It’s official, the K-pop (Korean pop) craze has arrived at the Language Lab. I’ve become enamored with K-pop’s fan-cams, shiny photocards, and the trendy choreography. Fortunately at the Language Lab, the K-pop culture has spread worldwide, and I made a list of international pop groups to keep an eye on. These groups have taken the popular model of K-pop but with a local flair that makes the music appealing to its country of origin. Give them a listen!
Argentina: K4OS
Chile: Q_ARE
Thank you everyone for attending our highly-anticipated Karaoke Night event! We had so much fun sharing songs and experiencing songs from around the world (I still have 小蘋果 stuck in my head…). Special shoutout to our Language Scholars, who got the party started! We hope to see you at future karaoke events… stay tuned!
If there was a song that you heard and wanted to add it to your own international playlist, here’s everything that was sung at Karaoke Night: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMUR5lJ3P0glCteY-6fTG2iZ-NAcLb4ZK&si=M7tgTaJz0KjTUhkC
Maybe you’ve been wanting to start learning Chinese, but don’t know how to get over the initial hurdles that make it seem impossible. Never fear, for I am here to help demystify this incredible language! I started learning Chinese at Reed from the beginning level and studied abroad this past summer in Taipei, Taiwan. Trust me when I say that it’s a challenging language to learn, but not impossible! (And I might even argue that it’s been the easiest and most fun language to study…) Here are my personal strategies for approaching Chinese as a beginning student, while keeping it fun!
Continue reading “Chinese summer isn’t over yet … some pointers for Beginning Chinese students!”Sadly I am graduating, so this will be my last blog post 🙁 Before I leave, I wanted to give everyone some media recommendations as well as some advice on things to do with the time you have left at Reed.
Go to the language conversations groups! If you have not gone to them yet, you really should. I met some of my best friends at both Pause Café and Sobremesa (which fun fact was previously called Picadita). These groups are such a unique resource that you will likely not find after Reed. Think about it, it’s a chance to meet new people by immersing yourself in the language you’re learning while eating free food! Which is usually delicious as the language scholars are amazing. Seriously, if you haven’t met them yet you should. And new ones come each year, so you get a clean slate next semester!
Continue reading “Patricio’s Last Recommendations…”Here’s a list of some fun German songs I’ve been listening to. I wrote down the exact mood you have to be in to listen to the songs. Viel spaß!
Do you need a song that makes you hyper-focus on doing your homework? Something like the Mario Kart theme song but less intense? Here’s two great pop songs for that:
Listening to music in French is a great strategy to absorb more of the language throughout your day. For beginners just starting out your adventures into the world of Francophone music, I found this album, Non Ouais! by Pink Martini (which fun fact – originates from Portland!). This album is well-suited for beginning French learners, as it has simple grammar, clear pronunciation, and familiar vocabulary. You might be surprised with how much you can understand! Here are two of the most popular songs to give you a taste:
Listening to music in the language you’re learning helps you improve your pronunciation, listening skills, and even grasp some grammar patterns. It’s fun, you can do it anywhere, and it’ll expand your Spotify playlist. Here’s some of my favorite artists broken down by genre.
Continue reading “Patricio’s recommendation of the week: Listen to more Spanish music!”Hip Hop turned 50 in August of this year! The iconic music form originated in New York City, specifically the Bronx in predominantly Black and Brown communities. Puerto Rican New Yorkers, fondly known as Nuyoricans, were and still are immensely influential in the development of Hip Hop. Although the majority of old school and newer Hip Hop is a largely AAVE and English-based genre, Spanish language Hip Hop has been around for almost as long as the mother genre and has often included Spanglish influence. Via cassettes and bootlegs of songs recorded in NYC and other places around the US, the genre spread to Spain and Latin America throughout the 80s and 90s.
Continue reading “Spanish-Language Hip Hop”Kali Uchis is a Colombian-American singer and songwriter with four albums and various EPs and singles in her discography. Uchi’s two earliest albums, Por Vida and Isolation, are primarily in English but are heavily influenced by Latin R&B, soul, psychedelic soul, and Latin American Boleros. For anyone learning Spanish, these earlier albums might improve your cultural fluency with modern Latin music and musicians. Likewise, for someone at a 200-400 level in Spanish, Uchis’ two most recent albums Sin Miedo (del amor y otros demonios) and Red Moon in Venus, are a great way to immerse yourself in gooey eclectic bilingual love-stricken bops that tease with verses flowing between Spanish, English, and Spanglish. If you’re struggling to understand the fast-paced lyrics of musicians such as Bad Bunny or even Rosalia, Kali Uchis might be the girl for you. Her slow hooks and unique take on reggaeton make you want to play her discography on repeat. Rumor has it that Uchis will be releasing her fourth studio album very soon so get ahead of the trend while you’re at it! Feel free to check out her socials if you need some more convincing 😉
Gracias y buena suerte!
When most people think of Hip Hop as a genre or as a cultural movement, they (rightly) think of New York City. This subculture was born in the Black community of the South Bronx, and quickly spread to other parts of the city, then the country, and within a few years, Hip Hop was iterated in some form almost everywhere in the world.
