Canto Music Club, August & September 2022

Welcome!

Did you grow up hearing popular Cantonese songs? Do names like Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung sound familiar to you? What about Eason Chan and Joey Yung? Are you aware that a local idol group known as Mirror is mesmerizing young fans in Hong Kong and beyond?

This is the right club for you if you answer “yes” to some of the questions or are interested in finding the answers.

Objective & Proficiency Level Required

We aim to create opportunities for Cantopop enthusiasts to connect with each other and to practice speaking Cantonese while learning more about the recent developments in this type of music.

If you can converse about your family, hobbies, and daily routine in Cantonese, you’ve reached the proficiency level required for being able to fully participate in this club.

Led by a team of highly-qualified instructors

Dr. Sik Lee Dennig

PhD in Educational Linguistics

Stanford University, USA

Taught Cantonese at Stanford for 20+ years

Ms. Alexandra Lau

MA in Chinese as a Foreign Language

PolyU, Hong Kong

Taught Cantonese since 2014

Ms. Gwyneth Fung

BA in Chinese Lang. & Lit.

Chinese U, Hong Kong

Taught Cantonese for a year and assisted OPI

Assisted by our very talented host of the CantoTalk Music Podcast on Spotify.

 

 

Mr. Edgar Chung

MS in Mechanical Engineering

Stanford University, USA

Testimonials

KaiYan Wong of Hey Mommio

“I love listening to CantoTalk Music Podcast on Spotify with my four-year-old! I love listening to the program because it is both educational and entertaining. So far the host, Edgar, has taught us about how different genres have influenced Canto music industry. Although my four-year-old doesn’t understand everything, it creates opportunities to expose him to new vocabulary, and he certainly loves hearing the songs that he knows.”

H. C., London

“Edgar does a great job at introducing Hong Kong pop culture whilst teaching Cantonese in a fun and engaging way! Keep them coming!“

N. K., Hong Kong

“Amazing podcast! Great way to learn about the culture at different periods of Hong Kong and Canton through songs!”

About Cantonese Alliance’s Courses

S. C., New York, Student in Culture Cafe

Cantonese Alliance’s classes really make the language come alive. I am a heritage speaker who has studied with lots of Cantonese teachers, both in Hong Kong and in the US, and I would recommend these classes to anyone who wants to practice speaking naturally and learn more about Cantonese culture. I especially love the low student-to-teacher ratio and the thoughtful selection of relevant and relatable study materials. The teachers’ passion for the language is infectious, and each session feels like hanging out with family. Thank you, Cantonese Alliance!

H.T., Los Angeles, Student in Culture Cafe

Learning Cantonese from Lee and Zack has been enriching and so much fun. This was my first time learning Cantonese in a structured way since I grew up speaking Cantonese but have never been fluent. Each lesson provided practice in new vocabulary, structuring sentences, and understanding the cultural context for how all are used together. I appreciate how Lee and Zack encouraged us through every lesson and humored our stumbles. It’s been truly a joy to learn through the Cantonese Alliance.

P. K., Los Angeles, Student in Culture Cafe

It has been an absolute pleasure learning under the tutelage of Mrs Sik Lee Dennig and Zak Lum. They teach each and every class with the excitement that is truly contagious. The learning materials are easy to follow and the topics are quite interesting. Brushing up on my Cantonese on Wednesday evenings has been a highlight of my week for the last six weeks.  

Pick & choose any week & session, $20 per class

The classes are held on Saturdays and follow the sequence of the episodes in the CantoTalk Music Podcast.

Dates: Aug. 6 to Sept. 10, 2022

Two Sessions: 9:00 PDT and 13:30 PDT

Duration: 1 hour

Format: Virtual

Instructors: Team & Assistant

Week #1: Transcript

Week #2: Transcript

Week #3: Transcript

Week #4: Transcript

Week #5: Transcript

Week #6: Transcript

Teaching Method

Before class:

  • We’ll send out an editable handout for each week.
  • Students listen to the assigned episode, which is available on Spotify. All the episodes are fully transcribed into written Cantonese, Jyutping, and English. Please click on the word “Transcript,” which appears in blue under each cover above to access the transcripts.
  • The language in the podcast may sound overwhelming initially. That’s precisely why we have designed lessons to help you to learn the language and content according to your proficiency levels. The least advanced learners will focus more on expanding vocabulary and grammatical structures while the more advanced students will be engaged in discussing comprehension and/or open-ended questions.
  • Then students go over the vocabulary on Quizlet (e.g., Episode 1, Part 1).
  • If they like, they can preview the questions in the handout.

In class:

We focus on speaking. First, we discuss the warm-up questions in the handout & review key vocabulary.

Breakout rooms:

Then students go to a breakout room according to their proficiency levels to discuss the questions in the handout. Each room is led by an instructor.

Sing along:

Afterwards, students come together to sing a song in the handout. The lyrics of the song are supported by Romanization and English translation.

Discord chat room:

After each class, students are welcome to interact with each other, Edgar Chung, and the instructors.

For registration, please click on this link.

Contact Info: CantoneseAlliance@gmail.com