{"id":29028,"date":"2016-07-06T08:19:40","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T12:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=29028"},"modified":"2016-07-08T10:35:24","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T14:35:24","slug":"intensive-english-program-students-produce-host-three-continents-music-show-wqsv-106-3-fm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/intensive-english-program-students-produce-host-three-continents-music-show-wqsv-106-3-fm\/","title":{"rendered":"Intensive English Program students produce and host ‘The Three Continents Music Show’ on WQSV 106.3 FM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ha Yeong Ahn sits at a computer terminal in the former WEMC studio building atop the hill at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), practicing a script for a recorded radio show.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re really punching the onset of that syllable each time,\u201d says lecturer James Smoot<\/a>, pointing over Ahn\u2019s shoulder to a graphic representation of Ahn\u2019s voice patterns on the screen. \u201cSee, each peak is a syllable.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ahn, a student from South Korea, returns to the script, Smoot elaborates: \u201cI can tell so much about how these students speak by the wave patterns. It\u2019s a very effective pedagogical technique if you have the resources and flexibility to do it. My idea is to get them to pay attention to the way they speak\u2014not only hear themselves, but see it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"feature-20160617-IEP<\/a>
Lecturer James Smoot, wearing a t-shirt advertising WQSV 106.3, brings his experience with radio to the Intensive English Program at Eastern Mennonite University. Smoot, who has taught English around the world for more than 20 years and has a PhD in cultural and religious studies, developed the project to help his English language students work on their accents and share their culture and music with Shenandoah Valley residents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The radio show is part of Smoot\u2019s work with EMU\u2019s Intensive English Program<\/a> (IEP), an immersive experience that helps students build their language skills. Students in the June class came from Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Congo, China, Kurdistan, Iraq and South Korea\u2014a mix of international students and legal US residents.<\/p>\n

About 60 to 80 students work on pronunciation, comprehension, and reading and writing skills through semester-long classes, small-group sessions, tutoring and computer lab work. This spring, Smoot hit on a new way to do that learning in a real-life setting that also enhances community connections: a radio program broadcast on WQSV 106.3 FM<\/a> in Staunton, Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Three Continents Music Show<\/a>\u201d airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays this summer on the community station, featuring student-chosen music from Asia, Africa and South America interspersed with the students from the various countries talking about the stories and culture that shape the music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did community radio in Portland, and it\u2019s something I really believe in,\u201d Smoot says. \u201cWhen they started the Staunton station, I said, \u2018What can I do to help out?\u2019 They suggested making some produced content instead of just live stuff. I thought of a show about music to involve immigrants, but in an interesting way. You learn so much about people from their songs and what they have to say about those songs. It was a way to get many things done at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in the radio business<\/h3>\n
\"feature-20160617-IEP<\/a>
Hayueng Ahn (left) and Enock Mukanda Samalenge take a break from recording. Ahn is from South Korea and Samalenge from Congo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For that to happen, Smoot needed a space where production could happen. He found a ready-made one on EMU\u2019s campus, in the studio used by WEMC until it merged in 2007 with WMRA, a station owned by James Madison University.<\/p>\n

Smoot received permission to use the old studio, which already had soundproofed spaces, control rooms and other necessary elements. The EMU physical plant and information technology teams fixed it up and equipped it with computers and microphones.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got so lucky by getting this place,\u201d says Smoot. \u201cI was very surprised when everyone down the line said, \u2018Yes.\u2019 It\u2019s really, really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

And now students are benefiting as a result. The first four shows were produced during the spring semester as an extracurricular project. The summer group has woven the production into the class itself, doing the editing and production work alongside the language training. The first show was broadcast on June 1, and a total of 14 are planned at this point.<\/p>\n

Radio production improves accents<\/h3>\n
\"feature-20160617-IEP<\/a>
Cesar Garcia (foreground) works with classmates in the radio studio at Eastern Mennonite University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kathleen Roth<\/a>, director of the IEP program, has been pleased with the creative effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things IEP has been concerned about is accent. Sometimes our students know English quite well and can read and write but have trouble communicating,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJames was thinking about that and learned about the radio station on the hill and the equipment there. He asked me if he could pursue that, and I said, \u2018Absolutely!\u2019 It\u2019s just worked out really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students have enjoyed it, too. Ahn says he has had fun selecting Korean songs and weaving them into a show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time using the program was very hard for me, but now it\u2019s easy,\u201d Ahn says. \u201cI\u2019m happy that I can do a broadcast program and record my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enock Mukanda Samalenge, a student from Congo, says it takes imagination to put a good show together, trying to represent the myriad of cultures found in his country.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have the ability to choose what kind of show you want to do,\u201d Samalenge says. \u201cSo if you want to do something about love, you choose some specific songs and use the editing program to mix it with your words. And sometimes you listen to what you say, and it helps you understand more what errors you do when you speak and to improve the language.\u201d<\/p>\n

More shows possible<\/h3>\n

WQSV is a low-power station with a broadcast radius of only about 10 miles, but the shows are also streamed live at www.wqsv.org<\/a>. IEP staff are also hopeful that eventually Harrisonburg\u2019s WMRA might rebroadcast the shows on that station.<\/p>\n

Smoot would like to see the broadcasts will endure beyond the summer, but he says that will likely require others to help with the time-intensive work. Shorter classes during the academic year and the rotation of IEP\u2019s offerings could also pose challenges. Without a doubt, though, it has been a positive experience so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work, but I get really charged up about it,\u201d Smoot says. \u201cI\u2019m like a kid in a candy store. It\u2019s the most interesting thing I\u2019ve done in my three years at EMU.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ha Yeong Ahn sits at a computer terminal in the former WEMC studio building atop the hill at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), practicing a script for a recorded radio show. ... read more about Intensive English Program students produce and host ‘The Three Continents Music Show’ on WQSV 106.3 FM<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12508],"tags":[17521,14283],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-29028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iep","tag-james-smoot","tag-kathleen-roth","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nIntensive English Program students produce and host 'The Three Continents Music Show' on WQSV 106.3 FM - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/intensive-english-program-students-produce-host-three-continents-music-show-wqsv-106-3-fm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Intensive English Program students produce and host 'The Three Continents Music Show' on WQSV 106.3 FM - 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