Archive for 'Music'
You Know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer… The Dark Side of French Rudolph Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 18, 2015
Ah, it’s December, and baby, it’s cold outside! Don’t be a grinch about the weather, though. Even if Jack Frost is nipping at your nose, tis the season to be jolly! Whether you’re in church listening to yuletide carols being sung by a choir or at home decking your halls with boughs of holly, this…
Aux armes, citoyens ! The History of the French National Anthem Posted by Josh Dougherty on Nov 19, 2015
Les hymnes nationaux (national anthems) are patriotic numbers used to tell the history, traditions, and struggles of a country and unite its citizens. Their styles vary per country – some versions are standard fanfares, some sway more toward operatic pieces, and others have difficult lyrics that are very easy to flub! As an American, I…
French Music: Indila Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Nov 9, 2015
Have you heard of a singer-songwriter named Indila? Indila is a French musician whose first album, Mini World, came out in 2014 to great acclaim. Indila is of Cambodian, Egyptian, and Algerian descent and uses musical influences from each of these cultures in her songs. In particular, she has stated that Algerian räi music has been a…
Learning through Music – Calogero’s “Pomme C” Posted by Josh Dougherty on Nov 6, 2015
Music is a fun and stress-free way of learning a foreign language. You expose yourself to new genres and voices. You learn new phrases, hear new accents, discover plays on words, and learn vocabulary that you’ll never forget. And it makes sense – you can still remember all the words to the music you listened…
My Ancestors and Their Degeneration Posted by John Bauer on Nov 4, 2015
I’m a big fan of les chansons françaises (French songs) or rather les chansons en français (songs in French). Whether they’re from la France, le Québec, or somewhere else in la francophonie, there’s a lot of musique en français that mixes modern styles with a folkier past. One groupe I like is, Mes Aïeux (My…
French Hard? Hakuna Matata! Learn French Through Disney Songs! Posted by Josh Dougherty on Oct 15, 2015
Have you ever been speaking a foreign language and you suddenly forget a simple word? It’s happened more times than I’d like to admit, but that’s part of foreign language experience. (Who am I kidding? Happens to me in English sometimes, too :-p ). Maybe I should start taking ginkgo biloba? Anyway, I’ll be speaking…
French Weird Al – Oldelaf et Monsieur D Posted by John Bauer on Oct 14, 2015
Music parody champion Weird Al is celebrated for his wit and ability to imitate songs in both a funny and clever way. The only problem is il ne chante pas en français (he doesn’t sing in French)! Heureusement (luckily), there is un groupe français (a French group) that nicely fills the music comedy niche! Oldelaf…