Learn español with music!

I used to be a Spanish teacher and I was fortunate to have a smartboard with huge speakers which I would use to blast tunes for my kids. Over the years I found that kids of all ages liked to listen to and sing along with music. The younger kids like bright, funny videos with simple lyrics while the older students, especially after studying the language for a few years could handle slightly more nuanced songs.


Some Spanish teachers start by teaching every one the alphabet. If you are looking for a good vid for that I recommend this one by PreRaph. The singer's voice isn't the most melodic but this song is extremely catchy and I also like that it also breaks down the vowel sounds as well.

There are many ways to say Hello in English and just as many ways to do so in Spanish. This video from Plaza Sesamo (a version of Sesame Street set in Mexico) introduces many ways to say hello with a catchy song that little ones are sure to be singing for a while. With older students you can talk about the ways in which the phrases differ and the context.

Many young ones are kinestehic learners and let's face it, Spanish class has to have a little fun every now and again right?  A good way to teach verbs in a way the students are sure to remember is through a song where the singers or characters do the actions. I am yet to meet a child who did not engage with the vid below. It is a winner.

For the basic greetings and daily phrases I like this video. It shows the words on the screen which is always a good thing.

For other vocabulary I like this video because not only does it show the body parts but the song is also catchy. There is also a karaoke version on Youtube.

In terms of conversation and dialogue between characters this next set of videos are fantastic. This one is created by PBS and features a tween called Noah who has many zany adventures due to his inability to fully comprehend Spanish.

This series was featured on HBO Latino several years ago but thanks to the interwebs it has gained new life. Perro (dog) y gato (cat) are two friends who speak in English and Spanish to each other as they go on zany adventures. Each episode teaches a variety of vocabular (verbs, nouns, adjectives) and the words are shown in English and Spanish so that is good.

That's all for now, I will post some more of my favorites in the next few months.  Hasta luego!