NCAIS 2014
FROM CHARLES TRENET TO
CONTROL MACHETE:
CONNECTING AND INSPIRING
THROUGH AUTHENTIC MUSIC IN
THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE
CLASSROOM
STEPHANIE DERFEUIL,
JENNIFER GARCI &
LORENA OCHOA
DURHAM ACADEMY
TIP #1 – SONGS CREATE STORIES!
 First listen - Have students listen to the song cold without
prior explanation. After listening, students can try to tell the
story of the song and repeat certain expressions.
 French: Christophe “Aline”
A song that is accessible, slow and repetitive – the more
dramatic the better!
TIP #1 – SONGS CREATE STORIES!
 Spanish: Bobby Capó “Piel Canela”
Repeats “Me importas tú” several times.
TIP #2 - SONGS TEACH US ABOUT
THEIR AUTHORS!
 Learn about the musician.
 Research the country and circumstances of the musician.
 Write a biography & find other songs from that musician.
French : Edith Piaf “Je ne regrette rien”
Study the story of her life and loves, why she still is a French icon
50 years after her death.
Spanish : Silvio Rodríguez “ Ojalá”.
Learn about Cuba.
TIP #3 : SONGS ARE HISTORY
 When was the song written? Research historic events of the
period. Was this a folk song that people knew? Did it play on the
radio? What other songs were popular at the time? In what
countries did it get the most airplay?
French
http://www.billboard.com/charts/2014 -09-06/france-songs
http://acharts.us/france_singles_top_100
 Homework : Research songs from the site that were popular at
the same time & prepare activities associated with them. What
might they say about the values of that time in history or how
the language has evolved since then?
TIP #3 : SONGS ARE HISTORY
Spanish: Buena Vista Social Club
Talk about backstory, learn about a country’s history, look at
websites, listen to the soundtrack, watch the documentary, plant the
seed, start the discussion, spark the interest!
TIP #4 : SONGS ARE GRAMMAR!
Choose songs whose structures reflect the points of
grammar you are studying.
French
 Le subjonctif : Celine Dion “Pour que tu m’aimes encore”
Jean-Jacques Goldman “Pas toi”
 Le conditionnel : Joe Dassin “Si tu n’existais pas”
TIP #4 : SONGS ARE GRAMMAR!
Spanish
 Re-write the chorus using commands or other grammatical
structures. Óscar De León “Detalles”
 Infinitives: Diego Torres “Color esperanza”
 Subjunctive: Diego Torres “Sueños” , Víctor Muñoz “Mi princesa”
 Preterite & Imperfect: Carlos Vives “Las doce menos diez”
 Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns: Fonseca “Te mando flores”
 Reflexive Verbs: El gran combo de Puer to Rico “No hago más ná”
TIP # 5 : SONGS ARE
LISTENING COMPREHENSION!
 Use listening to the song as a fill -in-the blanks listening
comprehension exercise. Create a cloze activity – with
missing words.
 French:
“Quand je vais à l’école”
TIP #6 : SONGS ARE STILL GRAMMAR!
 Or skip the listening exercise and create a grammar
activity and remove the conjugated verbs!
French
existais (exister) pas,
Joe Dassin “Si tu ne __________
dis
existerias
_______(dire)
- moi pourquoi j’ ______________(exister).
TIP #7 : SONGS ARE VOCABULARY AND
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS!
 Provide a vocabulary list for students or give them time to
research unfamiliar words on their own.
French
Francis Cabrel “Je l’aime à mourir”
Daniel Guichard “Mon vieux”
Spanish
Juan Luis Guerra “Ojalá que llueva café”
“Me sube la bilirrubina” “El Niágara en bicicleta”
 Both treat accessible themes (love and fatherhood) but contain
many idiomatic and familiar expressions
TIP # 8 : SONGS ARE ART!
 Watch the music video, discuss the lyrics, imagery, messages.
Calle 13 “Latinoamérica”
TIP # 8 : SONGS ARE ART!
 Make videos in a similar style of the song, inspired by the
song.
 Students explore and discover a new video/song to share
with the class, give their own lesson, share their inspiration.
 Create art (painting, collage, drawing, poem, photo) inspired
by the song.
TIP #9 : SONGS ARE READING
COMPREHENSION AND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
 Test understanding of the song, ask questions:
 What is the subject of the song?
 Is there a person in particular the singer addresses?
 Are there references to particular places?
 Does the music (rhythm, tone) reflect the content of the lyrics?
 Identify literary and poetic devices (personification, alliteration,
rhyme, syllables, repetitions)
TIP #9 : SONGS ARE READING
COMPREHENSION AND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Calle 13 “Latinoamérica”
Soy, soy lo que dejaron
Soy toda la sobra de lo que se robaron
Un pueblo escondido en la cima
Mi piel es de cuero
Por eso aguanta cualquier clima
Soy una fábrica de humo
Mano de obra campesina para tu
consumo
Frente de frío en el medio del verano
El amor en los tiempos del cólera mi
hermano
El sol que nace y el día que muere
Con los mejores atardeceres
Soy el desarrollo en carne viva
Un discurso político sin saliva
Las caras más bonitas que he conocido
Soy la fotografía de un desaparecido
La sangre dentro de tus venas
Soy un pedazo de tierra que vale la
pena
Una canasta con frijoles
Soy Maradona contra Inglaterra
Anotándote dos goles
Soy lo que sostiene mi bandera
La espina dorsal del planeta es mi
cordillera
Soy lo que me enseñó mi padre
El que no quiere a su patria
No quiere a su madre
Soy América Latina
Un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina
Tú
Tú
Tú
Tú
Tú
Tú
Tú
Tú
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
puedes
puedes
puedes
puedes
puedes
puedes
puedes
puedes
comprar
comprar
comprar
comprar
comprar
comprar
comprar
comprar
el viento,
el sol
la lluvia,
el calor
las nubes,
los colores
mi alegría,
mis dolores
Tengo los lagos, tengo los ríos
Tengo mis dientes pa' cuando me sonrío
La nieve que maquilla mis montañas
Tengo el sol que me seca y la lluvia que
me baña
Un desierto embriagado con peyote
Un trago de Pulque para cantar con los
coyotes
Todo lo que necesito
Tengo a mis pulmones respirando azul
clarito
La altura que sofoca
Soy las muelas de mi boca mascando
coca
El otoño con sus hojas desmayadas
Los versos escritos bajo la noche
estrellada
Una viña repleta de uvas
Un cañaveral bajo el sol en un cuba
Soy el mar caribe que vigila las casitas
Haciendo rituales de agua bendita
El viento que peina mi cabello
Soy todos los santos que cuelgan de mi
cuello
El jugo de mi lucha no es artificial
Porque el abono de mi tierra es natural
[Coro:]
Trabajo bruto pero con orgullo
Aquí se comparte, lo mío es tuyo
Este pueblo no se ahoga con marullos
Y si se derrumba, yo lo reconstruyo
Tampoco pestañeo cuando te miro
Para que te acuerdes de mi apellido
La operación cóndor invadiendo mi nido
Perdono pero nunca olvido
Vamos caminando
Aquí se respira lucha
Vamos caminando
Yo Canto porque se escucha
Vamos dibujando el camino
Estamos de pie
Vamos caminando
Aquí estamos de pie
TIP # 10 : SONGS ARE LIVING,
EVOLVING CULTURE!
 P l ay d i f fe r e n t v e r s i o n s o f a s o n g . C o m p a r e & c o n t r a s t d i s c us s i n g d i f fe r e n t t i m e p e r i o d s
and values.
Fr ench
 C h a r l e s Tr e n et “ D o u c e Fr a n c e ”
and
R a c h id Ta j a “ D o u c e Fr a n c e ”
TIP # 10 : SONGS ARE LIVING,
EVOLVING CULTURE!
Spanish
 Versions of “Piel Canela” by Bobby Capó, Andrés Cepeda and Eydie
Gormé with Los Panchos.
 “Ojalá que llueva café” by Juan Luis Guerra and Café Tacuba
 These activities foster great conservations about how a song has
been interpreted dif ferently for dif ferent groups in dif ferent periods.
TIP # 11 : SONGS ARE PRONUNCIATION!
 Have students sing the song paying attention to pronunciation.
Using a site like “ Forvo”, students can compare pronunciations
with those of the singers.
www.forvo.com
 Have students memorize the song and sing it several times in
class. It can be a valuable pronunciation tool .
 Duets work well for pair work. Divide the class into groups ask
them to sing the female and male parts. Then, switch.
Spanish
 Marc Anthony & Jennifer López “No me ames”
 Pimpinela “Pega la vuelta”
 Enrique Igleias & Juan Luis Guerra “Cuando me enamoro”
TIP #12 : SONGS HELP US UNDERSTAND
HUMANIT Y AND WHAT SEPARATES US AND
KEEPS US TOGETHER
 Explore crossover:
 When has music entered/invaded/collided with their personal lives? How
does that influence thinking, acceptance, exploration, evolution?
Control Machete
“Sí, señor” Super Bowl
Levi’s – 2002
TIP #12 : SONGS HELP US UNDERSTAND
HUMANIT Y AND WHAT SEPARATES US AND
KEEPS US TOGETHER
 What are the big themes in these songs? What speaks to you?
 The broken heart, homesickness, social justice, the duality of being
a Latino/Hispanic/other in the U.S., immigration, etc.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2012 -07-30/locura-searches-culturalidentity -their-music
LoCura – San Francisco
“Guerriller@s”
TIP #13 : SONGS ARE GEOGRAPHY!
 Songs can be a great way to learn geography. Have
students map from where come the songs your
group listened to in an end of the year project.
 Aim to listen to songs from 10 different countries in
a year.
TIP #14 - DANCE WITH THE MUSIC!
 Choose a song that students can learn to dance.
 For example: Carlos Vives “Mi caballito” is a playful song: lots of
verbs in the preterit and enough repetition for students to follow
the lead of the singer.
 Now, try it yourself!:
TIP #15 : SONGS GO BEYOND THE
CLASSROOM!
 Encourage (or even require!) students to go see live
music in the target language in your area.
 Carolina Theater Durham = Oct Los Lobos, Nov Diego El Cigala, May
Lila Downs
 Past: Prince Royce, La Ley, Ar turo Sandoval, Los Amigos Invisibles,
Ozomatli, Gipsy Kings, etc.
 Listen to Pandora etc. at the beginning of class or
during class activities. Discover new music, identify
favorites!
TIP #15 : SONGS GO BEYOND THE
CLASSROOM!






Watch awards & music shows:
Latin Grammy Awards ( www.latingrammy.com),
ALMA Awards (www.almaawards.com),
Hispanic Heritage Awards,
French (Les Victoires de la Musique).
Austin City Limits,
“Live From the Artists Den”
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Hispanic Society of America
Washington Heights, NYC
TIP #15 : SONGS GO BEYOND THE
CLASSROOM!
 Listen to French radio stations online in class to hear
the latest music and listen to commercials in French!
www.beurfm.net
http://www.nrj.fr/
 Construct a class database where students can add
their favorite songs and any new finds!
FRANCOPHONE RESOURCES
 Fr a n c o p h o n e m u s i c f r o m 1 0 d i f fe r e n t c o un t r i e s / r e g i o n s :
 B e l g ium : J a c q u e s B r e l , S t r o ma e ( h t t p :/ / w ww. a g e n d ac ul t ur e l .f r / a r t i s te / c o n c e r t / c h a n s o n f r a n c ai s e / c h a n te ur s - f r a n c o p h o n e s / c h a n te ur s - b el g e s / )
 M a l i : A m a d o u et M a r i a m ( h t t p :/ / w ww. a f r i k .c o m / m us i k / m a l i / p ay s / 3 5 )
 A l g e r ia : C h e b K h a l e d - A ï c h a + ( h t t p :/ / w w w. z i k d al g e r i e .c o m / ) - L e a r n a b o u t R a i !
 Quebec : Celine Dion +
( h t t p : / / w w w. r e p e r to i r e d e s a r t is te s q ue b e c o is .o r g / s ec t i o n . a s p ? n o = 1 2 )
 L o u is i a n a : Z a c h a r y R i c h a r d ( h t t p : / / w w w.z ac h a r y r ic h a r d .c o m/ f r a n c a i s / h o me . p h p ) +
( h t t p : / / w w w. l o uis i a n e - to ur i s m e .f r / 1 4 - 2 - n ew - o r l e a n s - l o us i a n e - m us i q ue .h t m l ) - L e a r n a b o u t
Acadie!
 L e b a n o n : R i c ky S h ay n e “ Q u a n d o n s e r et r o uve s e u l ” + ( h t t p :/ / w ww. h i b am us i c .c o m / l i b a n / )
- L e a r n a b o u t t h e Fr e n c h i n f l ue nc e i n t h e M i d d le E a s t .
 L u xe m b o ur g : Tox i c Re n é + D e b o r a h L e h n e n ( h t t p s : / / d e b o r a h l e h n e n .b a n d p a g e . c o m / )
 C ô te d ’ I v o ir e : B é t i ka “ J e l ’ a i m e ” ( h t t p : / / w w w.a f r i k .c o m / m us i k / c ote - d - i v o ir e / p ay s / 16 )
 M a r t in i q ue : I m a n i o u C o m p a g n i e C r é o l e ( h t t p : / / w w w.t r e s o r m a r t i ni q ue . c om / m us i q ue s _ d e s _ i l e s . h t m ) - L e a r n a b o u t Z o u k a n d C r e o l e !
 Fr a n c e : D i a m ’ s , S o p r a n o f o r t h e m o s t m o d e r n .
( h t t p : / / w w w. a g e n d a c ult ur e l . f r / a r t is te / c o nc e r t / r a p / r a p p e ur s / r a p p e ur s - f r a n c ai s / )
SPANISH RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
México : Maná, Juan Gabriel, Ana Gabriel, Paulina Rubio, Flans, Café Tacuba,
Rodrigo y Gabriela, Los de Abajo, Control Machete, Jesse y Joy
Guatemala : Ricardo Arjona,
El Salvador : Álvaro Torres
Puer to Rico : Chayanne, Ricky Mar tin, Luis Fonsi, Calle13
República dominicana : Juan Luis Guerra, Wilfrido Vargas, Sergio Vargas,
Cuba : Celia Cruz, Silvio Rodríguez, Gloria Estefan, Buena Vista Social Club
Colombia : Shakira, Juanes, Fonseca, Joe Arroyo, Juan Piña, Carlos Vives,
Cabas, los Aterciopelados
Venez uela : Los Amigos Invisibles, Franco DeVita, Chino y Nacho, José Luis
Rodríquez .
Chile : Alber to Plaza, La Ley, Los Prisioneros, Violeta Parra, Victor Jara
Uruguay : Carlos Gardel
Argentina : Diego Torres, Soda Stereo, Pimpinela, Mercedes Sosa, Miranda,
Enanitos Verdes, Ricardo Montaner
España : La Oreja de Van Gogh, Raphael, Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Ella
baila sola, Alex Ubago, Enrique Iglesias, Gipsy Kings, Carlos Montoya, El Canto
del Loco, Manu Chao
EE.UU .: Ozomatli, LoCura, Lila Downs, Los Lobos
Guinea Ecuatorial : Las Hijas del Sol
MORE RESOURCES
 http://www.fluentin3months.com/sing -to-learn-languages/
 Book: “Music with the Brain in Mind” by Eric Jensen
 FLTEACH – Foreign Language Teaching Forum / Listserv
http://web.cortland.edu/flteach /
 http://www.secondhandsongs.com /
MERCI!
¡GRACIAS!
Please email us with any questions or suggestions!
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]