
‘Cos your hands have got the power meant to heal

How do you do, do you do, the things that you do
No one I know could ever keep up with you
How do you do
Did it ever make sense to you to say bye bye bye?

Fading Like a Flower – a beautiful ballad, one of my favourites

In a time where the sun descends alone,
I ran a long long way from home
To find a heart that’s made out of stone.
I will try,
I just need a little time
To get your face right out of my mind,
To see the world through different eyes

Every time I see you oh I try to hide away
But when we meet it seems I can’t let go.
Every time you leave the room
I feel I’m fading like a flower

Tell me why?
When I scream there’s no reply,
When I reach out there’s nothing to find,
When I sleep I break down and cry

Every time I see you oh I try to hide away
But when we meet it seems I can’t let go.
Every time you leave the room
I feel I’m fading like a flower

Fading like a rose,
Fading like a rose,
Beaten by the storm,
Talking to myself,
Getting washed by the rain,
It’s such a cold cold town.

Dangerous – you surely know a song with the same title by Michael Jackson. How do you like this one?

You pack your bag, you take control
You’re moving into my heart and into my soul
Get out of my way! Get out of my sight!
I won’t be walking on thin ice to get through the night
Hey where’s your work? What’s your game?
I know your business but I don’t know your name…

Hold on tight, you know she’s a little bit dangerous
She’s got what it takes to make ends meet,
The eyes of a lover that hit like heat
You know she’s a little bit dangerous

You turn around, so hot and dry,
You’re hiding under a halo, your mouth is alive
Get out of my way! Get out of my sight!
I’m not attracted to go-go deeper tonight
Hey what’s your word? What’s your game?
I know your business but I don’t know your name…

Hold on tight, you know she’s a little bit dangerous
She’s got what it takes to make ends meet,
The eyes of a lover that hit like heat
You know she’s a little bit dangerous
Oh just a little bit dangerous…

Hey what’s your word? What’s your game?
I know your business but I don’t know your name…

So how about you? Did you used to be a Roxette fan like me? Do you like their songs?

Hope you had fun with the ones I picked! Leave a comment below,

Nina

2012

My online activities

I was super happy to see the number of my Newsletter and my Youtube channel subscribers grow both to 400 last year and also my EnglishBrno FB page´s fanbase cross the 5,000 mark. Thank you all so much for following me!

And I can´t even describe how thrilled I was when the fanpage scored 6th in the TOP 25 Facebook language pages competition organized by a prestigious language portal bab.la. And I also felt very honoured and excited to be nominated for the 2012 Edublog Awards  in the category with Khan Academy and Shelly Terrell „Best Use of Video“.

And speaking of videos, you might remember my New Year´s resolution from last year to make one video every week. Well, I didn´t stick to that, I had other things to do in life but I truly enjoyed making those 14 videos that I published on my Youtube channel. And if you asked me about my TOP 3 that I enjoyed the most, it would definitely be:

1. Interview with Glenn Weidner – an American colleague of mine who lives and works in Třebíč and speaks about his life there and how people speak English there

2. Vocabulary video on „Serendipity“

3. Video on Why I love being a freelancer

One of the reasons why I love being a freelancer is that my whole life is very flexible.

In 2012 I could actually become much more active offline compared to the previous years because my little one, my 3-year-old daughter, started kindergarden – which gave me more space to breathe, as well.

So last year I could help more students become independent learners and stop being shy when speaking English. I have never been happier and more fulfilled in my work. With the 5 groups of women that I coached last year here in Brno we had a blast: we sang, we danced, we cooked, we shopped, we went on trips, we went to parks, cafés, bars, restaurants, clubs, concerts, we worked on projects together, we made videos and… wow, what an amazing year!

Last year I was also given several chances to spread the word about what in my opinion works when learning English. I was flattered every time I was asked to do an interview about my work. And I am proud to say that I managed to lock the fear of public speaking in a closet and did my very first radio interview for one of the biggest local radio stations.  Surprisingly it was easier than I´d thought.

However I think I wouldn´t have dared to do so if it hadn´t been for my previous practice in the international public speaking club Toastmasters. A whole new world opened to me when I joined the Brno Toastmasters club in May.

And speaking of my personal development…

2012 was truly transformational for me. I finally learned to accept and love myself just as I am. I realized it´s when you stop caring what other people think about you that you become truly happy and make people around you more happy.

So to wrap up the reflection of 2012 I would like to thank all of you who support my work , especially my wonderful hard-working students without whom my work wouldn´t make sense. And also all those friends who helped me get through 2012. It surely wasn´t an easy year.

2013

In 2013 I am definitely going to continue:

Dancing – be it salsa or swing dancing

Getting better at public speaking  with Brno Toastmasters

Spreading the word about learning English naturally

And you bet I´ll be online! Blogging, facebooking and making videos!

I am actually working on my biggest online project so far – online video course – for all of you out there who would like to learn how to learn English without coursebooks and become independent learners.

And because many of you have asked me to start group online courses I will also be doing those including live webinars.

And just in case you see me a little less online than in 2012, it will only mean that I am busy either:

• teaching my local courses English Without Books
• or I am preparing some new courses this town has never seen (I already have one in mind) with a team of some really cool teachers,
• or it will mean that I am in the middle of the renovations of the new premises that I recently from the city – I am planning to build new learning environment for my local students

So yep, this is it. And you know what to do if you want to know more: follow me on Facebook on my personal profile Nina EnglishBrno, or on Youtube, the channel EnglishBrno.

This was Nina from EnglishBrno, thanks for watching, thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you around! And this is to the best and the most successful year ever!

Ciao!

I’m Lorenzo from Italy. I’m a friar and I’m living in a friary in Milan. About two years ago I started to try to study English for myself on Internet and, as soon as I went on google searching for «English learning» I was stunned by the great amount of tools that were available throughout the web. Going around among all those interesting places I very soon discovered a characteristic of myself: I hate grammar stuff.

It was the same with my own language. So was I condamned?

My experience with grammar books was bad

I took a decision: I would start to read, listen and speak English only for the pleasure to do that. English study has become the most enjoyable activity of my daily life and has led me to an entire new world of experiences.

In short, my superiors asked me to go in England during the summer for iproving my English and then I went there and a fantastic thing happend: I discovered a world so wonderful that I couldn’t think it could  exist. I made new friends and we spoke together in English as if we were speaking in Italian. It was amazing. I could speak with people that was living so far from my country. I recognized that all the work that I had been doing during the last two years  was not useless.

And then I discovered internet for learning English

I remember a day when a woman said to me: «are there good English schools in Milan? your English is very good»; I answered: «no madam, actually I don’t know any English school in Milan, all the English that you can listen from my mouth is a fruit of internet». She was baffled. Another day I said a phrase that caused a very surprising reaction on my Welsh interlocutors; they asked me how Wales was   compared to  Italy; my answer was: «I am continuosly  trying to not compare Italy with this country». They were startled and said: «that phrase is so ….suited with the context that it would be difficult for even us to tell it».

Here I am at the District Lake. This was a statue made of wood that received me so gently that I thought that was the entire England that was accepting me

Finally, I have to thank all the peple that spend their time for teaching English on internet, even for free, because they have been for me a source of endless inspiration. But a very special thanks goes for Nina, that the first time we spoke together on Skype said to me :”don’t give up, don’t give up”…it was at that time that I learned the meaning of that phrasal verb and I would never forgotten it, and the fact of not to apply it on my English study activity.

Ciao a tutti.

Lorenzo

“I must say that Nina´s coaching (as she named it) was very beneficial for me. I finally know what I really want and what I expect from English – I have my English goals, I know how to achieve the goals and I also know that if I do these „hows“, I will achieve them!

This is your life

This is your life . Do what you love and do it often. This is your life. If you don´t like something, change it. This is your life. If you don´t like your job, quit. This is your life. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things that you love.

These are not my words, I just quoted the Holstee manifesto which you can see behind me. I liked it so much that I had it shipped from the US and normally it hangs in our hall. And every time I stop to look at it, it reminds me how fortunate, how lucky I am to be doing things that I love, 24 hours a day. Every day.

One of the reasons – probably the most important reason – why I can say this is is because I am my own boss 24hrs a day, even at work. I work as a freelancer, which means I am self-employed. I believe that being a freelancer helps you to lead a happy, fulfilled life. At least the one I am living… So let me tell you a little bit about how I became a freelancer and what it means to me.

How I became a freelancer

I had never really planned for this. At university, especially if you study humanities, no one really prepares you for the life out there. No one boosts your self-confidence, no one encourages you to think creatively and independently. So you don´t plan for an independent future. I certainly didn´t.

After graduation I ended up in a boring office job just like most of my schoolmates. And then one day my life changed. An old friend of mine called and asked me to help her with some of her English courses in big companies. Back then I had zero teaching experience as I had never aspired to become an English teacher although I studied languages. My dream was to work for some cool international company where I´d use my language skills. Education was not a field for me, at least not back then. But I wanted to leave the unfulfilling office job, and she had all this trust in me, so I thought: “Ok, why not? Maybe I´ll meet someone interesting who will offer me a better job!” I saw this as a networking opportunity to find a better company job.

Now it´s been almost 9 years since that phone call and I have never looked back.

I finally found myself, this fit my personality so much better! I fell in love with freelancing. As an employee you have to report to your boss, you have to follow the company´s policies, do what you´re told… and frankly that doesn´t really work well for me. As a freelancer, on the other hand, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whoever you want.

Do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want

You can do whatever you want. And it doesn´t really matter what it is. What matters is that you love it.  It feels pretty good to wake up every morning and be happy about the way you make a living. It motivates me to be innovative, to take risks, to experiment. I play and I have fun. For example recently I stopped teaching from coursebooks – that would never be possible if I wasn´t self-employed. I learn and I grow, because I am free to do what I want.

You can also work whenever you want. You don´t have to follow the 9-5 schedule. It´s your decision – and yours only – when to get up, when to work,  when to go for lunch with a friend and when to go to bed. When to take 2 months off. Or 2 years off like I did when my baby was born and then I slowly started to work part-time. I think that´s also the reason why so many mothers become freelancers when on maternity leave. Because they can work whenever they want.

But most importantly – you can choose who you work with. I hope you will agree with me when I say that life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them. I want to work with those who cherrish the same values,who help me grow, who inspire me, who understand what I am about . That goes for both my colleagues, the independent enterpreneurs, and my clients. Yes, I can also choose my clients and I do, all the time. If you´re employed you know what a privilege that is, to be able to choose your colleagues and your clients.

It is hard at times

And yeah, I won´t lie, it´s hard at times. You have to be disciplined, you have to have good time management skills. And you have to play many different roles – first of all an expert in your field, but alsoa marketer, an accountantant, an event organizer… and  an enterpreneur. Sometimes there´s less work and the pay is never regular. But it´s worth every penny. I wouldn´t change a thing.

I am free

As a freelancer I am free. This is my life. I do what I love and I do it often. I do whatever I want, whenever I want, with whomever I want.  And  with that in mind: I know that I am making my dreams come true, and not someone else´s.

So.. how about you, are you gonna make your dreams come true? Or someone else´s?

Nina

Toastmasters is a non-profit educational organization with local clubs around the world. It´s one of the best places to gain confidence when speaking English. Listen to what the members of this club have to say about their experience:

I got hooked on Toastmasters about 2 months ago. And I can´t get enough of the supportive, friendly atmosphere I experience every Wednesday evening during our club meetings. It is hard, to overcome your fear of public speaking, but the result is worth every second you spend with your fellow Toastmasters and on preparation of your speeches. Come give it a try!

July 2012 meeting

Here is how my student, Helena, saw her first meeting:

First impression of Brno Toastmasters

Are you new in town or just want to meet new people? Are you thinking of practicing or improving your communication skills? Is personal development your passion? No – it is not a recruiting advertisement… but a real event taking place here in Brno. And everywhere around the world.

All that and even more can you get – sometimes wrapped by a winner´s ribbon at „Toastmasters Club“.

As a newcomer I had not expected it. A group of people presenting their speeches on various topics which you have already heard, formal atmosphere and threatened eyes of audience waiting to be picked for improptu speeches… that is what I was prepared for.

Instead I saw people willing to step out of their comfort zone, delivering their well-prepared speech where hours of rehearsal and fear were very well-hidden behind the excitement coming maybe from the encouragement of the present audience.

When I got home from the meeting, I couldn´t help but note down a short description that is short but accurate: „evaluation and evaluating of the evaluation“.

Nowadays giving and receiving feedback is like a gift. It is one of the fastest methods for personal growth, awareness of one´s gaps and development in general.  Giving feedback should be thoroughly considered and that is what you can learn here, too. During a Toastmaster session the evaluator comes to give the speaker prompt feedback publicly after his/her main speech and subsequently another evaluator appears to evaluate the quality of the previous feedback.

Sounds too complicated? Come and see and make your own evaluation.”

Ing. Helena Slaninová

One of the impromptu dialogues

Brno Toastmasters website: http://www.brnotoastmasters.com/

Brno Toastmasters FB page: http://www.facebook.com/BrnoToastmasters

Toastmasters International – find your local branch: http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/

If you have any questions or comments, please, post them below!

Nina

]]> http://englishbrno.cz/2012/10/practise-english-with-toastmasters/feed/ 0 http://englishbrno.cz/2012/09/englishbrno-pub-nights-2011-2012/ http://englishbrno.cz/2012/09/englishbrno-pub-nights-2011-2012/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:26:00 +0000 EnglishBrno by Nina http://englishbrno.cz/?p=1808 If you´ve been following my blog for a while you´ll know that one of my goals last year was to start my own regular meetings for my students of English where they could practise their speaking skills. I announced my intention in a post called “Where to practise English in Brno“.

Since then I´ve managed to organize five successful events. I call them EnglishBrno Pub Nights. The idea is to bring my students together with the growing international community in Brno, drink, chat and have fun – in short: to give them an opportunity to make English-speaking friends.

And what an amazing ride we´ve had so far. Here are some pics and testimonials to give you an idea and hopefully inspire you to join us, or – if you are not from Brno – to start your own meetings.

1st EnglishBrno Pub Night – Mamut pub (10 Dec 2011)

2nd EnglishBrno Pub Night – Potrefená husa (11 Feb 2012)

3rd EnglishBrno Pub Night – U bílého beránka (14 April 2012)

You can see some action and pics in this video which I made as an invitation to the 4th pub night:

4th EnglishBrno Pub Night – U Napoleona (23 June 2012)

5th EnglishBrno Pub Night – Kolonáda (15 Sept 2012)

This is what others say about the meetings:

I have no hesitation in recommending these Pub Nights because  they have helped me a lot in improving my English speaking skills. I am not afraid of communication in English anymore. - Kristýna, Czech Republic

This is a  good opportunity to meet people and improve language skills.  A very nice evening with lovely people!   I felt like at home :). I am looking forward for the next event! – Simon, Italy

I find the pub nights to have an excellent atmosphere where you can meet new people as well as connect with acquaintances . - Mike, USA

The atmosphere was fabulous. I talked to so many people who had similar hobbies. Many of them I have never met before, but it was like we’ve known each other already. Everyone was encouraged to speak in English which was a splendid opportunity to learn. The time was passing very quickly so I was surprised when we hit midnight. Nina has done a tremendous job getting these people together. - Michal, Czech Republic

This was my third EnglishBrno Pub Night…and so far the best! I love to meet new people and get to know them. This is one of the best opportunities in Brno to meet interesting and inspiring people.  I was immersed in conversations with so many interesting people that I forgot about time at all. When I woke up the next morning I felt that this was an evening that I want to experience more often. - Aleš, Czech Republic

From the first moment it was just awesome!!!  People where so friendly, easy going and relaxed there… I heard a lot of inspiring and also funny stories :). After the event I was talking about it to all of my friends!!!  I was so impressed. - Mirka, Slovakia

Meeting old friends as well as new interesting people, having a good time, thinking about the world from different angles… Most people I talked to were very interesting.  I realized the time was running too fast. - Jirka, Czech Republic

I came to talk in English and meet cool people and I am very happy I attended the event.  Everyone was interesting and I felt very well. – Enrico, Italy

If you´d like to join one of the next meetings, sign up for my newsletter to find out when and where the next one will take place.

Happy speaking!

Nina

And who else to start with than the greatest music group of all times… The Beatles!

Singing with The Beatles played a big part in my process of learning English. I started humming and singing along with The Beatles when I was about 5 years old. My dad used to play The Beatles records on our record player all the time. Of course, back then I didn´t know a word of English… so my favourite song was Obladi Oblada. All I could sing were those two non-English words, obladi – oblada.

Later on, when I could understand the easy songs, I was hooked. I can´t even imagine how annoying my singing must have been for our neighbours! I went to every revival party I could back in the day and learned every single song by heart… so that I could enjoy those Beatles parties even more.

It´s obviously very hard to pick only three songs. But I don´t want to overwhelm you…

Suggested steps to work with the songs:

1. Watch the video clip, relax and enjoy it.
2. Watch the video clip again, paying attention only to the words.
3. Play it again and read the lyrics while listening. Why not sing along now?

Eight Days a Week: Let´s start with very easy English – easy to understand, easy to sing…

Ooh I need your love babe,
Guess you know it’s true.
Hope you need my love babe,
Just like I need you.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.
Ain’t got nothin’ but love babe,
Eight days a week.

Love you ev’ry day girl,
Always on my mind.
One thing I can say girl,
Love you all the time.

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.
Ain’t got nothin’but love babe,
Eight days a week.

Eight days a week
I love you.
Eight days a week
Is not enough to show I care.

Please, Mr Postman: And continue with a slightly more difficult one…

Wait, oh yes wait a minute mister postman
Wait, wait mister postman

Mister postman look and see
If there’s a letter in your bag for me
I been waiting such a long time
Since I heard from that girl of mine

There must be some word today
From my girlfriend so far away
Please mister postman look and see
If there’s a letter, a letter for me
I been standing here waiting mister postman
So patiently
For just a card or just a letter
Saying she’s returning home to me

Please Mr. Postman, look and see
If there’s a letter, oh yeh for me,
I’ve been waiting, a long long time
Since I’ve heard from that girlfriend of mine.

So many days you passed me by
See the tear standing in my eye
You didn’t stop to make me feel better
By leaving me a card or a letter

You gotta wait a minute, wait a minute
You gotta wait a minute, wait a minute
You gotta wait a minute, wait a minute
You gotta check it and see, one more time for me

Wait
Wait
Wait
Deliver the letter, the sooner the better

When I´m 64: And one of my all times favourites… and I also love to use it when teaching… can you guess what?

When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I’d been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four?

You’ll be older too
And if you say the word
I could stay with you

I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight
If it’s not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck & Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four?
Ho!

How do you like these three songs? And what are your Beatles favourites? Leave a comment below.

Nina

I finally managed to record a new welcome video for my website.

And two videos on two very interesting words:

TO TRIGGER

SERENDIPITY

Would love to hear your commetns, please, post them below!

Happy new school year,

Nina

Last week we finished another “Kurz zážitkové angličtiny” course and this was a surprise gift the students of the course made for me. I was very touched by this beautiful souvenir and I am very proud of all of them for working so hard on themselves.

At the moment I am editing their BEFORE and AFTER recordings. You can find them later in the Before and After case studies section for those students who will give me permission to publish them.

So here is to you Renata, Kristýna, Marta, Radka, Monika and Lenka! Thank you so much for being part of my life, it´s been a great pleasure working with you. I wish you all the best in realizing your dreams!

And special thanks to all the teachers and friends joining us on this journey: Matt, Chris, Jeremy, Aaron, Glenn, Aron, Peter, Manlio and many others!

Love,

Nina