About Me

A mild-mannered homeschool mom who is faster than a speeding flash card, more powerful than a mega-workbook, and able to leap tall unabridged bilingual dictionaries in a single bound! Look! Up in cyberspace! It's a flamenco skirt! It's an irregular verb chart! No, it's just me, and it's time to learn Spanish.

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El Rincón Español - homeschool Spanish support
Nov. 12, 2009
No volveré por The Gypsy Kings

Posted in música


No Volveré por The Gypsy Kings
I Will Not Return by The Gypsy Kings

Flamenco meets pop music in this melancholy ballad.


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Nov. 5, 2009
Plaza Sésamo - Ricas Frutas

Posted in música

How fun!  Sesame Street is beloved by kids (and adults) all over the world.  This charming video comes from Mexico's Plaza Sésamo, and teaches the names of Ricas Frutas/yummy fruits and promotes their health benefits in a cute and catchy way.  An added bonus for the Spanish learner: it is subtitled in English!

See if you can pick up on the names of the following fruits as you watch and listen:

la sandia - watermelon
la naranja - orange
el banano - banana
la manzana - apple
la cirhuela - plum
el durazno - peach
los melones - melons
la guayaba - guava
la papaya - papaya
las uvas - grapes
la piña - pineapple
la toronja - grapefruit

If you enjoyed the lead singer's voice, his name is Alex Syntek, and he is a popular latin pop singer.  You can hear more from him at your favorite music download site.


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Oct. 15, 2009
Ojalá que llueva cafe en el campo - Juan Luis Guerra

Posted in música



Ojalá que Llueva Café en el Campo por Juan Luis Guerra
I wish it rained coffee in the countryside by Juan Luis Guerra

In this catchy merengue tune, Guerra sings about hunger in his own country and others.  In addition to coffee, see if you can hear some of the other foods he asks for: arroz (rice), yucca, miel (honey), trigo (wheat), queso blanco (white cheese), batatas (potatoes), and fresas (strawberries) just to name a few.

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Aug. 25, 2009
Geografia - La Oreja de Van Gogh

Posted in música




Geografia - La Oreja de Van Gogh
Geography - La Oreja de Van Gogh (Van Gogh's Ear)

A challenge for your ear.... can you hear the distinctive accent of Spain in the lead singer's voice?  Can you hear that her Spanish sounds a little different from Spanish that we usually her in the United States?


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May. 12, 2009
Las Avispas - Juan Luis Guerra

Posted in música


Las Avispas por Juan Luis Guerra
The Wasps by Juan Luis Guerra

This is an upbeat pop song in the merengue style, a very popular rhythm especially in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.  This singer hails from The Dominican Republic, where he is wildly popular.  He is outspoken about his Christian faith, and in this song he uses the wasps as an analogy of how God defends believers from evil.

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Apr. 5, 2009
Cuídate - La Oreja de Van Gogh

Posted in música


Cuídate - La Oreja de Van Gogh
Take care of your self - La Oreja de Van Gogh (Van Gogh's Ear)

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Feb. 19, 2009
La Pared por Shakira

Posted in música


La Pared - Shakira

The Wall - Shakira

Shakira is one of those entertainers that I have mixed feelings about.  You can't step into the Spanish language music scene without bumping into her, and you may well become quickly hooked by her singular, soulful, powerful voice.  There is no arguing that this woman has real talent, and that her numerous fans cross the generational lines.

The only objection that I feel I must inject is that most of her videos are over-sexualized.  When she has crossed over into the English language market, her songs were written for her by others, and further reinforce this image.  Curiously, her Spanish language lyrics are clean, and her songs deal with the usual: love, missing someone, etc, and tend to be mostly focused on emotions; her voice lends itself well to those themes.

Shakira is from Baranquilla, Colombia, a coastal city that I visited when she must have just been a little kid.  She had some parts in movies in the local film scene when she was a teen.  Being half Lebanese (there is a Lebanese-Christian enclave in Baranquilla), she grew up belly dancing.  He first public performance was a belly dancing recital.  Belly dancing is as natural to her as walking at this point, and she incorporates it into many of her videos and performances.  You can give her a pass on it as a "cultural thing" , but it adds to the sexualized image.  She performed in a Latin American talent search show several years ago, and guess who was watching?  Emilio Estefan, husband of Gloria Estefan, and top Latin music producer.  He signed her on, and the rest is history as they say.

Early on in her rise to great success, Shakira created a foundation to provide shoes to poor children in Latin America.  She said that she had always felt heartbroken at the numbers of children she saw that never owned a pair of shoes, and dedicated herself to funding and promoting a foundation to address this need.

So I admit, I'm hooked on that voice, and my kids became fans in no time.  We just listen and stay away from the videos (this one is an exception).  I believe that Shakira has enough musical talent that she could do without the excesses associated with her image. 

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Jan. 23, 2009
Love it or hate it

Posted in música


Déjame Vivir por Mari de Chambao y Jarabe de Palo
Let me live by Mari de Chambao and Jarabe de Palo
A song like this defies a label, but I'll try anyway: Post Modern Flamenco Pop/Alternative fusion.  How's that for a mouthful?  Mari is a solo artist that the music world classifies as "flamenco chill" - a mellower take on the genre with the distinctive flamenco vocals and rhythms.  Jarabe de Palo is a pop/alternative band that hails from Barcelona.

To add to this unusual mix is the bald ballerina dancing and pantomiming in the background.  I can't explain that one.

You will either find this song fascinating and catchy, or just weird. 

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Dec. 23, 2008
Las Campanas de Belén - the Church Bells of Bethleham

Posted in música


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Dec. 16, 2008
Los Peces en el Rio - a beloved Spanish Christmas carol

Posted in música



This traditional and beloved Christmas carol tells of "La Virgen", Mary, preparing for the arrival of her precious baby Jesus.  The fish in the river (the title of this song) are also so taken with the event that they are making their way to Bethleham as well to bear witness.

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Dec. 5, 2008
Chan Chan por The Afro-Cuban All Stars

Posted in música


Chan Chan by the Afro-Cuban All Stars

This song is a Cuban "standard".  Chan Chan is the name of a character in Cuban folk stories.  The term Afro-Cuban makes reference to the fact that most Caribbean rhythms originated in African music.

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Nov. 21, 2008
Bamboleo - The Gypsy Kings

Posted in música


Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings

Flamenco meets pop.  The word "bamboleo" means to roll or swing, and refers to the dancing.

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Nov. 5, 2008
Asignatura Pendiente por Ricky Martin

Posted in música


Asignatura Pendiente por Ricky Martin

Pending Signature by Ricky Martin

A sentimental ballad about the lonely side of fame, and what is really important in life.

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Oct. 22, 2008
Cienfuegos tiene su guanguancó por The Buena Vista Social Club

Posted in música


Cienfuegos tiene su Guagauncó - The Buena Vista Social Club
Cienfuegos has its own Groove - The Buena Vista Social Club

The Buena Vista Social Club is a project that united Cuban singers of pre-revolution days to recreate their great sounds.  This song celebrates the Cuban coastal city of Cienfuegos, and will have you tapping your feet.  An English translation is offered on screen.  They translate guaguancó as "special sound", and that just doesn't quite grasp the meaning to me.  It is really used more like we would use "groove" in a slang sense to talk about music.  The word guajiro is also used in the song and not translated at all.  It refers to a guy from the Cuban countryside.

Whether or not Cienfuegos still has guanguanco after 50 years of Castro and a few nasty hurricanes may be in doubt... ahhh I'll bet someone there still does!

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Oct. 2, 2008
Días de Verano por Amaral

Posted in música


Días de Verano - Amaral
Summer Days - Amaral

¡Ay, que daría yo por tener una voz así!
Oh, what I would give to have a voice like that!

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Sep. 17, 2008
Jehova, Señor de los Cielos por Fernando Ortega

Posted in música


Jehova, Señor de los Cielos por Fernando Ortega
Jehova, Lord of Heaven by Fernando Ortega

Note: Señor can mean Lord in Spanish, not just Mister!  Los cielos can mean the skies or heaven.

I highly and without hesitation recommend anything by Fernando Ortega for those interested in Christian praise music.  He has recordings in Spanish and English.
 

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Sep. 11, 2008
El 11 de septiembre - en memoria

Posted in música

In this video I found on youtube, a parade of Latin pop stars sings a tribute in memory of the victims of September 11th.  The person who posted the video left this comment: "11 septiembre el dolor de todos esta en esa fecha no importa la nacionalidad ni el credo de cada uno" (September 11: Everyone feels the pain of this date, no matter the nationality or beliefs of any as individuals).  So join in with Ricky Martin, Shakira, Julio Iglesias, Juan Luis Guerra, Celia Cruz, and so many other that I can't list them all, in paying tribute to this day:

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Sep. 2, 2008
A Dios le Pido por Juanes

Posted in música


A Dios le Pido por Juanes
I ask of God by Juanes

Colombian rocker Juanes sings his prayer list.  He sings about everything from his parents to the violence that plagues Colombia.  Interesting note: He uses the "vos" form for "you" instead of the usual "tu" form.  Try and listen for it, he uses it in the chorus.

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Aug. 20, 2008
In the mood for a song

Posted in música


Gritos de Esperanza por Alex Ubago

Cries of Hope by Alex Ubago.
Why listen to music in Spanish?  We all learn differently, and auditory and musical learning really clicks with some of us.  Me, I'm a sucker for a great melody.  I like Christian music and secular music as well.  I find that when a song like this gets in my head, I remember words and phrasing better, as well as the nuances of verb usage.  All you have to do to find the lyrics is to google the title, then look up words you are unsure about. 

I plan to make music a regular feature of this blog in the coming year.  If you or your kids learn well with the help of music, this feature should be helpful to you.  If you don't, or if you prefer not to listen to secular music, just skip these entries.

Here is my policy:  The videos and lyrics I post are all family-friendly.  I don't care if you don't fully understand it - I am not going to expose you to lewd content or vulgarity in a language you are learning!  That having been said, I realize that there are those among us with different convictions about what is considered appropriate for our families.  I'm trying my best for you, but please preview any video before showing it to children.  If you like the music, it is generally readily available on a site like Amazon.com.

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Apr. 29, 2008
Canta una canción - Sing a song!

Posted in música

If I were more proactive and categorized my blog entries, this might go under the heading: "Showing your age".  Maybe this will be more of a sentimental journey for us adults than a meaningful experience for the kids, but let's give it a try!  And many thanks to Patricia P. whose question to me prompted this blog entry.

Many years ago on Sesame Street, they featured a song written by Joe Raposo and made popular by The Carpenters, entitled "Sing".  In the last verse, a child sings an echo in Spanish.  Here are the lyrics and audio:

Sing
Sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad

Sing
Sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Sing
Sing a song

La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la

Sing
Sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad

Sing
Sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Sing
Sing a song


Sing (Canta)
Sing a song (Canta una cancion)
Sing out loud (Canta en voz alto)
Sing out strong (Canta fuerte)
Sing of good things, not bad (Cosas buenas, no malos)
Sing of happy, not sad (Alegre, no triste)
Sing (Canta)
Sing a song (Canta una cancion)
Make it simple to last your whole life long (Todo la vida)
Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear
Just sing (Canta)
Sing a song (Canta una cancion)




The Spanish in this song is more of an echo, and not a complete translation of the lyrics.  Here is my translation of the lyrics, so that you can sing the whole thing in Spanish:

Canta
Canta una canción
Canta en voz alto
Canta fuerte
Canta de cosas buenas, no malos,
Canta de lo alegre no lo triste.

Canta
Canta una canción
Que sea sencillo
 para durar toda la vida,
No te preocupes de que no está suficiente bien
 para que otros la escuchen,
Pues canta,
Canta una canción.

The syllables may be a bit of a mouthful, but give it a try!

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Oct. 3, 2007
Crank up the música!

Posted in música

Music is a fun way to learn a language!  This style of learning can really click with some people.  A resource I have used and enjoyed with my kids is Teach Me Tapes.

Clearly this company's name was chosen before the advent of CDs!  Now they offer a confusing "where do I start?!?!?" array of choices in, yes, CD format.  So, want to go crazy and order them all?  How about just starting with one! That keeps it very affordable, and lets you decide if it is going to be something you and your kids will like.

Disclaimer: don't judge the music by the one cheesy sample on the web page.  Why, oh why, did they choose a tired 80s hit/remake as their sample song?  I'm not sure what good learning "La Bamba" will do for any kid.

That having been said, here is what I like about this program: Most of the music is actually quite nice.  For the most part, a soloist is featured playing acoustic guitar.  There are numerous traditional melodies played, and the songs are sung in Spanish and English.  Just imagine the potential of a song like "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" in Spanish and English - it is a fun and easy way to pick up some great vocab.  These songs cleverly teach numbers, colors, clothing, toys, musical instruments, animals, etc.  Each Cd comes with the lyrics and translations.

A good start with this product is to play it as background music while your kids are playing, or to put it on at bedtime.  Let it grow on them, and let them enjoy singing along.  That will help them to get a feel for Spanish pronunciation and cadence.  Don't feel like you have to rush in and translate everything for them, or have cute lesson plans set up for everything.  As time goes on, choose a song, or focus on one that the kids like.  Teach selected key vocabulary words, and have your children listen for the words in the song.  Many of the songs have movements or fingerplays to go with them.  The vocabulary will be reinforced by acting out "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", for example.

Often listening for understanding, and comfortably expressing oneself verbally is the greatest challenge a student of foreign language faces.  This program is a fun and non-intimidating way to practice.


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