LingoTech Blog

Uwe Kind on "Real People' 


‘Real People’ was a popular American NBC television program that aired from 1979 to 1984. Each segment of the show featured people with unique occupations.  One day the show's producer, John Schlatter, overheard his secretary singing a song from my book ‘O, Susanne, ja konjugier für mich.’ When John asked her what she was singing, she told him about me - her singing and guitar playing German teacher at the New School for Social Research in New York City.  One month later NBC shows up at my German class!  
In addition to filming segments from the class, we traveled to Wall Street where I taught stock brokers Spanish and construction workers French on the 45th floor of a skyscraper that was still under construction.
 
Well, it was a long time ago, but I was proud to have, in my own way, helped popularize and encourage the pursuit of foreign language education very early on!  You can now view the entire segment from that show on YouTube.

Uwe Kind on Late Night with David Letterman 

In the early 80’s, I called up NBC at Rockefeller Center and asked to speak to the talent coordinator for The David Letterman Show (which was then a late night NBC show that followed the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson). A nice lady answered the telephone and asked me what my call was about. I told her that I was a German teacher at The New School in New York City and that I taught many useful language functions to my classes using universally known tunes.  As an example, I told her I taught my students how to order schnitzel and beer to the tune of 'When the Saints Go Marching In.’  Well, she laughed and invited me for a get-together. 
The next day I met her with my guitar at Rockefeller Center in the NBC cafeteria and taught her my lyric 'Guten Tag, wie geht es Ihnen?’ set to the tune of Frere Jacque:
 

Guten Tag, wie geht es Ihnen?
Danke gut. Danke gut.
Und wie geht es Ihnen? Und wie geht es Ihnen?
Wunderbar! Wunderbar.

 
When she giggled, I knew I was booked. A week later I sat on David Letterman’s couch and after the short interview, I went up into the studio audience and said, “Ok, we are in Germany. I’m the waiter and you are going to order a beer and a Wiener Schnitzel!”
 
Since I had limited time to teach the audience without visuals, I did my best to tune out Dave’s endless wisecracking. The NBC band lead by Paul Schaefer played “Oh When the Saints” and the audience sang along:

‘Bringen Sie mir ein grosses Bier.
Bringen Sie mir ein grosses Bier.
Bringen Sie mir ein Wiener Schnitzel
Bringen sIe mir ein grosses Bier.

 
The audience loved it and they cheered when we sang the song a second time (with David continually cracking jokes in my ear).  When the show went to a commercial break, David yelled to the audience “follow your ‘Führer” the waiter, and we’ll march into New Jersey!”
 

 

"Back to the Past" - On "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson 

Auf dem Weg von der Mittagspause zu seinem Büro hörte Johnny Carson ein lautes Lachen  aus
dem 'editing room" bei NBC in Burbank schallen. "What's so funny here", fragte Johnny und trat in den Schneideraum.

"Well, there is this German teacher in New York, who teaches foreign languages by singing and here he's  teaching French to New York construction workers,"antwortete der Cutter." This is funny stuff!" sagte Johnny.  Am 5. November um 3 Uhr 1990 klingelte das Telefon in meiner New Yorker Wohnung. "This is the Tonight Show", sagte eine freudlichen Stimme. "Are you the singing language teacher?" "Ja!?????" antwortete ich. "We would like to invite you to the Tonight Show next week. Can you come out to California?" - Ich war überzeut, dass mir jemand einen Streich spielen wollte und antwortete: "Is this a joke?" -"No, I am John McColough from the Tonight Show! We would like to invite you.

Ich bat um die Telefonnummer und rief zurück. Kein Witz!!  Eine Woche später war ich Gast bei Johnny Carson. Der Auftritt in der "Tonight Show" veränderte mein Leben. Auf folgendem Link ist ein Teil meines Auftrittes zu sehen:
 
On the way from lunch to his office, Johnny Carson heard a loud laugh in the editing room at NBC in Burbank. "What's so funny here," asked Johnny as he stepped into the editing room. "Well, there is this German teacher in New York, who teaches foreign languages ​​by singing, and here he's teaching French to New York construction workers," replied the editor. "This is funny stuff!" said Johnny. On November 5, 1990 at 3:00 a.m., the phone rang in my New York apartment. "This is the Tonight Show," said a cheerful voice. "Are you the singing language teacher?" "Yes!?????" I answered. "We would like to invite you to the Tonight Show next week. Can you come out to California?" - I was convinced that someone wanted to prank me and replied: "Is this a joke?" - "No, I am John McColough from the Tonight Show! We would like to invite you. I asked for the phone number and called back. No joke!! A week later I was a guest of Johnny Carson. The appearance on the "Tonight Show" changed my life. The following link shows part of my appearance:
 
Watch this on You Tube

 

We Need Your Feedback!  

DOWNLOAD TWO CHAPTERS FROM A NEW BOOK BY UWE KIND!  

Wackel met dem Po!: Uwe Kind, selling the German language around the world.  

Uwe Kind has been the unofficial international ambassador for the German language for over 35 years. Uwe was one of the first educators to formally combine the power of music to the field of language education. His appearances on the popular American talks shows “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and “The David Letterman Show” helped springboard his efforts in popularizing the German language. Uwe is also the author of the German educational classic “Eine Kleine Deutshmusik” and the creator of LingoTech.   

In his new book “Wackel met dem Po!," Uwe shares his experiences as a traveling German language educator. From Alaska, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Kenya, Indonesia, Japan, Syria, and many other locales, Uwe and his music have created unprecedented excitement and desire among students everywhere to pursue German language learning.   

Please click here to download the 2 chapters and provide Uwe with some feedback!  

Let him know if you enjoyed reading the chapters and are interested in reading further!

Uwe is open to suggestions! 

You can contact Uwe directly at uwekindnyc@gmail.com or from our Contact Page

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Wackel mit dem Po  - Abenteuer eines Deutschverkäufers -ist der Arbeitstitel von Uwe Kinds neuem Buch.  

Hier zwei Kapitel “Kenja” und “Alaska” zum Download.  

Er unterrichtet Deutsch. Aber nicht mit Bleistift und Papier. Seine Schüler lernen mit dem ganzen Körper. Sie singen und steppen, tanzen und rappen - und freuen sich über jedes neue Wort, das sie auf diese Weise einüben.  
   
Im Auftrag des Goethe-Instituts und auf Einladungen von Schulen  reist Uwe Kind um die Welt. Er lehrt Deutsch in Australien und Azerbaijan, in Argentinien und Ägypten, in Istanbul und in Indonesien, in Kanada und in Kenia. Mehr als 200 Filme stellten seine Studenten schon bei YouTube ins Netz – verblüfft davon, wie schnell sie durch die Methode LingoTech Deutsch zu sprechen lernten.  
   
Jetzt hat Uwe Kind seine Reisetagebücher geöffnet und erzählt mit viel Humor von seinen Abenteuern, Schlappen und Erfolgserlebnissen, die er bei seinen Reisen durch mehr als 50 Länder sammelte. Er gesteht, wie er sich - einem Geistesblitz folgend - seinen Traumberuf erschuf, der ihn in über zwei Jahrzehnten durch die Welt führte. Er berichtet freimütig von seinen Begegnungen mit mächtigen Wallstreetbossen und von Übungsstunden mit Knastinsassen auf einer Gefängnisinsel vor New York.