Exchange visit of Choir Conductor and Language Promoter, January 2006
LATVIA → ESTONIA

On 26—30 January 2006 Latvian Choir Conductor and Latvian Language Promoter Gunta Malēvica visited the Female Choir of Tartu University and Estonian target group from Children and Youth centre “Kull” in Tartu - www.ookull.ee.

Female choir of Tartu university is a well established amateur choir of good artistic standard. Most singers are students from different faculties of Tartu University.

The aim of the visit was to study selected works of the “Open to Every Citizen” repertoire and to create interest in learning Latvian language. During the three visit sessions with the Female Choir of Tartu University Choir Conductor and Lanugage Promoter Gunta Malevica found the singers to be very motivated to sing Latvian songs and also learn Latvian music. More then 40 Estonian choristers found, that Latvian language is melodious and easy for singing.

Gunta Malēvica:

“Some difficulties during our job were met while choir singers were pronouncing words with diphtongs. We were rehearsing transformation of diphtongs slowly. Pronunciation while singing and speaking has different tasks, therefore, performing every phrase we promoted innovative solutions and corrected mispronunciation. Choir singers have motivation to learn Latvian language through songs and have a desire to acquire other languages through the repertoire chosen for the poject “Open to every citizen”.

I met 12 boys in Children and Youth Centre “Kull”. This Youth centre is situated in the poorest area of Tartu and provides help to young people from different families, whose future is quite bleak now. When I met the boysthe very first time, they were a bit scared about a guest from Latvia. They invited me to play table tennis. We played several games and within an hour they agreed to sit and speak with me. After the first lesson, they told me, that Latvian language is very important, as we are neighbourg countries. Some of them used some Ltvian words and even phrases while travelling to Latvia. Lessons for the target group were prepared with the aim to understand, that language learning together with friends can be a real pleasure and fun”.