Add your voice to Spanish Singing Festival on November 28
November 20, 2006
KOKOMO, Ind.—If you’re a high school or college student and can sing a song in Spanish, you are welcome to join the “Voces del corazón” (“Voices of the Heart”) Spanish Singing Festival at Indiana University Kokomo on Tuesday, November 28. Campus and community can listen and enjoy, starting at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.
Interested singers should contact Lecturer in Spanish J.R. Pico at jrpico@iuk.edu or (765) 455-9320 no later than November 24. Singers must provide their own instrumental or recorded accompaniment; a CD player and other audio equipment will be available.
The first-ever festival grew out of Pico’s challenge to his students to use songs in class, learn the lyrics, and sing the tunes of songs currently popular in some of the 22 countries where Spanish is the predominant language.
“It’s a fun way to learn Spanish,” said Tiffany Waddell, a psychology major from Kokomo. She and classmate Janna Mallay of Logansport will sing “Es por ti” (“It is because of you”), a song made popular by Colombian singer Jaunes, winner of six Latin Grammys, on his CD “Un día normal.”
Listening to the recorded song over and over again, Waddell gradually began to distinguish individual words. This helped her translate the lyrics and improve her Spanish pronunciation, she said. “I can relate to [the lyrics] better now. ‘Es por ti’ is a very sweet song; it talks about how the singer can’t go on without his girl.”
Festival singers will introduce their songs by translating some of the Spanish lyrics into English. But, music lovers don’t have to know Spanish to enjoy the singing, both students said.
“The songs we’re singing are not the traditional Spanish songs you always think of, with the constant merengue beat,” Mallay said. “They are lively pop and rock songs, and sound like our [U.S.] songs do.”
Mallay, who is studying social work at IU Kokomo, will also sing a solo of “Daría” (“I would give”). La Quinta Estación, a pop/rock band that originated in Spain and now works out of Mexico, had a top-rated video of “Daría” in Latin American markets in 2005.
As of press time, other IU Kokomo students planning to sing in the festival included Sade Cox, Rose Faith, Gary Richards, Paulisha Rink, Sara Robison and Tim Turner. Instrumental music will be provided by Chris Blaski, Gary Richards, and Kevin Thornbloom on guitar, Tim Turner on Bass, and Derek Wood on drums and percussion, also all Kokomo residents. Consuelo Gahs will be the master of ceremony. All are residents of Kokomo
J.R. Pico noted that a judges panel will award prizes to participants, recognizing language and music skills demonstrated. The judges include IU Kokomo administrators and some Latin Americans now residing in Kokomo, he said. “They are from Puerto Rico, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Cuba.”
“Voces del corazón” is sponsored by the IU Kokomo Department of Humanities and Club Hispano, a student organization devoted to exploring Hispanic culture. Club president and Spanish student John Proffitt of Wabash said the pop and rock sounds coming out of Hispanic-speaking countries form a “common ground” where their young adults and those of the United States can meet. “These countries have the same music genres we do here, but their music is also influenced by their folk songs, which brings an interesting perspective,” Profitt said. “When you hear these songs, you really understand the feeling behind the words, and the passion that Hispanic people have.”
Persons without campus parking passes should follow the signs for special event parking for the singing festival.
Spanish students rehearse for the “Voces del corazón” (“Voices of the Heart”) Spanish Singing Festival at IU Kokomo on November 28.
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