Learning language through lyrics: CD series teaches French through Broadway musical-style format
By April Wilkerson
The Journal Record
Posted: 07:04 PM Monday, June 14, 2010

Kyle Dillingham, Oklahoma’s violinist extraordinaire, and Dennis Dunham, executive director of international affairs at the University of Central Oklahoma, recently released “Il Fait Beau,” a 10-disc approach to learning the French language through the Broadway musical-style format, a love story woven throughout, the repetition of basic words and a very smart French dog. (Photo by Maike Sabolich)

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories on creativity in business, education and the arts in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City will host the World Creativity Forum in November.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two Oklahomans have created a language instruction CD series designed to appeal to listeners in many ways: through the Broadway musical-style format, the love story woven throughout, the repetition of basic words and a very smart French dog.

Kyle Dillingham, Oklahoma’s violinist extraordinaire, and Dennis Dunham, executive director of international affairs at the University of Central Oklahoma, recently released “Il Fait Beau,” a 10-disc approach to learning the French language.

The instruction takes place through Dunham’s story, set to music by Dillingham, with reminders and lessons interspersed throughout. No textbook or written materials are included – intentionally.
“Dennis has always felt very strongly that you learn your second language like you learn your first – it’s listening first,” Dillingham said. “If you read too soon in another language, you begin to process the information and assimilate it like you would through your mother language. It ingrains in your brain and it’s hard to fix.”

Dunham, who has traveled the world specializing in second-language acquisition, had long wanted to create his own method and product. He and Dillingham became friends, and Dunham told him about a story that he’d started. Dillingham was immediately engaged, he said, but he also heard the accompanying music begin to take shape in his head.

“There needs to be a story, and there needs to be sound and music,” Dunham said. “The song is a very pleasant way of repetition. If I speak words over and over, it gets boring very quickly. But if you sing it, and the tune is good, then you’re interested.”

Like any good Broadway musical, the story’s characters, Benoit and Marie-Anne, often burst into song, which are Dillingham’s original compositions, his violin playing along with several other instruments. The dialogue and lyrics are all basic French, much of it repetitive for instruction.

The story follows a successful violinist and his dog. The man meets a woman – sparks fly! – but when he finds out she’s enormously rich, he drops her. She can’t understand why he doesn’t want anything to do with her or her money. In the meantime, there’s a villain who wants her cash. Through several twists and turns, Benoit and his dog end up being heroes to Marie-Anne.

Dillingham said he enjoyed that style of composition and, as a fluent speaker of French himself, the goal of the product.

“It’s not necessarily that you’re learning through song after song after song,” he said. “Music ignites the right brain, and most language learning occurs in the left side of the brain. So you begin to engage the whole brain and double your capacity to learn. The music and the story both help engage the listener to become emotionally attached.”

Dunham said he hopes the CDs give people confidence that they can learn a second language.
“As a linguist, one of the things that I hate to hear people say is, ‘Other people can learn a second language, but I can’t,’” he said. “I know that’s not true because they learned their first language. With this listening approach, you still have to pay attention, but it’s engaging.”

“Il Fait Beau” costs $197 and can be purchased online at www.languageandlyrics.com.