Sing to Me in Spanish

Music and Memory
When you speak English, a word or situation will often trigger a phrase from a song and if you hear a song it will often take you back to when you listened to it a lot. Think of a lullaby from your childhood, songs you sang around a campfire, your goin'-down-the-road music, a tune from graduation or one from your Spanish immersion program in Guatemala. What happens has nothing to do with the lyrics and notes printed on page of sheet music. The performance of the song stimulates a cascade of images and feelings that transport you to another time and another place.

Yo Recuerdo

Learning new songs is something I still enjoy and benefit greatly from. When I work on a tune, I find I am seldom distracted. I feel fully engaged. I love the idea when watching a music video, that the artist is singing to me. Then I can feel motivated to learn to understand the singer. For me the lyrics are easier to remember when paired with the music. One reminds me of the other. I would be hard-pressed to remember a single line from any Spanish novel I have ever read. But a year from now I'll probably remember songs from the Maná albums I listened to in Guatemala.