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For many years I studied Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian through the use of audio programs. While I loved the learning aspects of the various programs available on the market, I always lamented the fact that they were so boring. Many times I had to turn off my language disks to listen to my music. Somewhere along the way I got the idea that I could make my own language method that would contain the teaching content of the language aids but be as fun to listen to as music. Well, that was easier said than done. First, I had to raise the initial capital for my project. I did so by buying a house, fixing it up (with the help of my family), and selling it. Next, I went into the music production studio and made up a French-English language CD. I made up the "Urban Vagabond" to appeal to cool, international youth that liked to travel and learn about other cultures. I then moved to Paris in order to find distribution for my project. However, it was harder than I initially anticipated. There aren't very many distribution outlets for my kind of product. It didn't really fit in with Berlitz and the rest of the language learning materials, but the musicality wasn't on the same par as Beyoncé or other hip hop artists on the scene. I realized that if I wanted to make the project work, I would have to improve upon my method and forge my own distribution system. The first part has almost been accomplished. Through working with fantastic producers and artists, I have finally come up with an audio format that is much more dynamic and fun to listen to. Currently I am putting together a global sampler CD, which will feature musical tracks teaching words from a variety of world languages. Although I am currently writing the lyrics myself and directing the production, I hope to soon inspire other artists to do similar tracks, freeing up my time to focus on the marketing and distribution of the product while independent international artists produce the musical components. Instead of partnering with a language company, I am attempting to design classroom-compatible language modules that teachers can use to incorporate the audio pieces into the classroom. I imagine that each module would feature a different independent world artist, including their picture and a short biography. Then there would be a discussion of the vocabulary use in the track, and essay questions to get the students thinking about world issues. To find out more about this project and the people involved, please visit www.urbanvagabond.com . Or, download the following music samples (all rough drafts!) in MP3 format: |
