blog
Welcome to my blog!
Here I write about
- German diction topics
- Analysis of arias and art songs
- Pronunciation and interpretation guides
- how I work
- clients’ success stories
and I’ll share some insights about the life of a pronunciation coach.
Go exploring!
“Der Tod und das Mädchen” (Franz Schubert) – Translation, Pronunciation Guide and Analysis
The following article is about Franz Schubert's song "Der Tod und das Mädchen". It provides you with a translation, a pronunciation guide and an analysis of the text. Text and translation Vorüber, ach vorüber geh, wilder Knochenmann! Ich bin noch jung. Geh, Lieber,...
“Auch kleine Dinge” (Hugo Wolf) – A Guide to Pronunciation, Analysis and Interpretation
Translation, pronunciation guide and text analysis (interpretation tips) of "Auch kleine Dinge" by Hugo Wolf Auch kleine Dinge können uns entzücken, auch kleine Dinge können t(h)euer sein. Bedenkt, wie gern wir uns mit Perlen schmücken, sie werden schwer bezahlt und...
What Running’s Got In Common With Singing In a New Language
Running has been an important part of my life for about twenty years now. It helps me let off steam, clear my mind, focus on what's next and above all is my Number One source of creativity and ideas. Some people develop ideas while grabbing a shower, others while...
August 2021: Selfcare
Vacation in Northern Germany August started as June and July had ended: stressful and with an immense amount of work. However, knowing that we would go on vacation from August 7 for a week motivated me to put in all my remaining energy to finish all my tasks until...
Does Singing in a Foreign Language Affect Your Voice?
When we learn to speak in a new language, we not only struggle with vocab and grammar but also with pronunciation. It’s not only about WHAT sounds we should make but HOW to produce them. The more different the new language is from your mother tongue, the more probable...
July 2021: Farewells And New Beginnings
For me, July and December are the most intensive months of the year! This July, however, was also marked by two things that came to a halt and a new beginning: Running again! I restarted running through the woods. During the last months I had to struggle with pain...
The German Affricate PF (or: Flatten Your Tire)
What are affricates? The German letter combination PF is a so-called affricate or combination consonant. This term describes a sound that combines a plosive (T, P or K) with a fricative consonant (S, F or V). In German there are six combination consonants: [ps] (as in...
“An die Musik” (Franz Schubert) – A Guide to Pronunciation and Interpretation
Translation, pronunciation guide and text analysis (interpretation tips) of "An die Musik" by Franz Schubert Du holde Kunst, in wie viel grauen Stunden wo mich des Lebens wilder Kreis umstrickt, hast du mein Herz zu warmer Lieb entzunden, hast mich in eine...
July 12: Not my day – anyway… 12of12 / 12von12
Documenting the 12th of every month in 12 pictures (called "12von12") is a tradition in the blogger world and like in the previous months, I documented my twelvth of July 2021: It's half past six - and I just realized it's the 12th! That could have been an indicator...
Life as a Pronunciation Coach: 3 Things I Don’t Like About My Job
I love my job! Really, I do. It’s taken me quite some time (and some detours) to find a way of combining my passions and create a fulfilling profession for myself. Yet, ungrateful as it may sound, there are some things I don’t quite like about my job as a...
Monthly Review: June 2021 – Lessons learned
Time flies by and June's already over. Half of the year gone, can you believe it! I've never done before a monthly review but I thought I'd give it a try this June. After all, it may turn out a similarily great concept like 12of12 and I might add it to my monthly list...
From Zero to Hero (A Client’s Success Story)
During the last years I was able to help many singers to level up their German diction. In this article I want to share with you the success story of Wladimir who was willing to invest in himself to achieve a special goal.Wladimir is not his real name, and he knows he...