Years after moving from her home in Jamaica to the United States, Tamara West found herself on stage singing Korean ballads to a packed Texas crowd.
Two large screens flanked the stage, broadcasting her singing performance and illuminating a field of people spread out on picnic blankets watching the show.
“It takes a lot of courage to perform, especially sing, in a language you don’t speak[fluently],” said West. “It can be intimidating.”
Intercultural Program Advisor at UM’s Center for Global and Intercultural Study, West was performing at the 2017 Korean Festival in Carrollton, Texas.
Earlier that year, she auditioned to represent the United States at the Changwon K-Pop World Festival. The Changwon K-Pop World Festival is an annual singing contest held in Changwon, South Korea, with one representative of her selected from her thirteen countries around the world. West finished second and was invited to perform at the festival in Carrollton, although he did not qualify for the competition in South Korea.
West’s interest in learning about different cultures developed at an early age. She grew up in Jamaica and recalls watching TV shows featuring Chinese cultural dances. During her teenage years, she joined her high school choir and developed her passion for singing before moving to Texas where she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Arlington.
After graduating, West took a teaching position at the English Language Institute on the Texas Wesleyan University campus, where he taught students from all over the world. During breaks in his classes, West played music from his student’s country.
She remembers telling her students: I want you to hear what I know. “
Seeing her students’ enthusiasm for singing in their native language, West also became interested in learning to sing. She knew only a few words in many languages, but she was excited to take on the challenge.
“The inclusivity of linguistic competence is something I’m a huge supporter of,” said West. “Often people don’t even try to learn a language because they feel they have to speak it fluently. The goal is always to be fluent, but that’s not true.”
West has explored singing in Hindi, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic, Portuguese and the Jamaican Patois dialect. She often goes to karaoke to practice performing in front of an audience.
“I get a little nervous at times, but I’ll be honest,” she said. “But usually I can get over it…and most importantly, you’re there to share something with people.”
Prior to coming to UM, he worked at the University of Texas at Dallas and participated in the university’s annual talent competition, Comets Got Talent. Photos from popular Korean dramas were projected on the screen behind them, and they performed heartfelt Korean ballads. West won and was presented with a large gold trophy by the university’s mascot.
“Performing a song in a foreign language that other people don’t speak is dangerous because you risk alienating your audience if they don’t understand exactly what you’re saying,” said West. rice field.
nominate the spotlight
- The weekly spotlight features university faculty and staff. To nominate a candidate, email the Records Staff at urecord@umich.edu.
That’s one of the reasons she likes to play emotional slow ballads. People don’t have to understand her language to understand her emotions she is trying to convey through her music.
“I don’t want you to think that language and culture are a joke,” she said. “I might make mistakes, but that’s okay. I hope it’s okay with the audience because I want them to hear the song in another language that’s not English and they also hear that it’s beautiful.” ”
West hopes his performance will show how music can bring people together across race, ethnicity and culture.
“As a Jamaican and of African ancestry, I like to show that there are people here who look like me who are open to learning about other cultures,” she said. , I like being a bridge between Korean culture and Jamaican culture, Korean culture and black culture.”
West believes that listening to music in other languages encourages people to learn more about different cultures and explore the world around them.
“[Listening to music in a foreign language]can be a gateway to other things,” she said. She said, “You might watch foreign movies… try different foods, or visit different countries where you don’t know what people are saying.
“You don’t have to wait to go to Spain or South Korea to practice a language. It opens your brain to a different way of looking at life.”
Comments
Post a Comment