Ben Revkin

I have written about International Idol before. It is a yearly event that our language department puts on in which students sing and perform in the target language. In my previous article I discuss its merits, which include practicing the skill of memorization/recitation, interpreting and translating lyrics, dancing, and class unity.
Here are some highlights from this year’s event, including videos, lyrics, and music. The Latin acts did well this year, and the video below was a top contender.

“Valete” (A translation of N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye”)

Not only did the students help to translate the songs, but they also memorized them and sang them while performing complex dance moves in front of a full auditorium. It was no easy feat (I should know – that’s me dancing in the front.)
The first step is picking a song. This year I had 3 classes which chose Bastille’s “Pompeii,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” I pasted English lyrics in Google Docs, then had students contribute words, phrases, and ideas for the translations. As I mentioned in my article last year, I try to focus translations on the rough meanings of the lines and to fit the rhythm and rhyming of the original song.
Next, I sang the lyrics to instrumental tracks. I used Audacity, a free program for Mac and PC. I am not a great singer, and the purpose was to give the students an idea of how the Latin words work within the melody and cadence of the song. It also acts as a backup when they sing the night of the competition, since they’d otherwise be at a disadvantage (the French and Spanish songs have vocals on them.) I encourage students to record their own voices, which always sounds much better then my own (have a listen to the alternate version of Pompeii by one of my students!) Here is a link to my SoundCloud account, where I post the songs for students to access. You will notice not only this year’s songs, but last year’s as well.
Once the music is set, it is a matter of memorizing the lyrics and choreographing something for the performance. Students really shine at this time and bring so many creative ideas to the table. For example, the background to “Pompeii” featured a giant cardboard volcano with “lava” streamers. Every year I am blown away by the effort, creativity, enthusiasm, and sheer fun that the students experience during the process.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Even if you cannot manage to start a department-wide event, consider translating songs for fun. You could still choreograph and perform a dance and post it to Youtube. Who knows, maybe one day we could have a national Latin singing and dancing contest. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.