Stop wasting time with language apps!

Most aspiring polyglots in this age of digital convenience seek a panacea in language learning apps. They promise fast results, with the whole process gamified and a totally flexible system — learn whenever and wherever. But despite all of this, they might not be the best use of your time if you want to become truly fluent. Here's why you should reconsider your dependence on this digital tool and see into more effective ways of mastering a new language.

The Parrot Problem

This is one of the significant problems with language apps; they tend to turn their users into parrots. Repetition is surely key in language learning, but parroting sentences without understanding context, nuance, or cultural relevance only leads one to superficial knowledge. A lot of these apps are based around rote learning of phrases, which might help you in the purchase of a coffee in a foreign country but somewhat less in building a deeper conversation.

Language itself is necessarily social. It's a tool for communication, rather than being words and rules of grammar taken in isolation. Language apps do not have this interactive component that is present in real-life conversations. They only provide you with one form of interaction in which you respond to prompts—sayings, with little or no feedback on your pronunciation or context. This is very much unlike a real conversation, where you would listen, respond, and adjust on the fly.

They can lack customisation

No two learners are exactly alike; they will all have their strengths, weaknesses, and ways that they learn best. In general, language apps provide a one-size-fits-all approach in which the content and activities are the same for everyone. This lack of personalisation can be frustrating and inefficient. If you are struggling with a certain feature of the language, an app will not give you the tailored guidance to overcome this obstacle.

Overemphasis on vocabulary

While having a rich vocabulary is important, knowing many words does not mean that a person is fluent. Most language apps focus far more on the acquisition of vocabulary than on other crucial skills, in particular, learning how to listen and speak with the correct emphasis or intonation or stress patterns and about the culture of the host language. Fluency is the ability to use the language fluently and appropriately in different contexts, not just through memorising long word lists.

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Alternatives to Language Apps

So, what are the more effective ways to spend your time learning a new language? Some alternatives can provide a more holistic and practical language learning experience:

1. Language Classes with a Tutor

   This is, beyond doubt, the best way to learn a language. Personalised feedback from your human tutor, lessons that match your learning speed, and making live corrections are all benefits of learning with a great tutor. Even more significantly, classes are interactive and simulate honest life conversations where you are given practice to learn how to speak and listen in a supportive environment.

2. Language Exchange Partnerships

   Having language exchange partnerships is another exceptional practice method. A language exchange partnership is a situation whereby individuals seeking fluency in a target language pair up with a native speaker who seeks to learn the partner's native language. It'll be reciprocal since both will have an equal share of talk in each language and, at the same time, be beneficial in speaking and knowing about one another's culture. It helps improve conversational skills by exposing you to colloquial expressions and slang that you might never hear within formal surroundings.

3. Immersive Experiences

   Immersion is a powerful way to learn a language. If possible, spend time in a country where the language is spoken. Immersion surrounds you with the language in your daily interactions, and so, therefore, is the way to learn very quickly. If travel is not possible, it is always possible to create an immersion experience at home through movies, music, or books.

4. Attend Language Meetups and Clubs

   Most cities have language meetups and clubs where learners can practice speaking in informal, social contexts. This would mean the chance to communicate with more than one person or compels one to remain in touch with various accents or speaking styles. They also add an element of fun and remove the inherent isolation in a study by inviting a sense of community and support within the group.

Although language apps can be pretty helpful as an additional tool, overreliance on them wouldn't be a good strategy for achieving fluency. Most often, these are aimed at but miss delivering the interactive, personal, context-rich experiences that may be required to acquire appropriate proficiency in a language. For a better way, consider taking language classes, exchanging with native speakers, immersing yourself, meeting with others, and getting professional tutors. Humans learn languages to communicate with other humans, right? Therefore, in such an enterprise, there is no substitute for interacting with other humans. Use your time wisely, and you will speak confidently and naturally in no time.

How to use ChatGPT to enhance your Spanish listening skills with podcasts

Learning a new language can be an exhilarating journey, and Spanish is no exception. With the advent of advanced AI tools like ChatGPT, language learners now have a unique opportunity to enhance their skills, particularly in listening comprehension. In this blog post, we'll explore how you can use ChatGPT to improve your Spanish listening skills using podcasts with transcripts.

Step 1: Start with a Summary

Before diving into a podcast, it can be helpful to have a general idea of what it's about. ChatGPT can provide a concise summary of the podcast's transcript. This will give you a clear context before you start listening. Podcasts like El Hilo or Radio Ambulante provide transcripts. Just copy paste it and prompt ChatGPT to give you a summary in bullet points.

Suggested Prompt: "Can you provide a summary of this Spanish podcast transcript? Use bullet points."

Step 2: Identify Key Vocabulary

Depending on your proficiency level, you may need help understanding certain words or phrases in the podcast. ChatGPT can generate a list of key vocabulary from the transcript, tailored to your level. This step is crucial for building your lexicon.

Suggested Prompt: "Please list the key vocabulary from this transcript suitable for an intermediate-level Spanish learner." Just tell ChatGPT which level you are at and it’ll give you more or less vocabulary.

Step 3: Comprehension Questions

After listening to the podcast, it's important to test your understanding. ChatGPT can create comprehension questions based on the transcript. This not only tests your listening skills but also ensures you can recall and use the information you heard.

Suggested Prompt: "Can you create some comprehension questions based on this Spanish podcast transcript?"

Step 4: Check Your Understanding

Once you've answered the questions, you can use ChatGPT to check your answers. This immediate feedback is valuable for understanding your mistakes and learning from them.

Suggested Prompt: "Here are my answers to the comprehension questions. Can you correct them?"

Step 5: Engage in a Dialogue

To further enhance your learning, you can engage in a simulated conversation with ChatGPT based on the podcast's topic. This practice can improve your ability to think and respond in Spanish, as well as helping you improve your writing.

Suggested Prompt: "Let's have a dialogue about the main topics discussed in the podcast. Correct my spelling and grammar. "

Step 6: Summary in Spanish

After completing these steps, ask ChatGPT to provide a summary of the podcast in simpler Spanish. This will help reinforce your understanding and give you exposure to different ways of expressing the same ideas.

Suggested Prompt: "Can you summarize this podcast in simpler Spanish for practice?"

Using ChatGPT in conjunction with Spanish podcasts and their transcripts is a dynamic way to enhance your listening skills, and supplement your learning with an experienced tutor. By preparing with summaries, focusing on key vocabulary, testing your comprehension, and engaging in dialogue, you're not just passively listening but actively engaging with the language. Remember, language learning is a journey, and tools like ChatGPT are here to assist you every step of the way.

At Hackney Spanish we incorporate a wide range of technologies into our classes. Get in touch, to get started today!

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Why we're not fans of intensive courses

Hola, Spanish language enthusiasts! A bit of a controversial one here, since we’ll go against the orthodoxy and what is a common practice in most language schools. But you’ve read it right: we aren’t fans of intensive courses. And here’s why.

We often get requests for intensive courses, especially from beginners eager to really get into the language, and most of the time we turn them down, even if it’d mean quick money. Beginner intensive courses are often a waste of time and money for the student. We used to organise this type of class but then we stopped since we believe it’s not in our students’ interest.

At Hackney Spanish, we understand that embarking on the path of language acquisition requires time, dedication, and a genuine appreciation for the process. Language learning is a practice that unfolds gradually, offering invaluable insights and experiences along the way.

In this post, we delve into the fundamental principles that guide our approach: the importance of investing time in language learning and why we steer clear of intensive courses for most students.

Language learning: a process of discovery

Learning a new language is akin to embarking on an enthralling journey. Just as a traveler needs time to soak in the sights, sounds, and flavors of a new destination, language learners need time to immerse themselves in the nuances, idioms, and rhythms of a foreign tongue. Travelling is a physical process — language learning is physical too, and it takes time for neural processes to become established.

Research has shown that true language acquisition takes time, allowing the brain to process and internalise the intricacies of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural context. At Hackney Spanish, we believe in fostering a deep connection with the Spanish language, one that unfolds through consistent exposure, practice, and engagement. We want our students to create a connection to the language that extends beyond the classroom.

The myth of quick fixes

In a world of instant gratification, the allure of intensive language courses can be tempting. However, we firmly believe that language learning is a process that thrives on depth and authenticity, not rushed memorisation (like with many apps that promise you’ll learn a language with 15 minutes a day!).

Intensive courses, just like many apps, often promise rapid results, but they can leave learners with superficial knowledge that fades quickly. We understand that true language proficiency goes beyond mere memorisation; it involves understanding the language's structure, its soul, its cultural context, and the joy of meaningful communication.

And for this to happen you need to create solid connections — we help our students achieve these.

The Hackney Spanish approach: no magic Recipes, but fun and consistent Work

At Hackney Spanish, we are passionate advocates of genuine language learning. We believe that there are no magic recipes or shortcuts to becoming fluent in Spanish. Anyone who tells you so is selling you snake oil. Instead, we emphasize the power of consistent practice, interactive engagement, and a supportive community that nurtures your growth.

Our courses are designed to inspire you to explore the language's rich tapestry, from its history to its idiomatic expressions and grammar, in a way that builds lasting proficiency and cultural and linguistic understanding. Our social events will make you feel part of a community.

So are intensive courses always useless?

No. That’s not what we are saying! We don’t believe intensive courses are good value for your time and money when you are giving your first steps. Unless you are willing to move to a Spanish-speaking country and do a month or so of full immersion, thus being completely in the language, we would advise you not to try to do an intensive course. Coordinating an intensive course while you continue to exist in your own language, with work, study, and family commitments, is not the best way to invest your time and money as a beginner.

We do agree to intensive courses when we get requests from students who have already learned the basics and have a certain level of Spanish. Many times life separates a student from a language and an intensive course will be a good way to reconnect with it. But for this to happen the student should have done the slow work before.

I’m a beginner, can’t I do anything to speed up my learning?

There’s lot of you can do to speed up your learning! Most of is free and flexible. We have covered this topic before. You can read all about it here and here (with a focus on listening, the hardest skill to pick up in Spanish).

Think of learning a language as a lifelong way to open up your world. And wherever you are in your journey get in touch today, since we can assist you to get beyond. You will be surprised how quickly you’ll acquire Spanish, without a need of spending all your time and money in a classroom!

Iberian or Latin American Spanish?

When it comes to learning Spanish, one of the first questions that our students often ask us is whether to focus on Iberian Spanish or Latin American Spanish. While both varieties of Spanish are derived from the same roots, there are some key differences between the two.

Firstly, it's important to note that Spanish is the official language of 21 countries, including Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, among others. Iberian Spanish refers to the Spanish spoken in Spain, while Latin American Spanish refers to the Spanish spoken in the Americas.

Here are some of the main differences

Pronunciation and Vocabulary

One of the most noticeable differences between Iberian and Latin American Spanish is pronunciation. While both varieties use the same alphabet, there are differences in how letters are pronounced, especially the letters "c" and "z" and the "s" sound. For example, in Spain, the "c" and "z" are pronounced with a "th" sound (the closer we can get in English), while in Latin America, they are pronounced like an "s".

There are also differences in vocabulary between the two. In some cases, words have different meanings or are used differently in Spain compared to Latin America. For example, in Spain, the word "coche" is used to refer to a car, while in Latin America, the words "carro" (Mexico) or auto (South American) are more commonly used. Similarly, in Spain, the word "ordenador" is used to refer to a computer, while in Latin America, "computadora" is more commonly used.

Grammar

Another difference between Iberian and Latin American Spanish is grammar. In general, the grammar rules are the same, but there are some differences in usage. For example, in Latin America, the past simple tense is used more frequently than the present perfect tense, while in Spain, the present perfect tense is used more often. There are also differences in the use of pronouns and in the way that reflexive verbs are used.

Culture

Finally, it's important to note that there are also cultural differences between the two varieties of Spanish. These differences can be seen in everything from the way that people greet each other to the food that is eaten. For example, in Spain, it is common to greet someone with a kiss on each cheek, while in Latin America, a handshake is more common. Similarly, the food that is eaten in Spain is different from the food that is eaten in Latin America, with each region having its own unique cuisine and culinary traditions.

In a nutshell

While Iberian and Latin American Spanish are both variations of the same language, there are differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and culture. Ultimately, which variety of Spanish you choose to focus on will depend on your personal preferences and goals. Regardless of which one you choose to focus on it is important that you understand all varieties of Spanish and a good school / tutor will make sure you are exposed to different regional varieties. Also, note that things like a permanent accent is something you will pick up later in your journey, so this is not something you should worry about when you begin your studies.

Seven free podcasts for students of Spanish

Podcasts are a great way for Spanish language learners to improve their listening skills, expand their vocabulary, and learn about different cultures and topics. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, there are plenty of free Spanish language podcasts that you can listen to on your own time. In this post, we will highlight some of the best free podcasts about different topics for students of Spanish of all levels.

Coffee Break Spanish

Coffee Break Spanish is a popular podcast that offers lessons for learners of all levels, from beginners to advanced speakers. The podcast is hosted by a team of experienced Spanish teachers, who use a conversational approach to teach grammar and vocabulary in context. The lessons are broken down into manageable chunks, making it easy for learners to follow along and practice their speaking skills.

Radio Ambulante

Radio Ambulante is a podcast that focuses on storytelling and narrative journalism from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world. The podcast features a mix of interviews, personal narratives, and investigative journalism, covering a wide range of topics such as politics, culture, and social issues. The stories are presented in a way that is engaging and thought-provoking, making it an excellent resource for intermediate and advanced learners who want to improve their listening comprehension and learn more about different cultures.

Notes in Spanish

Notes in Spanish is a podcast that is designed to help learners improve their Spanish listening skills through real-life conversations. The podcast features a Spanish couple, Ben and Marina, who discuss a variety of topics such as food, travel, and culture. The conversations are conducted entirely in Spanish, but the hosts speak at a pace that is easy to follow, making it an excellent resource for beginners and intermediate learners.

SpanishPod101

SpanishPod101 is a language-learning podcast that offers lessons for learners of all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced speakers. The podcast covers a wide range of topics, from grammar and vocabulary to cultural insights and travel tips. The lessons are presented in a fun and engaging way, making it an excellent resource for learners who want to improve their listening skills while also learning about different aspects of Spanish culture.

No Hay Tos

No Hay Tos is a podcast that is hosted by two Mexican friends, Carlos and Sofía, who discuss a variety of topics such as music, food, and travel. The podcast is conducted entirely in Spanish, but the hosts speak at a pace that is easy to follow, making it an excellent resource for intermediate and advanced learners who want to improve their listening comprehension and learn more about Mexican culture.

Leyendas Legendarias

Leyendas Legendarias is a podcast that covers a variety of topics related to pop culture and current events. The podcast is hosted by four Mexican friends, who use humor and satire to discuss everything from movies and TV shows to politics and social issues. The conversations are conducted entirely in Spanish, making it an excellent resource for intermediate and advanced learners who want to improve their listening comprehension while also staying up-to-date on current events.

Duolingo Spanish Podcast

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is a storytelling podcast that is designed to help learners improve their listening skills while also learning about different cultures and traditions. The podcast features real-life stories from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world, told in a way that is engaging and thought-provoking. The stories are presented in both Spanish and English, making it an excellent resource for beginners and intermediate learners who want to improve their listening comprehension while also building their vocabulary.

To wrap up, podcasts are an excellent resource for Spanish language learners of all levels. From language-learning podcasts to storytelling podcasts, there are plenty of free resources available that can help you improve your listening skills, expand your vocabulary, and learn more about different cultures and topics. By taking advantage of these resources, you will learn faster. Start listening now!

Free online resources for students of Spanish

There are no limits to the things you can do to aid your learning of Spanish. Here are some things we’ve been using a lot lately. All of them a freely available online!

1. SpanishDict: lots of grammar help here! Vocabulary, conjugation, translations, etc!

2. Linguee: this one is great for looking for translations of phrases, etc. It will show you results from the work of translators.

3. Learning Language with Netflix: This Google Chrome plugin is a godsend! It lets you have subtitles in two languages. Why not have it in Spanish and English at the same time?

4. Radio Garden: amazing radio project. Look for stations in Spanish or Latin America and let time do the rest. Here are some tips of how to use it.

5. Conjugato (app): great free app for practising your verbs.

6. BBC MUNDO: Lots of international use. Top tip: try to read about things you are familiar with. Unless you are a rocket scientist going for that rocket science article might prove difficult.

7. Spanish Games: Classed from easy to difficult, here are some cool games for you to practise when you don’t want to engage with thorny grammar practise!

There are many more things you can do! Of course, we are always here to help if you fancy some guided learning. Our online classes (groups) restart on 20.07. And we teach one to one all through the year.

Get in touch today!

Getting better at listening

Yes, listening is hard. But here are some tips that will help you get better at it.

Anyone who’s been learning Spanish for long enough will agree that listening is one of the hardest things. This is to do with many things: the speed of the language, the many accents, the many things a person might talk about, the fact not every speaker is a professional voice artist, etc. This problem is further exacerbated by bad teaching creating wrong expectations about listening. Many students are trained to listen in class, wasting a lot of time in the process, with very little gains. We believe this is the wrong way to go about it.

The moment of listening in class should not be seen as specifically training listening skills. We use that moment to introduce concepts in a practical way, and to see how your listening is progressing. Think about it like going to a tennis class: you’ll still have to play tennis outside of class to get good at it — no one would think the class alone is the moment in which you get good at your tennis, or that you’ll go to class and do a simulacrum of a game, as if you were playing with mates. Instead you will see the class as a moment of learning, and your instructor will use that time to correct your posture, and to suggest ways of improving your skills, perhaps to introduce a new trick, etc.

So, if the class is not really the moment of playing / listening, when do you play / listen? Well there are many things to do in your own time, and none of them need to be a chore. There are things that you can do actively; and there are things that don’t need your attention 100%.

Actively, in a nutshell, try to listen to podcasts, watch things on Netflix with subtitles, listen to people talking and try to spot words, expressions, etc. There are many exercises that we teach our students for them to listen actively and if you want to learn more about these please get in touch because after wall we are a school! That said, there are no limits to the things you can do with free materials available online. Be inventive and just go for it.

In terms of non-active learning there’s a lot to do too. This is very interesting, very simple, and rarely exploited by language tutors (spoiler: we do; but we are also the best around, so there’s that). In our classes we talk a lot about the concept of unconscious acquisition. If this is something of interest there’s an article here about what this means in depth. Basically, it means that there are things that happen when we learn, when we pick up the language without really trying; listening has a lot to do here, and we still don’t know how this works but we know it works, judging from how kids continue to learn their mother tongue: did you mum or dad sit you down and explained the subjunctive to you or did you just pick up the language from them? More likely the second option…

So we need to try to replicate that situation of someone learning their mother tongue. For that reason it’s important that you spend time in the language — there’s a post here for you to see what we mean by that. But to put it simply, one thing you can do is having a radio in Spanish in the background when you aren’t necessarily paying attention 100%. This will improve your listening and your overall language learning, through that unconscious acquisition. We see this all the time — our students who do this learn much faster than the ones who do no! (We would have to say that they also learn faster and better than in other schools but that’s something for another post!).

So, yes, do some proper work with podcasts, etc, or get in touch with us and follow our method to go about this. But also, next time you are doing exercise or cooking, just blast a Spanish radio station instead of the latest Coldplay (yawns in Spanish). You’ll be taking a lot in without even noticing it!

FREE ONLINE RESOURCES:

Good podcasts: Radio Ambulante (www.radioambulante.org), El Hilo (http://elhilo.audio), Sobremesa, a podcast by Memrise (https://memrise.libsyn.com), Duolingo Podcast (https://podcast.duolingo.com/spanish).

A good place to find radios in Spanish:  http://www.radio.garden. 

Lots of news in Spanish: BBC Mundo (https://www.bbc.com/mundo)

And there’s a lot more online!

Learning online — some tips (and most important etiquette matters)

And then we all ended up learning Spanish (and other things) online...

You know well what happened before the “And then”, so there is no need to start talking about “these extraordinary times”, etc. For some this online life might be a new thing; for others a more radical version of things they were already doing.

We — as we have been offering online classes since our launch — belong in the latter group. So here are some things we’ve learned, tips, some matters pertaining etiquette and practicalities. We hope they might be of use to you.

1. A good internet connection helps a lot. Broadband is ideal; cable internet is better than wifi, unless you are close to the router. These things aren’t always possible, so if you can, make sure no one else is hogging the bandwidth at the same time you are taking your classes. If you are downloading things you should pause them until you finished your class.

2. Ideally use headphones. Otherwise other users will get an echo when their voices come out of your speakers and are taken by the mic. Headphones + microphone (like with most mobile phones headphones) are ideal.

3. Use a web camera, if you can. It is considered good etiquette that if other users make themselves visible to you they can see you too. If you can’t use a camera — for example because your internet is a bit slow — or don’t want others to see you — for example because you haven’t shaved since February — let them know at the start of the class. This gives other people the chance to turn off their cameras. Most of the time they’ll leave them on anyway!

4. Monotask. This applies both to your computer and you. Keep open only the apps in use (Zoom, Google Meet Hangouts, Skype, etc), notes, any PDF you are working with. Do you need Safari or Chrome open? If you don’t quit them. And yourself: resist the temptation to go on social media or the refreshing the live coronavirus blog at the Guardian. Focus on your class. You’ll have time to procrastinate later. You’ll have a lot of time.

5. Have your desktop arranged so that you can access all things at all times, so that everything is visible at all times. That stops a lot of unnecessary tabbing. Check out this photo. That’s how an ideal desktop should look like during a class.

The ostrich toy is not included in our tuition fees.

6. Be familiar with the rules of the classroom. Delivering an online class is slightly different from delivering a class in person. Your tutor — if it’s good like our tutors ;) — will minimise this by leading the class in a more managed way. S/he’ll probably use your name more, indicate when you are expected to talk, and so on. When you are teaching an online lesson you miss many of the normal indicators that you’d have in a face to face (irl) setting, but there are other way to compensate. In our first class, we always make sure to make the rules of the classroom clear, whether for online learning or face to face. If you mistakenly decided to learn Spanish elsewhere make sure you ask in the first class how things will work, so that you can get disappointed when no one knows how things will work, then come to us. (That’s a joke by the way — you should come to us without wasting time elsewhere first!). The reality is that once these things are clear, e-learning isn’t that different from learning in a classroom.

If you mistakenly decided to learn Spanish elsewhere make sure you ask in the first class how things will work, so that you can get disappointed when no one knows how things will work, then come to us.

7. Don’t have in your computer anything you don’t want others to see! Sometimes during an e-class you might be asked to share your screen in order for the teacher to see how you did a certain task. In fact, not having in your computer things you don’t want others to see is a motto you should incorporate as part your whole life.

8. Avoid the “dolly shot”. We teach very creative people and we invite creativity in our classes. We would love to make films too. But leaving the laptop / tablet / phone still while the camera is on, instead of taking it for a walk around the house, is good etiquette. Otherwise you will end up with a dolly shot like this one by Spike Lee. It’s a great dolly shot. But it’s likely to make others in the class dizzy.

9. The mute button is your friend. Really. Use it. You will be very likely at home. There will be interruptions. Just hit that mute button when you need to attend to whatever is not a part of the class.

10. Get to know the class software before the class starts. Most likely you will receive a link for the class with plenty of time in advance — log in a few moments before the class and explore your virtual classroom like you would do with a real classroom on the first day of your course.

11. Relax and learn. Online classes are flexible, comfortable, and a great way of learning and meeting people without leaving your home. Ideally we all like to meet irl. But when and while this is not possible, make the best of your online experience. The important thing is to keep doing the things you want, with the people you like.

From Carmen to a Fox — The image of the woman in Spain #IWD2018

Despite the lingering stereotypes of passionate women 'a la Carmen’, from Bizet’s opera, Spanish women sung about women, fashioning up and down their image in the last half century. 

The Francoist regime, propped by the most conservative section of the Catholic church, made use of the movies to reinforce the image of a passionate, passive and ever forgiving woman. In 1953, Lola Flores in ‘Pena, penita’ embodies the prototype of a Roma woman, tanned and long curly jet black hair, who blames herself for the crimes of her lover and will forever wait for him until he gets out of jail. This is the same kind of woman who was taught to sew and to cook in the Women’s Section of the fascist schools. Still in 1961, Conchita Bautista represented Spain in the Eurovision contest with a flamenco outfit longing for her lover because she was only happy ‘estando contigo’ (being with you). 

Only four years later, on the opposite side of the spectrum, Concha Velasco wanted to be a ‘Chica Ye-Ye’ (Ye-ye Girl) with a messy hair and colourful tights. The modern outlook of the Beatles bypassed the censorship and a lot of cool bands started to sing in rudimentary English. Most of these bands were made up of men, but great many feminine exceptions populated the radio of the late dictatorship. Mari Trini did not want to be a quiet and agreeable girl in ‘Yo no soy esa’ (I’m Not That One). Salomé in ‘Vivo cantando’ (I Live Singing) and Paloma San Basilio in ‘La fiesta terminó’ (The Party Is Over) celebrated their break-ups and upcoming freedom. Even more, Cecilia — ‘Dama Dama’ (Lady, Lady) — expanded the murky frustration of women cloistered at home to ladies of high station, wives of their “Master”. 

Yet, the same singers would always declare their unconditional love and their incompleteness without “him”. This trope would continue until today, along all cruel contradictions of La Transición, as the period of transition from Franco’s dictatorship to democracy is known in Spain. To start with, the genre of the protests song, those anthems of the democratic youth, were almost exclusively run by bearded men, with women providing the chorus. 

In February 1982, Colonel Tejero launched a failed coup against the recently born democracy. Too late. Free speech was already rooted in the rebellious youth and during summer that year Las Vulpes jumped into stage singing 'Me gusta ser una zorra' (I Like Being a Whore) demolishing in four bars the good girl stereotype. How feeble does Jeanette’s ‘Soy Rebelde’ (I’m a rebel), from 1974, look in comparison!

By then, the whole the musical scenario had undergone a Kafkaesque shift and punk-rock would linger at the forefront for two more decades. In Madrid, Alaska was singing ‘¿A quién le importa?’ (Who’s concerned?), no less of a political statement: she didn’t care about what people thought of her. While as early as 1988, Mecano would produce one of the first pop gay anthem in Spain in ‘Mujer contra mujer’ (Woman Against Woman).

Today, the image of women in music is changing rapidly. The pay gap in the art industry is progressively being bridged and there is a zero tolerance against physical or emotional abuse. Women like La Mala Rodriguez in hip hop, Las Odio in punk-indie, or Chanel in trap are crushing the musical scene. But importantly, all musicians are called out for their misogynist lyrics and it seems that feminism starts to be accepted as a normalized frame for any cultural production. 

By Julio Cirujano

Conversation and listening workshops

Fancy polishing those conversation and listening skills? We invite you to attend our workshops!

As we prepare for the winter term, we are now running conversation and listening workshops until the end of the year. The workshops work on a drop-in basis, aim to perfect acquired skills and are divided according to level. Groups are limited to 8 students.

We currently run workshops for these levels:

BEGINNER 1 — WEDNESDAYS 20:00-21:30

BEGINNER 2 — MONDAYS 20:00-21:30

ELEMENTARY — WEDNESDAYS 18:30-20:00 

INTERMEDIATE — MONDAYS 18:30-20:00

The classes take place at The Greenhouse N16, Newington Green, Hackney, just a walk away from Canonbury or Highbury, and a bus ride away from Angel and Finsbury Park. 

To find out more or to RSVP to any of our workshops please click here.