If I'm going to Brazil, I'll need a way to communicate.
If I'm going to sing Brazilian songs, I'll want to be able to sing some of them in Brazilian Portuguese. And I'll want to understand what I'm singing about.
I need to learn Brazilian Portuguese.
But how? It is not widely offered here. And I don't have a lot of availability to attend classes.
So I go for the next best thing - a self-teaching program on audio CD. I purchase a 12-lesson program and listen to it while I'm cleaning up the kitchen.
At the end of the twelve lessons, I am able to order a glass of water and argue about who is going to pay for dinner. This really isn't very useful. The program progresses quite slowly, and it's disappointing that the content is not more practical.
And then I get Earworms. It's not a disease. It's the best CD language trainer ever; it utilizes music, rhythm and repetition to drill the phrases into your brain, so they stick. I put Earworms (Volumes 1 & 2) in my car and drive around listening to the conversations. The presenters break up the phrases and repeat each part in time to music. It's soothing and fun. As I drive, I join in with enthusiasm; no one can hear me.
At the same time I try to learn the Portuguese lyrics of some of my Brazilian songs. I understand some of the words, but don't always get the full sense of the songs. It doesn't matter - I enjoy getting my mouth around the words and imitating the singer. I type out the lyrics and underline the syllables that are emphasized in the song. The singers tend to run the vowels together; sometimes several words seem to merge into one. I listen and repeat, over and over. After a while I can sing some of the songs all the way through, only stumbling over the words once or twice.
Lani Hall (lead singer of Brasil 66) came from Chicago, and didn't speak Brazilian Portuguese. She learned all the songs phonetically and sang them from memory. I should be able to do this too.
But I don't feel confident enough yet to perform these songs. When you are on stage there is a lot to think about. It's hard enough to remember lyrics in your own language. And I'm sure Lani had a bit of help with learning and pronouncing her lyrics. I don't imagine she taught herself in her own lounge room.
As a next step, I decide to try a song in French. French is my strongest foreign language, and because I understand the lyrics, it's not purely memory work. I work on a French Christmas carol, and manage to hold it together in performance. But I still don't feel very confident to attempt the Brazilian songs in their true language.
Video of The Christmas Song (French lyrics)
If I'm going to sing Brazilian songs, I'll want to be able to sing some of them in Brazilian Portuguese. And I'll want to understand what I'm singing about.
I need to learn Brazilian Portuguese.
But how? It is not widely offered here. And I don't have a lot of availability to attend classes.
So I go for the next best thing - a self-teaching program on audio CD. I purchase a 12-lesson program and listen to it while I'm cleaning up the kitchen.
At the end of the twelve lessons, I am able to order a glass of water and argue about who is going to pay for dinner. This really isn't very useful. The program progresses quite slowly, and it's disappointing that the content is not more practical.
And then I get Earworms. It's not a disease. It's the best CD language trainer ever; it utilizes music, rhythm and repetition to drill the phrases into your brain, so they stick. I put Earworms (Volumes 1 & 2) in my car and drive around listening to the conversations. The presenters break up the phrases and repeat each part in time to music. It's soothing and fun. As I drive, I join in with enthusiasm; no one can hear me.
At the same time I try to learn the Portuguese lyrics of some of my Brazilian songs. I understand some of the words, but don't always get the full sense of the songs. It doesn't matter - I enjoy getting my mouth around the words and imitating the singer. I type out the lyrics and underline the syllables that are emphasized in the song. The singers tend to run the vowels together; sometimes several words seem to merge into one. I listen and repeat, over and over. After a while I can sing some of the songs all the way through, only stumbling over the words once or twice.
Lani Hall (lead singer of Brasil 66) came from Chicago, and didn't speak Brazilian Portuguese. She learned all the songs phonetically and sang them from memory. I should be able to do this too.
But I don't feel confident enough yet to perform these songs. When you are on stage there is a lot to think about. It's hard enough to remember lyrics in your own language. And I'm sure Lani had a bit of help with learning and pronouncing her lyrics. I don't imagine she taught herself in her own lounge room.
As a next step, I decide to try a song in French. French is my strongest foreign language, and because I understand the lyrics, it's not purely memory work. I work on a French Christmas carol, and manage to hold it together in performance. But I still don't feel very confident to attempt the Brazilian songs in their true language.
Video of The Christmas Song (French lyrics)
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