Jody’s Background:

Jody Dreher has been learning and teaching languages for over 20 years. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Georgetown University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. She attended La Universidad de Barcelona in Spain for a year of undergraduate studies, and spent a year and a half studying German in Munich, where she earned Das Kleine Deutsche Sprachdiplom. Jody went on to attend Florida International University on a full academic scholarship where she took masters level classes in Spanish, earning a Master of Arts Degree in Linguistics. Upon graduation she received the award of Outstanding Academic Achievement. Jody has taught Spanish on the college level, and to adults in business settings. For the past several years she has focused entirely on teaching children, combining her love of Spanish, music, and children to create irresistible games and songs.

Jody’s Teaching Philosophy

I believe children best learn a second language the same way they learned their first language. That method of language acquisition is called the NATURAL METHOD. In a nutshell, it means that the emphasis is on comprehension and meaningful “input” in the foreign language, rather than on grammar and rules. There is a place for grammar and rules, but that comes later, when the child is older and already has a working foundation in the foreign language.

In the natural method, the focus is also initially on comprehension rather than speaking. In fact, it is quite natural for a child to say nothing for months in the new language. But don’t let that fool you. As long as they are interested in what they are hearing, they are processing the language. I had a child in one of my classes who sat on her mother’s lap for an entire year, shy as could be and not saying a word. The following year she decided she was ready to speak and amazed us all by knowing every word we had learned over the past year!

Sing Your Way To Spanish with Jody takes advantage not only of a child’s natural ability to learn language but also of an incredibly strong tool we all possess…MUSIC MEMORY. Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you hadn’t heard in years, and found that all the words came right back to you? If so, you know that songs we memorize stay with us forever! Sing Your Way to Spanish with Jody uses this musical memory that we all have as the key to make Spanish and English easy and fun for you and your child.

In addition to music that both you and your child will love to listen to, Sing Your Way To Spanish with Jody introduces vocabulary that you use everyday. All song lyrics are words and short phrases that make sense to use repeatedly like “Let’s go! ¡Vámonos!”, or, “¡Buenos días! Good Morning!”, or “This tastes good! ¡ Qué rico!”.

Sing Your Way to Spanish with Jody works wonderfully for families who are teaching young children Spanish without knowing it themselve because each song translates itself as it goes along – English - Spanish - English - Spanish. First you will be drawn in by the music. Then your ear will attach to the words in your native language, be it Spanish or English. . And then as you naturally begin to memorize the song you will find yourself memorizing the words in the foreign language as well…and knowing just what those words mean. When your child has learned all the Spanish on the bilingual CD, start playing the all-Spanish version for them. They will be able to let go of the English easier than you think.

The CD also provides dialogue between the songs, which is spoken on the CD and written in the CD jacket. All words from the songs and dialogue are spelled out in the CD jacket for those who wish to read the Spanish or English as well as listen to it.

¡Ven Conmigo! Join me as we play the songs, and play with the songs. The results will amaze you! You’ll hear the music in your head and surprise surprise, the Spanish will be there too!!