Celia Cruz Lesson Plans, Coloring Pages, Crafts, Activities and More

Did you know that the Cuban "Queen of Salsa" Celia Cruz, originally studied to become a literature teacher? But she interrupted her studies to pursue singing opportunities that eventually led to stardom. She has become beloved by generations all over the world for her operatic voice, flamboyant costumes and intimate relation to the music of Salsa. I've listed resources available for educators and parents below. If you want to learn about other important figures, check out my post on Latinos in History Your Children Should Know.

This post contains affiliate links.

Lesson Plans for Celia Cruz

Elementary Lessons

• Here's a elementary lesson plan from the University of Arizona that contains 10 activities you can use with students while reading the book "My name is Celia, The life of Celia Cruz" by Monica Brown.
  
  
• Music Library Box has this fun Look-Listen-Learn lesson for young students
  
  
• The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs has this downloadable Celia lesson plan for K - 4
  
  
• Education.com has this free Celiz Cruz worksheet available to download: Celia Cruz: Historical Heroes (2nd grade)

Resources for Middle & High School

• The Smithsonian has some excellent multimedia resources available online.
  
  
• Also, Smithsonian Music has this page with information about the Cuban singer.
  
  
• CeliaCruz.com has some fantastic images and biographical write ups on it that would be of interest to students working on research papers and posters.

Kid-Friendly Videos for Celia Cruz

• Celia Cruz loved Sesame Street and was on the show several times. Here's are links to videos featuring the singer on the show:
  - Celia Cruz Sings Songo's Song
  - Celia Cruz - Sesame Street
  - Classic Sesame Street Celia Sings With The Cast

• For a children's video IN SPANISH, I really like this one: CONOCE A CELIA CRUZ

Here's my favorite biography video for kids of any age from Cultura Colectiva Plus: The History Machine: Celia Cruz

Read Alouds

Here are a couple of video read alouds of two different children's biographies about Celia Cruz.

• My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz by Monica Brown read-aloud by Tu ē Yo Reading Adventures
  
  
• Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa read-aloud by Mr. Alicea's Arcade of Knowledge

Activities & Crafts

• Salsa with Celia Cruz - Primary Music Lesson by Music with Ms. P is a fun activity for younger students.
  
  
• Art with Jenny K has this collaborative poster for K - 8th.
  
  
• Mundo de Pepita has this Celia Cruz Spanish Minibook and Activity Theme Pack for 3-7th
  
  
• Palm Beach County Library has the CUTEST little paper doll craft. It's been removed. :(
  
  
• Ms. Haynes has this Art Lesson- How to draw Celia Cruz

Books

Who Was Celia Cruz A Who Was Board Book

by Lisbeth Kaiser

It's also available in Spanish:
¿Quién fue Celia Cruz?: ¿Quién fue? Un libro de cartón

Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa

by Veronica Chambers

My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz / Me llamo Celia: la vida de Celia Cruz

by Monica Brown

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Under the Mambo Moon

You can't celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Hispanic culture without talking about music. The Spanish and Latin beats are embedded in the foundations of Spain and Latin America. One of my favorite books to recommend when it comes to introducing children to the music of Latin America is Under the Mambo Moon. We got a copy of it years ago and it still has a special place in my heart. It is such an original way to talk about music that it engages young readers. Here's a review I wrote a few years ago for the Latin Baby Book Club.

This post contains affiliate links.

A chapter book highlighting Latin American music

Under the Mambo Moon
by Julia Durango
illustrated by Fabricio VandenBroeck

My familia loves music - especially anything with a Latin rhythm. So I was overjoyed to find the new book, Under the Mambo Moon. Inside the pages of this unique story, readers can explore various types of Latin American music - from Colombia’s cumbia to the Dominican merengue to the candombé of Uruguay.

The story line itself is a little unusual. The first thought that came to my mind was that this book would be perfect for a play. Young Marisol is the narrator. She helps out her Papi at his music store where people come in to buy their favorite songs. Papi says, “You can read people’s souls by the music they listen to.” (Looking at my CD and record collection, I wonder what my soul is saying? I’ve got everything from Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 to SpyroGyra to Yiddish-American Klezmer music. Oy.)

Interspersed throughout the book, are brief poems told by each customer who enters the store to buy the music of their homeland. João is a fan of bossa nova, while Professor Soto prefers Andean tunes that he has heard played on a zampoña player. Mr. and Mrs. Mayer are tango dancers, but young Gabriel loves the vallenatos of Colombia.

VandenBroeck cleverly uses color to help the reader distinguish between the main story line and the individual poems for each character. I appreciate the careful attention that he gave to depict each dance accurately with special attention to costumes and musical instruments.

The only thing that would make this book better would be an actual CD to accompany it and provide examples of each musical style. However, Putumayo has some great albums that would complement this book nicely. Or you can visit All Around This World's website and listen to music from different countries.

I also like how at the back of the book, the author includes a brief history of the amazingly diverse Latin American music and dance. Durango talks about the influence of indigenous, European, and African cultures on the rhythms and even the musical instruments used to create the various styles of music. She also includes a short description of each music style mentioned in the story.

Under the Mambo Moon is written in English with some embedded Spanish text. This book is best suited for children ages 4 and up.

Parents and teachers: This book is an awesome resource if you are studying music, Latin America, culture, traditions, multiculturalism, the colonization of the Americas, etc.

Buy your own copy of Under the Mambo Moon!

Here's my affiliate link for Amazon. Using this link to purchase Under the Mambo Moon helps keep MommyMaestra going!

Albums that complement this book

Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha

Samba Bossa Nova

Latin Playground

Happy reading!

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"Día de los Muertos" by Nathalia

Día de los Muertos is quickly approaching. It is the time of year when many families take the opportunity to remember their friends and family who have passed away. 

If you don't know what exactly Day of the Dead is about, check out my post, A Brief History of Día de los Muertos for Children. You can also click on the post tags to see TONS of content (crafts, books, lesson plans, etc.) for this holiday here on MommyMaestra

I'm kicking off this year's Day of the Dead content by sharing this lovely new animated music video by Nathalia. I think those of you raising bilingual kids will love it. 

Enjoy!

New Music Video from Whistlefritz

Hey, Friends! Have you heard that there's a new video available on Whistlefritz's website? Whistlefritz is a MommyMaestra sponsor and that gives me an opportunity to find out first about new products to share with you!

La Música is a Spanish sing-along adventure video is made up of segments of kids dancing, singing, or acting out the lyrics to Spanish-learning songs. The songs cover a wide range of topics from Se habla español (teaches all the places where people speak Spanish), Sonidos del flamenco (teaches vocabulary from flamenco), Cuando sea grande and En el puente D'Avinon (different jobs), Buenos días (greetings and weather), Días de la semana (days of the week, action verbs, and parts of the body), Uno, dos y tres (numbers and parts of the body), Al supermercado (foods), and Sabes tu sembrar la col (parts of the body).

All of the songs except one feature live people to engage your children - Al supermercado is the only one that's animated.

Music is such a great way to facilitate language learning. Kids just learn concepts and vocabulary so much more easily when they are set to music. So if you are looking for a way to nurture your child's language learning and are wanting to incorporate music, check out Whistlefritz!

Online Preschool Music Class

The following post is in collaboration with Clap for Classics! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I was a little kid, I spent a LOT of time watching cartoons - Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, to be exact. In fact, I would say that watching them was my first exposure to Classical music. I imagine many of you can relate.

My love of classical music never really went away. I still have a radio button in my car programed to our only classical station. Part of this is because of my love for it, but another great part of it is my desire to expose my children to it. Especially my 3-year-old. So you can only imagine my delight when I learned about Clap for Classics!

Quick Overview

Program: Clap for Classics!
Religious Perspective: Secular
Format: (Self-Paced) Recorded & Live online classes
Ages: 0 - 5
Price: $27 - $270 (see description below)

Making egg shakers

Classical Music Benefits Toddlers 

So does classical music actually make babies smarter? There's apparently no evidence that just listening to it does. Though studies do show that listening to classical music sometimes helps calm and soothe cranky babies and infants.

What we do know is that INTERACTIVE music lessons are extremely beneficial to young children. Learning through music is easier and so much more fun. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers love a good song. They love moving their bodies to music. This observation has obviously been noted around the world throughout much of history. The proof is in the frequency of songs, fingerplays, and even rhymes that have been passed down from one generation to the next.

After birth, a child's neurons and synapses develop quickly. And music is just one way to stimulate them into creating connections. Songs teach language and other basic concepts, such as rhythm, rhyme, and more. 

To learn more, check out the article that PBS published on the benefits of music education. 

Self-Paced Online Music Classes

When my older kids were little, they took music classes. But that was a long time ago. However, they loved it so much that now that I have a 3-year-old again, I've been on the lookout for music classes once more. But it's been very challenging given the pandemic. Enter Clap for Classics! 

Oh my gosh! These online classes are just fabulous! Created by two sisters, Clap for Classics! is a series of music courses for young children. The focus here is the joy of music-making. Children not only learn by listening to classical masterpieces (for example, Peter and the Wolf), but they also learn by interacting with you. My 3yo absolutely loves these interactive classes that are full of movement and singing. We improvise by finding and using items we already have around the house to make music or to do the musical activities that we're shown in each video lesson. 

Kathryn and Elizabeth are both classically trained musicians and it is obvious from their beautiful singing. They take turns leading the different courses. But they are equally talented and engaging with children. Your kids will sing, march, stomp, and crawl their way through each lesson

We've watched many of the courses and loved every one. Each course comes with:

• short video clips that introduce music and a lot of singing, 
• various activities and printables, 
• audio tracks, 
• and some even have Spotify playlists. 

If you're worried about screen time, the short clips are more like sitting in front of a teacher leading the class. They often have one of their children participating in the video, which really helped my son to participate in the activities because he wanted to do what the other kid(s) were doing.

The things I like best about this course is that it allows us to watch the lessons at ANY time of the day. And if we sit down and my 3yo starts melting down, I just stop it and we can come back to it later when he's in a better mood and able to pay attention. I also like that we can replay a lesson over and over as many times as we want to listen to the music and engage in the activity. We can watch just one session a day - or ALL of them! Doing it on our time schedule makes this a golden opportunity.

The Music Courses

At the time that I write this, there are 10 courses in all for a variety of ages. The Nursery Rhyme Baby Time course is for infants ages 0 to 2. SO MUCH FUN! In each video, Kathryn sings a different nursery rhyme and shows parents engaging activities to do with their babies, such as using a (silk) scarf as a sensory experience and to develop spatial awareness or using brightly colored shakers to develop their fine and gross motor skills. I love that most of the videos are around 2 minutes because little babies just don't stay focused for longer than that! There are 16 video clips total in this course. And you can watch them over and over or skip around. I like the versatility and the ability to choose whichever video fits our mood at the moment. And if you prefer to go in order, you can also mark each video as viewed in case you forget where you left off. 

My only regret is not having found this program about two years ago! But even though my youngest is 3½, he still really enjoyed this class. 

We also have started watching Carnival of the Animals course bundle. This is a three-month course that teaches SO MANY concepts, such as musical concepts, fine motor skills, and even languages! Everything is taught using animals as the subject. And imagine my delight when I found that they even have a whole lesson dedicated to Los Pollitos teaching children the Spanish version! 💓💓💓🐤🐥🐣

But hands down, my absolute favorite is the Peter and the Wolf bundle. It's a two-month course that introduces children to the instruments in the orchestra, musical concepts, and more. It is, of course, terribly fun for children who almost always love the story line of Peter, his grandfather, and all the animals. There are a lot of activities and best of all, a printable puppet set for your kids to use in the lessons or on their own while listening to the music and narrator.

The Price

You have the option of buying the courses directly from the site - they range in price from $27 to $75. OR you can purchase a monthly subscription for $27/month. If you prepay for a year, you get two months free! Check out their products page to see a complete list of courses.

***NOTE! Clap for Classics! is offering MommyMaestra readers a 20% discount off any course purchased between now and May 31st, 2021. Just enter the coupon code HOMESCHOOL at checkout.

Free Mini Course

If you are interested but want to try a class out first, Clap for Classics! is offering a free mini course titled, Bumblebees, Birds, & Beethoven. It's for children ages 0 to 5. Really, the teachers are just so clever! I love the creative way they introduce Beethoven's 5th Symphony to children using a story to capture little imaginations. I think once you try this course, you'll be hooked and want more for your children. 

Don't wait! Go sign up for this fabulous freebie.

Or if you're already convinced and want to sign up for their monthly subscription service, you can sign up here.

Want to find this post again? Pin it!

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• Little Creatures: An Introduction to Classical Music
  
  
• Great Spanish Songs for Your Classroom!

New "Peanuts" Playlists

Did you know that "Peanuts" is 70 YEARS OLD this year?!? How crazy is that? 

October marks the 70th anniversary of Charles Schulz’ iconic “Charlie Brown” comic strip. 

Part of what makes Charlie Brown and “Peanuts” so special are the songs associated their television specials of the 1960s and '70s. Vince Guaraldi and his trio performed songs for the Peanuts TV shows which have delighted generations of people. 

Bill Melendez was Snoopy's Voice

And I recently discovered ANOTHER reason to love this show: José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez.

He was a Mexican–American character animator, voice actor, film director and producer known for his cartoons, including Peanuts. AND Bill provided the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock. 💗💗

If you are a Snoopy-loving family, the way mine is, then you'll be excited to know that to celebrate the anniversary of “Peanuts,” Craft Recordings has released several collectible albums, music videos, and playlists. 

Earlier this month, a new animated video of “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” debuted on the official Vince Guaraldi YouTube channel. You might recognize the Vince Guaraldi Trio song from the party scene in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” television special. And, a new animated video for the Charlie Brown "Thanksgiving Theme" is coming next month.

Two new playlists are streaming now on your favorite music platform, accessible from these links:

• Peanuts "Dance Party" playlist
• Peanuts "Easy Listening" playlist

Whether you want to be energized or just to chill out, these Charlie Brown classics by the Vince Guaraldi Trio are worth streaming and sharing. They include the "Thanksgiving Theme," "Christmas Time Is Coming," the iconic "Linus and Lucy" theme and many more that will spark happy spots in your hippocampus. ;)

Here's a sample - "Linus and Lucy" - from the YouTube playlist. Enjoy!

Free Online Piano Lessons: Encore Music Studio

Are you looking for a way to start or maintain your child's piano lessons from home during the pandemic? Or maybe you're looking for lessons that fit your budget? Check out the free online piano lessons from Izzie Chea! Ms. Chea teaches voice, piano, and flute out of her home in Texas. Her Facebook page is Encore Music Studio.

Free Piano Lessons via YouTube 

Oh, my gosh, friends. She is the nicest and so much fun. Ms. Chea is a virtual piano teacher giving FREE fun piano lessons on YouTube and Facebook live. She gives full, 30 minute piano lessons to kids, teens and adults. She gives LIVE lessons on Facebook every Friday at 1:00pm CST!

Watch her introductory lesson below. It is the first lesson in her children's series. She tells you which books to purchase for the lessons, explains how a piano works, how to hold your hands/fingers, where the different keys are, and more.  If you love it, you can join her private Facebook group Encore Music Makers.

Now, guys here's the thing. Ms. Chea is SO NICE to offer these lessons for free. She's made this a donation-based studio. So if you decide to participate in these lessons, after you buy your books, PLEASE consider donating whatever you can on a weekly or monthly basis via Patreon.com/izziechea. 

We're here to help each other and $5/mo or even $10/mo if you can spare it for piano lessons is a deal you won't find anywhere!

The Piano Lesson Books You'll Need

Here are the books that you'll need for these lessons. I've included links to them using Ms. Chea's affiliate links so when you purchase them, she'll get a small percentage at no extra cost to you. It's one way to support her in exchange for her free lessons. ♥

Piano Lesson Book: Complete Level 1, for the Later Beginner

Alfred's Basic Piano Library Theory Complete, Bk 1: For the Later Beginner

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Back-to-School with 123 Andrés

Learn Spanish with your Kids -- a fun Back-To-School Giveaway with 123 Andrés

For a few years now, we've been highlighting the amazing albums and videos by 123 Andrés. The musical duo, Andrés and Christina, are well-known among bilingual and Spanish-speaking families. In fact, they won a Latin Grammy for Best Children’s Album in 2016 for their album, Arriba Abajo.

I love 123 Andrés because of the educational component that comes with ALL of their songs. And it is no surprise because Christina has a Masters in Education and was once a public school teacher. 

I'm so delighted to be able to offer a great giveaway for a MommyMaestra reader!

Win this bundle of musical learning fun:

• Hola Amigo: Songs of Friendship  album
• Hola Amigo/Hello Friends picture book from Scholastic
• Una Idea Tengo Yo album
• Canta las Letras (2019 Latin Grammy-nominated album!)

123 Andrés is releasing a surprise digital album – Hola, Amigo: Songs of Friendship. The album, due out Aug 21, contains remastered versions of Hola, Amigo in Spanish and English, and eight more songs that explore the theme of friendship, in two languages. The album and the picture book with Scholastic both celebrate 10 years of  123 Andrés music for kids. The bundle also includes two recent and acclaimed albums by 123 Andrés.

For more information and the latest live stream concert schedule, please visit www.123andres.com.

The Giveaway

One MommyMaestra reader will win this great package!

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below.

¡Buena suerte!

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Bilingual Children's Albums by Nathalia

Friends, I love today's giveaway.

We frequently talk about how important music in education is. In fact, it's critical in early education. Children instinctively love music and they learn concepts and skills much faster when music is involved. That's why I love it when artists use their music not just to entertain, but to educate.

And Nathalia does just that!

A native of Colombia, Nathalia moved to the US to attend the Berklee College of Music and later began her career as a music therapist and early childhood music educator. Since 2012, she has recorded and released four children’s albums, which were all co-produced and performed by Grammy award-winners. In her albums, Nathalia demonstrates how her unique style of bilingual songwriting, undefined by genre, can sound both mainstream and family-friendly. She has been a featured guest on Univision's Despierta America, CBS's The Talk, and her music has been played on a number of parenting blogs and online radio stations. Nathalia’s South American heritage and passion for bilingual education serve as major influences in the music she creates.

Nathalia has recently launched 'Un Momento con Nathalia' a bilingual children's web series that explores and introduces different themes and concepts based on Nathalia's original songs. Follow her at https://www.youtube.com/nathaliamusica

Nathalia is just a natural educator and I love her bilingual web series. Here's one of my favorite episodes:



She also hosts virtual preschool music classes via ZOOM for ages 1-5 in both English and Spanish. For more information visit www.firststartmusic.com

Website: www.nathaliamusic.com

Instagram: @nathaliamusica

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathaliamusica

The Giveaway

Nathalia has graciously offered a copy of her two albums - When I was Your Age and En la radio - to one lucky MommyMaestra reader.

To enter to win, just use the Rafflecopter below. 

Good luck!

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GIVEAWAY: José-Luis Orozco's ¡Muévete!

Friends, I have a special treat for you today! The talented musician, José-Luis Orozco has a new album out. ¡Muévete!: Songs for a Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body (aff link) is energetic, fun, and the perfect way to get your little ones moving at home!

José-Luis created this album with your child's fitness in mind. With each and every song, children are encouraged to get up and move. They clap, stomp, dance their way through each melody. There are nine songs sung twice; once in English and once in Spanish. You'll recognize a couple of traditional ones such as Los Pollitos. But I'll admit it, my favorite is Monica!

José-Luis is just so energetic and his humor is infectious. You can tell that he truly loves and enjoys singing and dancing with the children. And they love him, too, as you can see from the video below.

What I like best, I think, is that he has been true to children's education from the very beginning. His songs teach children so many important skills. From numbers to colors to science and more, his songs are a valuable addition to a child's elementary education. I'm not the only one to say so, either.

Did you know that three times in his life, he's been invited to sing at the White House? And he has sung for several Central and South American presidents!

Today, he's released the first music video to go with his new album. It's fun to watch AND sing along! Check it out and share it with your children...

The Giveaway

José-Luis has kindly offered to send a copy of his new CD to two (2!) MommyMaestra readers.

To enter the giveaway, please use the rafflecopter below.

¡Buena suerte!

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Great Spanish Songs for Your Classroom!

The following is a guest post by Risas y Sonrisas founder, Leticia Smith.

What do you want to achieve with music in your classroom? Some songs are designed to teach specific vocabulary lessons while others can teach cultural lessons or simply be fun to sing. To effectively use music to accelerate learning, it is important to pair the song with movement, pictures, or lyrics so students understand what they’re singing. After students learn the song, continue to activate the vocabulary with visual aids, games, acting, writing, and drawing. Here are four options for great Spanish songs for your classroom!

¡Qué disfruten!

Sing-Alongs for Younger Kids

Sing-along songs are simple and easy to learn. Some of the songs have the same tune in English and Spanish, which helps students learn to hear and repeat Spanish words. These songs are best used with pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms but can also work with elementary-level students. They tend to tell fun and silly stories rather than teaching specific vocabulary. Here are a few YouTube channels with colorful and cute bouncing-ball videos.

• Gallina Pintadita
• Plim Plim
• ToyCantando

Cri-Cri: El Grillito Cantor (Cri-Cri, the Little Singing Cricket)

Cri-Cri’s songs are full of fun storytelling, cute characters, and a variety of musical styles. They work with a variety of elementary ages, but are best used with students who already have some Spanish vocabulary. Cri-Cri has been popular with children in Mexico for generations, so your students can gain some cultural knowledge along with the music! Their YouTube channel is full of songs with which children can sing along.

• Cri-Cri - Caminito de la Escuela

Miss Rosi

Miss Rosi is an educator and singer based in Peru. Her gentle, folksy songs for children are easy to sing and tend to have a moral, natural, or cultural lesson. Again, these songs are presented only in Spanish. Her YouTube channel videos include lyrics.

• El invierno

Risas y Sonrisas

If you’re looking for songs to teach vocabulary by theme, Risas y Sonrisas Spanish for Kids is your best bet! The fun and catchy songs present vocabulary with fun visuals and the option of using American Sign Language to make the connection with its meaning. Then, the vocabulary learned through the songs is reinforced with a complete set of immersion-based printed and digital games and activities. The program also includes songs that tell fun stories or teach about Hispanic culture. The curriculum contains over 40 original songs, many of which are available on their YouTube channel. 

• Los Colores – The Colors
• Cuaderno de Colorear (Tu Mundo) – Coloring Book (Your World)
• Los Números 1-10

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• Online Preschool Music Class

• Little Creatures: An Introduction to Classical Music
  

------------------------------------------------------

Leticia Smith is originally from Mexico City and has lived in Austin, TX since 1986. She received a BBA with a Minor in Marketing from Texas State University and an Accelerated Learning certificate from the University of Houston. Not knowing then the impact it was going to have in her future, she worked four consecutive years in the university's Spanish department where she acquired invaluable experience teaching college students twice a week and offering tutoring services. Later, when she had the opportunity to teach children, she discovered that her true vocation was to teach and inspire others to put joy into learning. Her years of experience as a Spanish instructor teaching children in all grades at elementary schools eventually led to the development of her award-winning program, Risas y Sonrisas.

Buenos Diaz: The Lucky Band's New Album

Happy Taco Tuesday!

Just wanted to let you know that the Lucky Band (Lucky Diaz) will release a new album called Buenos Diaz on April 5th. Are you a fan of his? If so (and even if this is your first time learning about him), you'll love the new album! There are 11 new songs that will get your kids up and dancing. I already watched his first video for the new song "Pan Dulce" and it is so fun.

And today, in honor of Taco Tuesday, they have released this video of their song with the same name. Learn how to do the Taco Dance!


It's already available for pre-order on iTunes and on Amazon (aff link).

Enjoy!

Ravel's Boléro Lesson Plans

© Can Stock Photo  miceking

Maurice Ravel's most famous musical composition turns out to be (ironically) one that he considered to be his least important work. I am, of course, talking about Maurice Ravel's Boléro.

Ravel's Bolero

The French composer wrote this Spanish-themed, one-movement orchestral piece for his friend the Russian dancer and actress, Ida Rubinstein. The story gets messy, though. You can read about what happened here on Classic fm.

The music composition itself is a simple, yet a fascinating piece that is very rhythmic and concentrates on repetition. It maintains a constant rhythm that is set by the snare drums and repeats the melody 19 times. The simple melody is first played by the flute, but each time it is repeated by a different orchestral instrument (clarinet, bassoon, oboe, saxophone, and so on) until the finale, when it is played by nearly all of the instruments of the orchestra. (See video below.)

Ravel was very close to his mother, Marie, who was Basque but had grown up in Madrid. It is said that her Spanish/Basque heritage was a strong influence on his life and music. And perhaps that was reflected (whether he realized it or not) in his composition, Boléro, which he supposedly based on the musical form and the actual Spanish dance called bolero.

Lesson Plans for Ravel & Boléro

And here are a few fun lesson plans designed around Ravel and Boléro:

• Boléro: Rhythms, Obsession, and Art - Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO)
• Bolero to Bachata - LPO
• DSO Kids: Maurice Ravel
• Use Ravel's Bolero to help teach KS2 music

Check out this video:

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The Hummingbird Sings and Dances

Today's Back-to-School Fiesta giveaway is for those of you with little children. You know how much I love children's books that feature folktales or nursery rhymes from Latin America. I have shared so many here on MommyMaestra over the years. That's because young children learn so much from songs.

Research shows that music has many benefits for children, including how it can improve literacy and numeracy skills, develop vocabulary, improve coordination, lift a child's mood, and increase a child's sensory development. (Read more about the benefits of music for children here and here.)

So, of course, I was absolutely delighted to be contacted by my friends at Sugar Mountain PR about the new bilingual musical picture book, The Hummingbird Sings and Dances: Latin American Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes (aff link).

This beautiful book contains 19 nursery rhymes and lullabies from 17 Latin American countries. Of course, there are the beloved traditional ones such as Los pollitos and Arroz con leche, but there are also some I remember from my own childhood and haven't heard in - ahem - many, many years, such as Naranja dulce and A la rorro niño. Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Bolivia are just some of the countries represented in this lovely book.

All of the text is presented in both English and Spanish, but the songs themselves are only sung in Spanish. The songs are sung by the Mexican musical-vocal ensemble, Grupo Cantaro, who do a truly remarkable job of making the songs engaging with background sounds that supplement the music and the lyrics.

Another nice thing is that the back of the book contains the complete lyrics to the songs on the CD so you can sing along! And there is a map of Latin America included at the back of the book. Both of these make it easier to incorporate this book into a lesson plan.

The musical selection and the illustrations are all done by Mariana Ruiz Johnson and they are fabulous. The illustrations are so fun and vibrant. Children will love sitting and looking through this picture book while listening to the CD, or while a parent (or abuelita!) reads and sings to them.

If this book sounds like the perfect fit for your family or classroom, check out the giveaway below. And visit the publisher - The Secret Mountain - website for more books.

Other Posts that May Interest You:

• The International Children’s Digital Library
  
  
• Makanaka's World
  
  
• 10 Latino Poets Your Children Should Know
  
  
• Winter Solstice & Mesoamerica for Kids

Learn Spanish with Super Stolie

This is a sponsored post.

I'm always happy to discover new artists who are sharing their love of Spanish with children in fun and educational ways. Music is such a great way to help children learn and retain information and new languages. So today, I'm pleased to introduce you to Super Stolie!

Rebecca Stoelinga, performing under the name Super Stolie, is a musician and performer. For the last 11 years, she's been writing and performing for children. The great thing is that she recently began to offer bilingual shows - ¡Super Stolie Guacamole! - to encourage children to learn more about the Hispanic culture. Her bilingual shows intertwine nursery rhymes to entertain her younger audience with movement activities for the energetic ones. Older kids get to participate through volunteer opportunities.

Her website says that Stolie took "Honors Spanish in high school and revived her Spanish learning in 2015 with an immersion program in Guadalajara, México. She then visited Pacific coastal town, Puerto Vallarta, where she now spends all of the winter months — practicing Spanish, playing music for tourists, booking her summer shows, and avoiding the cold."

Honestly? I'm always a skeptic when I read things like this until I actually hear a person speak Spanish to see if there's any kind of accent.

But after I saw this video, I was sold. How fun is it? You can find it on her Super Stolie 10 album, which also has the "Boca, Boca, Boca" song. You can listen to it using the link above.

Since starting out, Super Stolie has released four albums of original music. This year, Super Stolie will release a bilingual album with more songs like those I mention above, so be on the lookout!

She'll also be offering her original songs as sheet music for young piano and guitar learners, as well as translate her songs into readable book form — in both English and Spanish! 

I love her rhythm and energy. And I like how much time and effort she's put into her music. She performs more than 100 shows each summer across the country, but mostly in Chicago. To find out if she'll be somewhere near you or to print out her show schedule, click here to view her 2018 Tour dates.


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Super Stolie. All opinions are my own.

New from 123 Andrés: La Luna

For my 123 Andrés fans and those with little ones at home, this post is for you!

One of our favorite bilingual artists has released a new album and this one is just perfect for putting your nenes to sleep.

La luna: canciones para soñar (aff link) from 123 Andrés is lovely collection of lullabies, mostly in Spanish. From the opening song, De 1 a 10, your children will be captivated by both the tune and the child singers. (I, of course, love it because even as you put your babies to sleep, you'll be teaching them how to count!) In fact, there are a number of U.S. and Latin American artists who have contributed to this album, including Latin Grammy nominees Mariana Baraj and Sophia.

ALL of the songs are soothing and great for calming down our hyper balls of energy. :) And Andrés does with such creativity! He's has incorporated Latin American rhythms into his songs, including loncomeo (a form of Patagonia Folk Music), candomble (Afro-Brazilian music), huayno (Andean music), and merengue (the genre from Venezuela), to name a few.

There are also original songs mixed with traditional tunes that you probably recognize, such as Un elefante. Take a look...



How sweet is that?

What I might love best about the album, though, is the fact that Andrés and Christina, his partner, took the time prior to creating the songs to poll their followers and find out what words they use to send their little ones to sleep with love. AND THEN they incorporated those messages throughout the album!

I love it. And I think you will, too.