Building English Skills with Music Conversation Group

Every week, FIUTS hosts three different conversation groups to give students a chance to practice their English in a fun and casual environment, and to talk about interesting topics with other students. One of these groups is Music Conversation Group, in which students have a chance to discuss their favorite music and learn about music from around the world. (You can also see a blog about this group here!)

You don't need to play an instrument or be a music "expert" to join the group! Just drop in any Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 (see the FIUTS event calendar for room locations in the HUB each week).

Steve Zitkovich, a longtime FIUTS volunteer, leads this group, and writes about why he created the group and what it's about:

The idea for the Music Conversation Group came from my own experience learning German and French: while establishing grammar basics through exercises is necessary, it is also important to practice "using" a language in spoken conversation to gain fluency and confidence.

Music is fun to talk about and creates strong feelings in people so I decided to make the conversation about the students' favorite music. Each week I suggest a theme like "Your favorite songs on a Friday night", the students tell the group what their favorite songs are, we listen to a little bit of the songs and I ask why they like this song or what it means to them.

I have learned so much about my students' cultures and I know many students have discovered new favorite artists through the conversations. It is a fun, relaxed environment for students to practice their spoken English.

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Join Music Conversation Group to meet new people and discover new music! No need to sign up in advance for this group - just drop in any Wednesday, 4:30-6:00. Hope to see you there!