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11 Results

  • French 101: An Introduction to French

    If you watched the Olympics this summer, you may be inspired to visit Paris in the near future, or even closer to home, Montreal! Knowing even a little French will carry you a long way to navigating your way around these vibrant cities with ease and enjoyment. In this 10-week course, you will discover the basics of French through role-playing, conversations, short clips, a useful reference, and additional support material. This course will be a judgement free opportunity to learn a useful language close to our borders, have fun, connect with other community members, and practice talking en français! Themes include: Greetings, Colors, Foods, Numbers, Basic Grammar, and Travel. Please purchase prior to the first class the workbook, Easy French Step-by-Step, by Myrna Bell Rochester. Your teacher, Tica Netherwood, has taught French at CVU High School, Charlotte Central School, and Rice High School.
  • Spanish Level 1 for Beginners- 12 Sessions!

    Join Dunia Partilo, a Vermont licensed educator and native from Spain, and learn one of the most widely spoken world languages useful in business and travel. This 12-session course focuses on conversational skills through dialogues, vocabulary and typical expressions that are very useful in order speak the basics of the Spanish language. Each class will also follow the text, "Language Hacking: A Conversation Course for Beginners, Spanish", By Benny Lewis as a guide for practicing at home. Please purchase the textbook, "Language Hacking: A Conversation Course for Beginners, Spanish," by Benny Lewis prior to the start of the first class as this will be used throughout the course. Additional materials and handouts will be used during class. "Dunia was a fun and outgoing teacher. She encouraged us to learn Spanish with humor, support and patience. I highly recommend her."- CSJ
  • Spanish Level 2 (Intermediate)- 12 Sessions!

    If you are planning to travel to any Spanish speaking country in the future, and you need to boost your Spanish skills this class is for you! Dunia Partilo, native Spanish teacher, invites you to continue learning Spanish through practicing more complex grammar and vocabulary. If you have some Spanish knowledge or have taken Beginners Spanish, this class is for you! In this 12-session course, students will need to purchase prior to the start of class, the practice workbook, Practical Spanish Grammar from Marcial Prado. Dunia will assign additional fun activities, and you will learn interesting cultural facts as well as engage in discussions and conversation as the course progresses. Not sure if you are ready for this class? Dunia will be happy to speak with you prior to registration. Please let us know so we can connect you! "Dunia provided excellent instruction guided by a workbook, handouts, and videos! She supplemented class by showing us cultural events in Barcelona , her hometown, which were fun to learn about. Plenty of time for questions and small group discussions!" - Student
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    American Sign Language (ASL) for Beginners Level 1

    Are you motivated to learn SIGN language? ASL is the visual gestural language used by the Deaf community. It has its own unique grammar, sentence structure, and facial expressions. This class is for anyone that is new to ASL or looking for a refresher. Don is part of the deaf community and promises this immersive class will be fun and filled with plenty of conversation as well as practical exercises. In the first class, we will have an interpreter to help communicate the class syllabus. In these 10 sessions, you will learn about Deaf culture and how to communicate with basic introductions, numbers, alphabets, colors, food, people, places, restaurants, geography, etc. Handouts and videos will also be introduced weekly to help reinforce your newly learned skills. Some homework will be assigned to help you progress with ease. Recommended minimum age: High School "Don brings real world use of ASL, facial expressions and deaf culture to communicate with deaf individuals that goes beyond simple words in ASL."
  • German for Beginners with Pamela Krieger- ONLINE

    Join Pamela, a Swiss native and German teacher, to learn the German language and culture for business or pleasure. Gain basic skills for everyday situations and simple conversations, learn practical phrases, proper pronunciation and sentence structure. This interactive course includes cultural awareness of life in German speaking countries. Handouts, videos, and other materials will be used to help you progress with ease throughout this ONLINE course. A Zoom invitation to join the course will be sent prior to the start of the first class. All ages are welcome! "This is the second time I have taken Beginner German. This time the instructor, Pamela Krieger was excellent and I feel I have learned so much - particularly in pronunciation."
  • Marco Verch Professional Photographer (flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

    Guitar for Beginners

    This class is designed for those of all ages with little or no experience. Join John, an enthusiastic musician with years of teaching experience, to learn basic acoustic guitar skills and work on learning a few chords through popular songs. Everyone will be playing music before long! Bring your guitar, and an electronic tuner which is strongly recommended, but not a prerequisite. This class will meet inside CVU.
  • Italian for Beginners- Level 1 - ONLINE

    "Ciao e Benvenuto!" Imagine sitting on a small table in a piazza of a village in Italy. The waiter comes over and you converse in Italian. This course will give you the fundamentals of the Italian language as well as some useful phrases and ways to get around. This is an introductory course focused on the Italian language and culture where we will learn all about pronunciation, basic phrases, important vocabulary, and a sense of the everyday life and culture of Italy including food, wine, art, and how to get around this amazing country. We will also cover grammar such as articles, and beginning verb tenses and conjugations using the outline from CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Italian I will cover half of beginning level A1, and Italian II will cover the remainder of A1. This is a perfect course for those who want to begin learning a new language whether for the fun of it or for citizenship as well as for those who simply want to travel to Italy. There will be opportunities for speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Liz Winn taught for 30 years in the public school system with both music and classroom, and now continues to teach Italian. She once lived in Rome, and goes back about once a year to continue the immersion of the language and of the culture. Liz teaches to the needs/wants of her students. Expect to have a lot of fun while learning! This is an online class that will meet via Zoom or Google Meet. An invitation will be emailed prior to the start date, as well as handouts to help you progress with ease.. (Note: We do not follow a textbook, however a couple workbooks can be recommended if that best suits your learning style.) "Imparare l'italiano è divertente! (Learning Italian is fun!) - The online coarse is short but hits the important points in learning a new language. Liz is a great instructor and brings her personal experiences, living and visiting Italy, making the class very practical. Grazie mille!"
  • Italian for Beginners: Level 2 - ONLINE

    This course is a continuation of the Access course, "Italian for Beginners," where we will go more in-depth with verb tenses and conjugations, further develop our speaking, reading, writing, grammar, & listening abilities, increase our vocabulary, and more! This course is perfect for those who wish to further develop their beginning Italian language skills and their understanding of the Italian way of life! Prerequisite is Italian for Beginners I or a basic foundation of Italian language. If you are unsure if this class is right for you, please contact us as we will connect you with the instructor. Please note that this is not considered an intermediate level. Liz Winn taught for 30 years in the public school system with both music and classroom, and now continues to teach Italian. She once lived in Rome, and goes back about once a year to continue the immersion of the language and of the culture. Liz teaches to the needs/wants of her students. Expect to have a lot of fun while learning! This is an online class that will meet via Zoom or Google Meet. An invitation will be emailed prior to the start date. Emailed handouts, videos, and some homework will be provided for weekly review and to help you progress with ease. "After taking both Fall and Spring beginner Italian courses, I mastered some basic grammatical rules, developed a working vocabulary, and was able to "speak Italian" on a trip to Italy. Thanks Liz!"
  • Conversational Italian for Intermediate to Advanced Learners - ONLINE

    Benvenuti in Italia! “Conversational Italian” is dedicated to your needs and wants in this beautiful language. For this reason, the preliminary assignment for the first class is for you to prepare a realistic list of things you would like to learn given the number of sessions we will have. This is the ideal equation: Beginning of class + End of class = I learned what I wanted to know! If you wish the class to be conducted in Italian or have a hybrid approach (Italian and English) you must all agree to this for obvious reasons. Having a hybrid approach is beneficial and Cinzia will explain her philosophy in this regard. Not sure what level of Italian you are at? No problem! Sign-up and decide after the first class if this will meet your needs. This is an online class. A Zoom or Google Meet invitation will be emailed prior to the start date. All handouts will be emailed directly from the instructor. "I have taken this online Italian conversation course with Cinzia for three years, and it is a great touch-point every week to practice the language and even meet new friends in Vermont who also have an interest in the language. Some of these friendships from the online class have transitioned into real life friendships, as we continue to meet after the class is over to practice Italian together!" "I really enjoy these classes with Cinzia. They provide an opportunity to practice Italian in an informal, friendly and chatty atmosphere. Cinzia sends materials between classes but homework is more or less at the individual's discretion. It helps me keep on my Italian and especially practice my listening and speaking skills with a native speaker. Cinzia is funny, warm, and great at teaching colloquial details."
  • Sing Your Heart Out!- An Exploration of Improvisational Singing

    There are many ways singers can benefit from improvising, such as expanding their range and sound qualities, gaining confidence in their singing and discovering their musical creativity. In this class we will explore vocal improvisation through a variety of methods including Circle-Singing (developed by Bobby McFerrin and his collaborators) where we create songs in the moment using melodic patterns, percussive sounds, harmonies, and more, ‘Vocal River’ exercises developed by Rhiannon which include sound with movement, call and response, and many more solo as well as ensemble practices. (Jody recognizes how vulnerable we can feel trying new things as a singer. This will be a very supportive environment where you will listen and connect with each other musically.) You will learn new musical vocabulary, take risks, and have fun playing with your voice! If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at jjalbright58@gmail.com This class will meet inside CVU.
  • Paul Wicks (flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

    Ukulele: Level 2

    If you have taken Ukulele Level 1 and want to continue on your strumming journey then this is where your playing takes flight! In this fun class, we'll reinforce those basic ukulele chords and strums and explore fresh territory. We'll learn how to use strumming patterns to add texture to songs. We'll smooth out chord transitions and work on timing and other ways of bringing more musicality into your playing. Bring your questions and quandaries and we'll take 'em on! We'll practice jamming together so you'll be ready for the holidays. Ukes will be available for rent ($20 for 4 weeks) or for purchase at class. This class is for adults age 18+. Baritone ukulele chords are not covered in this class. "This course was great! So much material, I may take it again. I'd love for more uke classes to continue to develop and to build community around this quirky instrument."