From textbook Chinese to real conversations

Mandarin is a tonal language: the same syllable with a different pitch contour is a completely different word. And most pronunciation problems don't start in the mouth — they start in the ear. If you can't hear it yet, you can't say it yet. Years of musical training made me unusually sensitive to pitch and rhythm, and it shaped how I teach: we start with listening, and I draw the pitch contour of every word so you hear it and see it before you say it.

I've worked in education for ten years and currently teach on Preply (5.0★, 196+ lessons). The methods that proved themselves in class became products: a visual tone trainer, an interactive courseware system, and the original graded reading library right here on this site.