Could you please listen to the song below and share your opinions on it?
As you know, our site is related to English language tests and how to prepare for them. A couple of months ago we published an interview with Alex Rapparport, co-founder of Flocabulary.
Now Alex and his crew are developing a new product – rap songs containing TOEIC vocabulary words. Yes, this will be the first music CD in the world that helps you prepare for a business English exam. If you you click on this TOEIC rap song sample you can “It’s Jimmy” – a song containing some business vocabulary. (Once you open the page, the song will load automatically).
Flocabulary will release a complete TOEIC rap song album by the end of this year it would be great if you could give us your feedback on their products.
In a word I think this is excellent. The speech is very clear, the tune is catchy and I imagine it would be great fun to use. The serious side is covered by word explanations and exercises. The main thing I like about it is the liveliness and the honesty of the project.
I agree with you. I also think Flocabulary has created a unique system combining the power of rap rhymes with serious business vocabulary. You can listen to these rap songs to memorize new phrases. For example, in the current song you can learn idioms like it’s a piece of cake or not a bad perk.
When I look at a new product I always try to determine the potential it might have for growth. With Flocabulary I’m quite sure they will develop a lot useful and exciting things for English language fans…[YSaerTTEW443543]
Sorry, I meant to answer your post sooner. I guess there have just been too many other questions, too much soccer, etc. :lol:
I agree with Alan’s opinion. Since I’m involved almost exclusively in ESL “Business English”, my input here is from that point of view:
The concept has potential. It would be wonderful to have something like this as an added tool in the classroom. This format would probably be particularly appealing to younger adult learners, but I also think it has general appeal. Learning vocabulary can often be quite a dreary, boring activity, and this would certainly liven things up and increase attention. It’s also well-known people can generally remember and retain words set to music much more easily.
What I can imagine, though, is that the concept would have to be pitched carefully for “in-company” use. The concept would need to be explained and promoted well, success stories documented, etc. Probably many companies would be quite open to the idea, particularly young, dynamic ones. More conservative companies, however, might tend to simply reject the entire concept as “not serious”. Selling the idea to certain companies/people might be next to impossible. After all, it’s not British English, it’s American English. And it’s in a format not usually associated with academia. You only need to look at the opinions of certain “English users” to see where the most resistance might lie or what kind of resistance you might receive. That’s where the biggest promotional challenge would be, in my opinion.
For ESL use, it might be worthwhile for the creators of Flocabulary to have a sort of “ESL consultant” on board — both for some content input as well as for some feedback on the finished product.
Many thanks for taking the time to listen to Flocabulary’s TOEIC rap and sharing your feedback with us. We need the input from professionals like you to make the product even better.
Amy, are you saying you also work with companies that distinguish between British and American English? I’m asking this question because I’ve had the impression that companies based in East Germany have a tendency to be more conservative than West Germany companies. Also, what about large German corporations such as Allianz, Siemens, T-Com etc. Do they distinguish between British and American English?
Logically, companies with headquarters in the US or who do lots of business in North America often prefer American English. But, I’d say most global companies have no preference. Nowadays, if a preference for British English is stated, it often has less to do with actual company policy and more to do with the particular personal preference of the head of a department or someone in the personnel department, etc. (in other words, the people most directly responsible for making the decisions to have English courses).
A few years ago DaimlerChrysler took on a lot of new “American English” trainers/teachers because there was a huge expansion of a plant in Alabama going on and lots of German employees were to be sent to Alabama for 2 to 3 years. Now, I don’t sound like someone from Alabama, but I suspect I can probably imitate, understand and explain “Alabama English” better than someone from the UK. :lol: And in this case, the company found it important to have teachers of American English.
To be honest, I think the biggest challenge for using Flocabulary in a Business English environment would be the format itself. The concept would have to be presented very well. People associate rap music more with street gangs, and not with business or education. And that’s likely to bring resistance. I ran the idea by someone in a company this morning — one of my one-to-one students. He’s in his 40s and works in the sales department of a multinational American company. His reaction to the idea could be described as “luke warm” at best. He wasn’t at all enthusiastic. Probably the most “natural” fit would be in something like the so-called “Azubie” courses that German companies offer. Also, I think the corporate culture as well as the type of company (e.g., a bank vs. a sporting equipment manufacturer) would play an important role in how readily the concept is accepted.
Amy, what you are saying regarding UK vs. US business English pretty much reflects what I have experienced with the companies I worked with. Most of them just want to their employees and executives to improve their English language skills so they can better communicate with their English speaking coworkers, clients and partners. Also, I think when it comes to business matters, the differences between the various versions of English (UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, etc.) are decreasing rather than increasing. At some point we might have something like an international business language (which in some industries already exists). For example, I’m now working with a group of accountants at an international company that is headquartered in Germany. One of the topics we are covering is are the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards). Prior to 2005 there were only about 350 publicly listed companies in the EU that used IFRS – now this number has risen to more than 7000. And guess what, they all have to use the language created by the Board of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). There are other areas especially in IT where standards have been created and this means that the version of English becomes more and more standardized too.
Amy, many thanks again for sharing your feedback and thoughts regarding Flocabuary for TOEIC. What you are saying makes perfect sense – the success of the rap songs will largely depend on how the product is being presented to prospective users. One of the company I have been working with since last fall has a lot of young employees, I guess the average age of the staff is around 30. Although it’s a rather huge corporation I could imagine that a lot of the key people in that company will use Flocabulary in their training programs, especially when they spend time in their cars (which a lot of them do often). Especially their marketing and education people are always looking for new learning tools and techniques. I’m quite sure that TOEIC Flocabulary will be on their list…
Anyway, let’s what other users have to say…
Talk to you soon,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]
Hi,Torsen!
Sorry for the late response :oops: :oops: :oops:
I like it.It was great.As Alan indicated the speech is distinct and even non-native speakers who study English can easily understand the text.I think this method would be great for learning new words via hearing to music then singing and singing
I think that nothing’s more poisonous to younger people than teachers commandeering a hip musical form for educational purposes. People who don’t listen to rap much will probably enjoy this song, but rap lovers may resent it or think it’s funny.
It’s an excellent idea students will enjoy their English classes,since they are going to be relaxed they’ll receive their input easily,an excellent idea
Generally, it’s very interesting and easy …but what about the accent ? It’s Amrican or English accent ?..
and what’s your advice about that ? :roll:
I mean that you know I’m or someone here missed to real practice or missed to real listening of English so, Is it better to listen to Amrican or English speaking ? )
for me … I always try to listen to Brit accent … because it’s the mother language
by the way …we need more and more for these great subjects… Torsten
Hi Torsten
Is there an entire TOEIC vocabulary rap album now?
I see they’ve developed various things for students under 18 (including an album for SAT vocabulary). But other than the one song (“Jimmy”), I don’t see anything else on their site or in their catalog specifically designed for TOEIC.
The song they made about idioms was fun. And Shakespearean rapping is certainly a novel idea. :lol:
.
That’s where the biggest promotional challenge would be, in my opinion.
so, Is it better to listen to Amrican or English speaking ? )