Authenticity in Music Classrooms
In Can't We Just Change the Words?, Koops (2010) discusses the importance of authenticity in the music classroom. She explains that music educators have a duty to their students to provide them with the most authentic examples of cultural music as possible. For example, "In order to understand and appreciate the Gambian music games, our students need to experience them as closely to the original context as possible. This means watching a video of Gabmian children playing the games, listening to a recording, learning the Mandinka words, playing along with the recording, and then learning to play on their own" (Koops 2010). This article immediately made me think of a Latin American song I teach my kindergarteners later in the school year, Los Pollitos.
Although the song is originally in Spanish with multiple verses, my textbook only provides the teacher with 1 verse in Spanish and with an English translation. I have always taught my students the original Spanish words and their translation, but I always have the students perform in Spanish. I have always noticed it is more difficult for students to learn the original Spanish verse; it takes them more time to learn the words and pronunciations, and it is more challenging for them to remember and sing the song on their own. To help them be more successful and to increase authenticity, it would be beneficial to play a recording of a native Spanish speaker for the students and find a recording of Spanish children singing the song. Both of these examples would help my students hear the correct pronunciation of the words and allow them to personally relate to the song. A song that is sung by children who speak English fluently and who speak Spanish fluently.
Reference: Koops, L.H. (2010). Can't We Just Change the Words?. Music Educators Journal, 97(1), 23-28. doi:10.1177/0027432110376892
Title: Lost Pollitos Dicen
Performer: Female Vocalist
Culture of Origin: Latin America
Instrumentation: Midi Instruments - Xylophone and Percussion Instruments
Hi Kellie. That is awesome that you have your students perform the songs in Spanish. Teaching them the pronunciations and the translations is a good head start, as well as a good access point into learning more about Spanish culture. In regards to the music, it does make it more authentic to sing the song in Spanish, as although you could sing a translated version, there is always some meaning lost in translation. Your approach is a very good strategy, which Koops touches on in her article.
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