Sunday 6 March 2011

Marching to my own tune

Today, sometime in the early morning, all the pieces came together:
I learn best when I have a private tutor. I love music. I don't like fixed structures or sitting in a room with twenty other people. I don't like getting up at 9am. I had gained a lot from my previous language swaps, but felt like there was something missing - like I was out of control.
And then, suddenly, it all became clear: I should advertise for a partner who wants, like me, to learn language skills through song! Can there be a more enjoyable or interesting way to learn?


I have noted that I am most motivated to learn when a song worms its way into my ear, such as Robyn's Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa or the Spanish Besame Mucho. I also think I would be great at helping any student of English grasp the subtle nuances of any song through my passion for the written and spoken word (or, in this case, the sung lyric). I have good memories of Utada Hikaru songs like Automatic when it comes to Japanese, and if I'm really lost for lyrical muses, I can always tackle the national anthems.

I hope other people are as enthusiastic about this as I am. Learning some elegant yet popular metaphor is so much more interesting than learning how to tell the time. And who's to say it's less practical? It all depends on how you intend to express yourself, no? I remember being so proud that I could say 'Oh, what can I say of the state of my heart since you entered my life?' in Hindi, after falling in love with the song Tumse Milke, brought to life by Shah Rukh Khan in a Bollywood film... I can still remember selected parts of the song, which is delightful.

Should people be too shy to take up my offer, I guess I'll just learn foreign songs by myself! ;o)

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