Los Colores De La Vida

Here is a song to teach some simple Spanish to your students. This relatively short number is comprised of two verses and two choruses. The words "Los colores de la vida" – translated, "The colors of life" – make up the lyrics to each chorus. The first verse uses English sentences with Spanish words substituted for the color of the subject it is describing. Verse two has the group speaking a color in Spanish and a soloist responding in English with the translation, also describing an appropriate subject. It will make sense when you hear it.

If you're fortunate to have Hispanic children in your group, by all means have them help teach the appropriate pronunciations for the Spanish words. Otherwise, here are a couple of general rules of thumb:

- Roll your r's at the beginning of words, but when an "r" appears in the middle of a word, just flip it. If your kids have difficulty with it, have them substitute a quick "d" and it comes out about right.

- Don't pop your p's. Hold your hand in front of your mouth and make sure no air is being pushed out as it is with an English "p."

- Most d's are best pronounced with a soft "th" sound as in the word vida (vi-tha).

- Pronounce your o's like they would in northern Minnesota. Los is not pronounced with a long "o." Put your mouth in an "ooh" shape and it will come out pretty close.

On the recording, we used a rhythm section with traditional Spanish percussion and strings. The optional second part plays an important role in the style so make sure to include it if you can. The isolated parts for rehearsals can be found on our web site to help your kids nail it down. (See details in the box on page 77.)