阅读理解 Sharon was raised in the traditional Navajo culture in New Mexico and spoke only Navajo until she began school．After high school in California, she attended Navajo Community College in Tsaile, Arizona and later the University of New Mexico． Sharon Burch’s music is the current expression of traditional Navajo ways of living．Many of Sharon’s songs are in the beautiful Navajo language and capture the sacredness of Mother Earth and Father Sun and the importance of family and place to the Dine．Yazzie Girl was influenced by the Navajo prayers and chants she heard growing up．The album(歌曲集)focuses on the special importance of the maternal relationship among the Navajo．Most of the songs are in Navajo with some English． Touch the Sweet Earth was awarded the 1995 INDIE Award in the “North American Native Music” category at the annual(一年一度的)National Association of Independent Records Distributors & Manufacturers(NAIRD)conference held in May 1996．the“Grammy”of the independents, the annual INDIE Awards recognizes recording excellence in forty categories and is presented to recordings sold through the independent distribution network．As both Sharon’s and Canyon’s first INDIE Award, it was especially satisfying to receive such recognition during the company’s 45th anniversary(周年纪念)year． With songs brought forth from deep within, Touch the Sweet Earth reflects a very personal journey：one of motherhood, exploration, family, survival and loss．Much of this music is presented to her grandfather Charlie Yazzie and her uncle Tim, both of whom recently passed away． Inspired by songs sung by her mother and grandfather, Sharon’s third album ,Colors of My Heart, celebrates family, Mother Earth, and a connection to all living things． Sharon performs regularly at folk festivals, fairs, schools, universities and in concert．She has appeared at the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian in Washington D．C．, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, and is quite popular in Japan．Sharon always looks forward to returning home to the Navajo reservation to sing for her people． | 
