Exciting Cinco de Mayo Songs to Spice up Your Classroom
Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican culture, filled with music, dance, and lots of other festivities. As elementary music teachers, we have the great opportunity to introduce our students to Mexican traditions and songs. In this blog post, we’ll explore some Cinco de Mayo music activities and Mexican songs.
1. La Raspa
“La Raspa” is a very upbeat, lively dance piece that is quite recognizable. Once your students hear this song, they will be captivated by Its infectious and energetic rhythms melodies. But it’s also quite popular with adults too. This Cinco de Mayo song is wonderful for adding movement and instruments into the lesson.
At first, when students are just listening to the song, I have them mirror my hand motions to prepare for the dance. After that, I encourage students to try out the full dance.
Also, I love using “La Raspa” with instruments. I just substitute an instrument for each motion performed in the dance. Here’s an example of the first few for the A and B sections:
- 1st Part of A Section: heel-heel-heel Maracas
- 1st Part of A Section: clap-clap Drum
- All of B Section: elbow swing partner Claves
2. La Bamba
Secondly, let’s look at another Cinco de Mayo song called “La Bamba.” It’s another very catchy and familiar Mexican folk song. I love adding all the fun dance moves with elementary students.
In addition to dancing, your students will enjoy adding instruments to this song. I just really love this YouTube video by Visual Music Minds because it starts with lyrics only with translation too. Then it performs the song several more times with rhythmic notation and instrument play along options – drum, maracas, glockenspiel/xylophone, recorder, and guitar.
3. Uno Dos Tres Amigos
Finally, let’s look at a cute and simple Cinco de Mayo song for preschool and kindergarten students. “Uno Dos Tres Amigos” is a fun counting song that introduces some Spanish numbers and words to young children. You can teach it in Spanish and English.
An easy music activity for this song is to pass out 2 different classroom instruments – like rhythm sticks and maracas. Tell each type when they will play – on the numbers or on the friends. This also helps them practice between playing a steady beat (like on the numbers) or playing the rhythm (like on the rest of the words).
Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful time to celebrate Mexican music, dance, and culture. I really enjoy adding Mexican folk songs into my lessons, especially because I have a lot of Spanish-speaking students. I love watching their faces light up when they have the opportunity to help the rest of the class with the Spanish words or dance, etc.
By incorporating songs and musical activities for Cinco de Mayo and holidays from other countries, students enjoy a meaningful and memorable learning experience. I hope these Cinco de Mayo music activities help you and your students. Stay tuned for more musical inspiration and exciting teaching resources!
Have a question, comment, or just want to chat? Feel free to leave a comment below, email me (beth@bethsmusicclassroom.com), or send me a DM on Instagram @bethsmusicclassroom.
Interested in some engaging activities for the end of the school year? Find some helpful ideas in this post – 3 Types of End of the Year Activities to Keep Your Students Engaged.
