Category: Music

Posted on

Fall music must-listens!

Despite rising temperatures and rather sunny days, LangLabbies are still feeling the fall spirit approaching! In honor of our upcoming event we decided to share some of music recommendations that we believe would amplify your fall and help unwind from these academic routines

  1. Send the pain below (Chevelle)

A traditional post-grunge and alternative metal, anything rock has become the fall anthem with its gloomy undertones yet loud lyrics. “Send the pain below” is undoubtedly Chevelle’s most beloved song, so it’s a must to give it a try!

2. Ozin Gana (Moldanazar)

A soft, lyrical and bone-crushing melody that’s is the total opposite of most songs in this list but perhaps it’s exactly what we all need in this cold weather full of dark days. A perfect song for slow mornings or cozy nights with barely noticeable notes of Turkic vocals.

3. Прочь из моей головы (Сплин)

The anthem of post-modern Russian rock that dominated the late 2000s and became a cult classic for all listeners of post-Soviet countries. The uncertainty of one’s future mixed in with a strong sense of hope and full acceptance and embracement of the state of the country is what made “Прочь из моей головы” such a popular hit for most teenagers and young adults of the former-USSR.

4. CORALINE (Måneskin)

Do we even need an explanation? It’s Måneskin! Just go ahead and play it.

5. La llorona (Chavela Vargas)

La llorona is the most famous Hispanic folklore character. If you want to learn more about it (in Spanish!) come to our event on October 8th from 6-8pm! More details in the next blog post!

Posted on

Leilani’s final blog post… it’s been a good run!

Dearest Language Lab,

It is so sad to see you go… or me go? Perhaps I’m glad and relieved that I’m graduating. I will sincerely miss this basement, with its lack of sunlight and abundance of candy. Before I leave, I would like to impart some sage wisdom (thank you Patricio for the inspiration) from someone who has taken an unreasonable number of language courses and still wants to learn more.

Continue reading “Leilani’s final blog post… it’s been a good run!”
Posted on

International pop, inspired by K-pop!

Characters Mira, Rumi, and Zoey from "Kpop Demon Hunters" (2025) wearing demon-hunting gear and holding weapons.

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

Continue reading “International pop, inspired by K-pop!”
Posted on

Recap: LangLab Karaoke Night!

Five students gathered around a microphone in front of a projector screen, singing a song in French.

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!

Three students gathered around a microphone in front of a projector screen, singing a song in Spanish.

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

Posted on

Chinese summer isn’t over yet … some pointers for Beginning Chinese students!

Zhupu Altar in Keelung, Taiwan

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!”
Posted on

Patricio’s Last Recommendations…

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…”
Posted on

Beginner-friendly French songs!

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:

Posted on

Spanish-Language Hip Hop

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”