Be Genki

Troy and I had a chance to meet up with Richard Graham today in Yokohama.  Richard is the creator of Genki English (and Genki Korean, and Genki German, and Genki Japan, and Genki Maths, among other projects).  As you might expect from someone so prolific, Richard is a very genki guy ("genki" meaning "fun", "exciting", and "full of life" in Japanese), so it was really a pleasure to meet with him and share stories.

When I first started teaching English to very young learners, Richard's songs were among the few I could find that really fit the needs of young EFL learners.  Coming from the classroom himself, and testing his songs in classroom settings, it was clear he had an ear for how to make learning English fun and accessible.  A few of my Genki English favorites are What's Your Name? (which I also used with a class for Senior Citizens); Hello, How Are You?; and Rock Paper Scissors, but he has a ton more (7 Genki English CDs with #8 on the way soon).

These days, Richard's music takes him all over the world for presentations and teacher training.  And now that the government of Thailand is introducing Genki English into all of their elementary schools, he gets to spend several months of the year (primarily Japan's cold winter months) in Thailand.  Not bad, not bad at all. 

If you are looking for songs, worksheets, activity ideas, or a ton of other resources, check out GenkiEnglish.com.  And if you're looking to learn a little Japanese or have fun teaching your students how to count in Japanese, a great place to start would be with this video from Richard...you'll be counting to 20 in no time.

Comments

[Clare]

Hi Devon, How funny to see both you and Richard Graham on your blog today. I have been using Genki English materials over the last few years so I am already a fan but last week I discovered your website and your supersimplesongs to add to my resources. The videos were really inspiring and my three (English)daughters have insisted on watching the "Uh-huh!) song over and over again - we think Jeremy Chapman is really funny (where can I get a Skidamarink puppet?). The videos really showed how much fun it can be working with young children who are so full of energy and joy. I love your simple songs and have already downloaded the CD set and used the Pinocchio song with my youngest French learners - it was a big hit and I know that I will be singing it with them every week. I can't wait to use the other songs with them too but I only get a very short session with them weekly so I now have more than enough material for the next year. So thankyou very much to both you, your team at Knock Knock English and to Richard too!

[Devon T]

Hi Clare,

That's awesome! I hope Super Simple Songs is a nice complement to your Genki English CDs. Let us know how things go!