Hispanic Heritage Month!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Hispanic Heritage Month starts today, September 15th and goes until October 15th.

Check out the History of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Up for a challenge?  Try to do the following things before October 15th.

1.  Listen to a song in Spanish.

2.  Watch a movie or tv show in Spanish.

3.  Try to make a typical hispanic dish.

4.  Find out more about a famous hispanic person.

5.  Educate yourself about at least one important current event/movement.  Need a place to start?  Check out United We Dream.

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Music Monday – The World Cup – an event that actually includes the world!

There are many sporting competitions in the world that use “World Champion” as the ultimate title, but the fact of the matter is that many of those competitions don’t actually include the world.  As if I needed another reason soccer is the best sport in the world.

 

Get on spotify NOW. Click “browse,” then “Genres & Moods.”  The second option is “Loves Football.”  Once you click “Loves Football” you are taken to a magical place.  You can find the playlists of many countries, players and celebrities.  It’s almost like bringing the new Beats commercial with Neymar Jr. to life.

 

Let me know what your favorite playlist is!  Happy #WorldCup2014 #CopaMundial2014

Music Monday – Hala Madrid!

It was a magical weekend for Real Madrid this weekend.  They won the Champions League title over Atlético Madrid giving them their 10th European Cup, or as they like to call it “La Decima.”

The final score is no indication of the intense match it was.  Real keeper Iker Casillas was feeling brave and took an adventure which allowed Atlético their first goal.  Check out Godin’s goal here. 

Sergio Ramos showed us how it’s done in extra time and scored the header to send the match into overtime. 

Finally, Gareth Bale showed us why Real paid so much money for him.  Marcelo put in the third goal and Cristiano Ronaldo made an easy PK to round the game up to a nice comfortable 4-1 ending.

At the end of the day, this blog is about music.  What a better way to end it than with the Real Madrid players singing “Hala Madrid.”

Music Monday – More World Cup Madness!

As much as I want to post about other artists and different events I can’t deny or ignore how much World Cup buzz is out there.

I had the Billboard Music Awards on in the background last night and was super excited about the Latin representation on the show.  

• My absolute favorite moment was Ricky Martin’s return to the stage!  If you missed it, he is the same ol’ Ricky, singing, dancing and owning the stage.  Check him out here. 
• Pitbull, J. Lo & Claudia Leitte here also performed the official anthem of the World Cup.
• Shakira was also on stage singing her new single Empire.

What do all three acts have in common?  They are all artists on the 2014 Official World Cup Album: One Love, One Rhythm. 

Happy listening! 

Music Monday – La copa mundial / The World Cup!

The World Cup starts 1 month from today! 

As an ode to the upcoming Mundial, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite World Cup songs.

3. Wavin’ Flag – K’Naan ft. David Bisbal

2. Shakira & Wyclef Jean – Bamboo/Hips Don’t Lie

1. Ricky Martin – Cup of Life

What is your favorite World Cup jam?

Music Monday – Marc Anthony

It is only fitting that my second “Music Monday” is about the one and only Marc Anthony.  My admiration for him started when I first heard him sing “Vivir lo nuestro” with La India.  After that, I was hooked.  I somehow found a way to see him in concert in 2009 with Aventura and Alejandro Fernandez at Madison Square Garden in New York.  Seeing Marc Anthony live is something else.  He is often criticized for his looks and while he may not be the best looking individual, he is hands down the BEST performer I have ever seen live.

For some reason, Salsa music has never been a big hit with my students.  This year that all changed with “Vivir mi vida.”  Check it out and enjoy! 

Music Monday

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are only so many songs we get to actually cover in class.  As a challenge to myself, I’ve decided to post a weekly “Music Monday” section so that you all can be exposed to the wonderful world of Latin music. 

The first artist I’m going to cover is Buika, the inspiration for “Music Monday”.  I saw Buika in concert at Berklee College of Music right before break.  I’ve been to a good chunk of concerts and I have video footage from everyone except Buika – simply because she takes you on this beautiful journey before you can even remember your phone exists! 

The most remarkable part of the concert wasn’t even the fact that she received a standing ovation 3 different times.  It was the fact that in the sold out venue, I’d say that not even half of the venue spoke Spanish.  My entire walk home was spent thinking about the fact that so many non-Spanish speakers were so moved by her.  Language was never a barrier at her concert as she is able to make you feel whatever emotion she is singing about.  Not to mention, she did that with just her voice, a guitar, a bass guitar and the cajón. 

Here is a live version of the first song I ever heard by her: Buika – No habrá nadie en el mundo.