H.H./Ann Peckham Sensei (Senior Professor at Berklee College of Music) Special Program & Language School

H.H: Currently in his fourth year at Aoyama Gakuin University. It's been about three and a half years since I started singing vocals when I was in college.

H.H.: This study abroad was my first time abroad.

H.H.: I had always wanted to study abroad since I entered university, and I thought that if I didn't go before I graduated, I wouldn't be able to do it.
This is because I wanted to test my ability at an early stage and gain experience.

H.H.: He was a very kind person. He kindly helped me even with things unrelated to lessons.

H.H.: How do you put your feelings into it? That was my challenge, but I am still impressed by how he taught me the specific process to follow.

H.H.: English. When I didn't understand something, I relied on an interpreter, but basically I communicated directly with sensei in English.

H.H.: I was told that I could practice at my accommodation, but I personally found it difficult to practice and I don't think I was able to practice enough. I also kept my voice a little quieter.

H.H.: Basically, I was going to language school and always going out with other people.

H.H.: It was my first time abroad, so I was a little nervous before I went, but once I got there, I realized that my imagination was too big. I lost my wallet, but when I got it back, I realized that it wasn't as safe as I thought.

H.H.: I stayed at a host family's house. Basically, I didn't have any particular problems, but when I asked them to do the laundry for me, they found it dirty and some of the clothes weren't returned.

H.H: Basically, it's a railway. The nearest station was about 10 minutes from both my house and school, so it was less than an hour's journey.

H.H.: Breakfast and dinner were prepared by my host family. Basically, I would have a little bread in the morning, and sometimes I would eat out at night, but it would be ready for me when I got home. I didn't go to many restaurants, so I think the average cost was around $15-20.
→There were several students from Japan, and the students and sensei were friendly and easy to talk to, and the class atmosphere was good, and I made more friends than I expected.
Up until now, I had no experience of actually using English, so when I actually used it, I discovered that I was surprisingly able to communicate and listen, which gave me confidence and improved my mental growth. felt.

H.H.: The feeling of trying to convey something. If you can muster up the first step and go talk, I think things will go smoothly from then on.

H.H.: Musically, when I practiced after returning to Japan, I felt like I had grown. In terms of language, my English skills improved, but I think the biggest thing was that I was able to make connections with friends from all over the world that I would never have been able to do if I had stayed in Japan.

H.H: I've become more confident.

H.H.: It's the climate. Japan is humid and hot, but Boston is crisp and even in the summer it can get up to 30 degrees Celsius. It was easy to go there from Japan. Also, many of the employees at local stores spoke to me in a casual manner, which I felt was different from Japan.

H.H.: I think you have to be prepared when you go to a place where people speak a language that is not your native language, but the only way to relieve your stress is to study, so I think it is important to develop your language skills to the maximum beforehand. Masu.

H.H.: I plan on auditioning for entertainment-related jobs until I graduate. After that, after experiencing this study abroad experience, I felt a strong desire to go abroad again, so I would like to go abroad again if possible.