Blackheath Conservatoire of Music & the Arts : Diary dates

Language, Literature and Culture
The Conservatoire’s Language, Literature and Culture programme, under the guidance of its highly experienced tutors, encourages students to take up new interests, to polish existing skills and to enjoy discussion and interaction with others in an informal environment. Over the last two years we have also developed highly successful one-off workshops in our Taste of Italy series, which offer snapshots of the culture, food, wine and language of a number of different regions. We hope to start Spanish lessons this term – please contact the office to receive more details when they are confirmed.

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Enrol by phone, 020 8852 0234 or by picking up an enrolment form from the office or download in PDF form. If necessary you can get Acrobat Reader from here.

Download a PDF leaflet for these courses

French Level 1 (Near Beginners) Thursday - 1.30-3pm with Elianne M Lapierre : £117 for 9 sessions :

Level: Beginners

starts 14th January

Vocabulary, basic grammar and accurate pronunciation will be taught in a relaxed and caring environment. This will allow the members of the class to communicate confidently in a range of simple everyday situations. Audio and some video tapes are used in the lessons.

French Level 3 Thursdays - 3.30-5pm with Elianne Lapierre : £117 for 9 sessions :

Level: GCSE+

starts 14th January

These advanced lessons are intended for students, with ‘O’ level/GCSE French, who wish to improve their fluency and deepen their knowledge of the French language and culture. Newspaper articles and listening to authentic materials will provide a basis for discussion in the group. A short novel or some literary extracts, chosen with the students, could be included. All French courses: The tutor will confirm the book to be studied at the first lesson. A visit to an exhibition/theatre/cinema is planned.

Italian Level 1 (Near beginners) Tuesdays - 8-9.30pm with Susan Goldstein : £128 for 10 sessions :

Level: Beginners

starts 12th January

For those with a basic knowledge of the language, this course will develop communication skills. The textbook used is the BBC publication Talk Italian 2. Audio and video tapes are used in the lessons.

Italian Level 2 & 3 Sundays - 11am-12.30pm with Susan Goldstein : £128 for 10 sessions :

Level: Approx. 3 year's tuition

starts 17th January

Italian Level 3 Mondays - 7.30-9pm with with Susan Goldstein : £136 for 11 sessions :

Level: Having studied for 3+ years

starts 11th January

In this course students are encouraged to gain confidence in both spoken and written Italian. They will also extend their knowledge of Italy, its language and culture through reading. Articles of topical and cultural interest are used together with the audio and video tapes of the BBC course Italianissimo 2.

Italian Level 4 Tuesdays - 1-2.30pm with Susan Goldstein : £128 for 10 sessions :

Level: Having studied for 4+ years

starts 12th January

The main emphasis of this course is to develop the expression of opinions through discussion. To encourage this, articles of topical and cultural interest are used based on the group’s own interests in relation to Italian culture; for example art, poetry and film.

Spanish - Beginners (Evening) Mondays - 7.30-9pm with Tutor to be confirmed : £128 for 10 sessions
starts 18th January

Spanish - Beginners (Morning) Wednesday - 11.45am-1.15pm with Tutor to be confirmed : £128 for 10 sessions
starts 13th January

Spanish - Level 1 Wednesdays - 10-11.30am with Tutor to be confirmed : £128 for 10 sessions
starts 13th January

Enjoy learning about the rich language and culture of Spain in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. These small classes for beginners will help students learn the vocabulary and to have the confidence to communicate effectively and enjoyably in everyday situations. The tutor will advise students about which book will be studied in the first lesson. Audio and video tapes are also used.

About the tutors

Susan Goldstein BA(Hons)	Has been teaching Italian for more than 30 years to both adults and children. She has prepared students of all ages for public examination but Susan prefers facilitating courses which incorporate the Italian language and Italian culture e.g. Art, Music, Film, Wine Tasting. As Coordinator of Community Languages at Greenwich Community College Susan has also worked with many communities new to local boroughs who wish their families to maintain their 'mother tongue' and culture. Susan is very keen to encourage bilingualism wherever possible. Susan has been an examiner for Edexcel (GCSE Italian) and has worked in university teaching departments where she lectured on the methodology and practice of teaching languages.

Elianne M Lapierre	Is a qualified French teacher with over twenty years experience in Adult, Further and Higher Education. She has devised courses and taught all levels of French, from Adult Education to undergraduate programmes, at Imperial College and Greenwich University. She also studied Modern French Literature at Birkbeck College and has a keen interest in many aspects of French culture and the arts. She is a firm believer that it is never too late to learn and that the experience should be both fun and rewarding.

Elena Ugarte	Elena Ugarte studied at the University of Navarra in Spain and also at Canterbury and Goldsmiths College in London. She is an experienced translator and teacher with many years experience at various adult education centres in London and enjoys introducing students to the rich language and culture of her native country.



The Conservatoire 19-21 Lee Road, London SE3 9RQ Tel: 020 8852 0234 Fax: 020 8297 0596 Email: info@conservatoire.org.uk Registered in England Company no 3448894 Registered Charity number 1072627