3 December 2024 – Strahinja, Learning Italian through Music
Learning Italian through Music Heading link
Recently I’ve thought much about how I could make my experience learning Italian more enjoyable and fulfilling after not having that much time and opportunity to really utilize the language actively instead of being limited to classes and passively taking it in through films and books, a struggle that most language students are likely familiar with, especially when the language in question is not necessarily everywhere.
I’ve come to realize that a lot of Italian culture is tied to music, and most notably to instruments such as the accordion (fisarmonica). The reason I’ve embraced accordion music is due to family tradition and history. My late aunt played the accordion and since then my extended family have seen me as the inheritor of that tradition which I’d kind of neglected and rejected until now. However, recently due to a desire to explore new hobbies and find something better to do with my time. Luckily, I do have the opportunity and possibility of learning Italian music on this instrument. Since the summer of 2024, I’ve begun my practice to learn accordion music, and in the past few weeks also classic tunes such as the southern Italian tarantellas, though I do also have a soft spot for romantic Venetian melodies.
Currently, my practice is still very informal, as I am waiting to be able to take private lessons to get better and truly perfect the art. Right now it is a difficult process as I am in the most critical stage of learning, but I hope to be able to perform the music for friends and family without issue at one point.
While I don’t really have a singing voice, the melodies themselves consistently remind me of the lyrics in my head, so I am still able to engage with the language and culture through the melodies. It’s super important for me to be able to sing these lyrics and melodies in my head because they help me engage with the language and culture much more.
It makes me glad that I am able to find and utilize these creative methods for language learning that are relaxing and fun for me while allowing me to express my creativity and skills. Hopefully this inspires others to also pick up instruments.