Music in French and Spanish
My love of languages began when I was a child; probably around the time I was in grade school, and we learned “Are You Sleeping?” in English, French, and German. My interest in French only deepened when I found this book, Fun with French, at the public library. I checked it out so many times I’m surprised they didn’t gift it to me when I graduated. My dad spoke Spanish fluently, but I studied Latin and French in high school and when I went to college, ended up getting a degree in French. Even though many years have gone by, my interest in languages has never waned. I’ve taken conversational Spanish classes specific to work in the library, and quite a while ago, even took a Russian class at the community college, just for the fun of it. While my French and Spanish skills have greatly diminished due to lack of use, it is when I hear music in those languages that I seem to recall the most. Words and phrases come back to me, dancing through my mind along with whatever melody accompanies them.
And that’s why I wanted to highlight a few albums in French and Spanish today. While the sound of music is universal, it’s the words that can teach us so much – even another language. Take some time to listen to these albums. Share them with your students, your family, and your friends.
The first album up is Au Zoo (At the Zoo) – French Learning Songs from Whistlefritz. Whistlefritz provides immersive learning environments in French and Spanish. Au Zoo is their newest French-language album. Packed with 17 songs, each running 2-3 minutes, this isn’t your old-fashioned, didactic, computer-generated learning tool. Instead, it features melodies set to a variety of musical genres (folk, reggae, merengue, blues, and more) with engaging lyrics that are performed at a pace that makes the words easy to follow. The songs cover a wide variety of topics including holidays, animals, grammar, food, and more. Lyrics and translations for all of the songs are available for free on the Whistlefritz website.
Next up are debut albums from the California-based duo Anna-Maria Violich-Olivier and Natalia Barnal, better known as Aguacate Music Kids. After meeting in 2015 when Natalia brought her child to Anna-Maria’s Music Together class, the two created a musical partnership. Combining their skills as bilingual teachers and musicians, they set out to create songs that encouraged healthy habits. Out of that effort, the companion albums, Healthy Me and Saludable Soy were born. Each album is comprised of the same 13 original songs, tackling topics such as washing hands, brushing teeth, good nutrition, movement, social-emotional skills and the importance of drinking water. Whether performing in English or Spanish, Aguacate Music Kids combine lovely music and entertaining, yet educational lyrics, that children and their caregivers will enjoy.
Last, but certainly not least, on today’s playlist is the first full-length Spanish language album from Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats. Creciendo is pure love and joy from beginning to end as it takes listeners inside the theme of a child growing and learning. Kalantari brings her unique blend of jazz, swing, and Latin rhythms to each of the 10 songs. The album kicks off with the energy-filled “Bienvenidos” and keeps that energy up throughout. Kalantari’s rich voice is at the center of the music on each track, but no more so than on “Tu Luz” where her lyrics delightfully converse with a clarinet, and “La Luciérnaga” where she is backed by lush instrumentation. For a sneak preview, take a listen to “Bienvenidos,” which also features Nathalia and Flor Bromley.
On their newest album, 123 Andrés takes the letters of the Spanish alphabet and elevates them from a single song that teaches the order the letters come in, to 38 songs that give each letter and sound combination their own musical identity. The songs are arranged in alphabetical order and composed using the rhythms and sounds that are found throughout Latin America. Many of the tracks feature animals such as “Cinco cerditos,” “El guepado,” and “Katy la koala” or body parts like “Cabeza, codo, corazon” and “Con mis ojos” while others directly speak to the letter such as “La H no suena” and “Aqui está la Q.” Also included are songs about double letter sounds, “La C y la H chocaron” and “Las llaves” as well as a pair of songs about combinations of consonants – “Amigable” and “Gracias a la letra R.”
In ¡Alegría! the follow-up to her wonderful album, Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island, Sonia De Los Santos explores the theme of joy and happiness. The term ¡Alegría! literally means joy and in the album’s liner notes De Los Santos brings even more depth to the term by explaining, “In some parts of Latin America it is often used to cheer someone up. We say ¡Alegría! to remind each other that there is something to be happy about. I find this so beautiful.” So do I. Throughout the twelve songs on this album, Sonia reminds us to find the happiness in both the exciting times as well as the quiet moments in the day.
