In this post: Discover the best Hispanic singers and Latin music artists that provide contemporary and clean Latin music for kids!
One of the best ways to enhance your child’s Spanish language education is by incorporating Latin music into the mix.
Authentic music is one of the most inspiring ways to build fluency quickly, while helping your child to develop a love for the Spanish language.
Singing makes learning a new language more fun, and it’s a great stress-reliever that helps families to bond while building unforgettable memories.
As your kids grow older, those songs sung in early childhood will become priceless reminders of these precious moments you’ve shared.
Yet, with all the musical options available on the market today, many parents are concerned about the racy and sometimes offensive lyrics in many of the most popular Latin music genres, such as reggaeton.
Several songs by many contemporary artists, like Shakira, Maluma, Bad Bunny, and others, may also contain lyrics that are inappropriate for young audiences. But all is not lost!
Amid the many offerings that you’ll find on streaming services online, there are plenty that are perfectly appropriate for little linguists.
As part of our FREE Spanish Resource Library, we offer playlists with songs that your kids will love and memorize easily, encouraging them to practice their Spanish via creative and fun lyrics.
We are also happy to share our recommendations for some of the contemporary artists that are making family-friendly music that you and your children can enjoy while expanding their Spanish vocabulary and perfecting their pronunciation effortlessly.
Some of our favorites include:
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123 Andrés
This Latin Grammy-winning duo known as 123 Andrés consists of Andrés and Christina, a musical team that produces cool, catchy songs in Spanish and English, as well as books and other educational materials to help your family enhance their Spanish learning journey.
Our founder and CEO, Corrie Wiik, took her children to a 123 Andrés concert and highly recommends them. It was a highlight of her children’s year for sure!
These materials are perfect for early language learners at the Pre-K and Kindergarten level, and you can purchase them at their site.
123 Andrés also tour around the country presenting lively concerts that get the whole family dancing while improving their English and Spanish skills.
Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Andrés was born into a musical family and began his musical career at age 8, eventually earning a PhD in music, and winning the National Composition Contest in Colombia for one of his early compositions.
Christina’s family is also from Colombia, and Christina developed her love and skill for theater and dance while studying performing arts as a child in the Midwest. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education and has worked as a classroom teacher before joining 123 Andrés.
Nathalia Musica
Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Nathalia studied Music Therapy at the Berklee College of Music and later received a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University.
Nathalia’s recordings of children’s music stem from her experience as a music therapist and early childhood music educator, and began with songs she wrote to help her own children learn Spanish.
Nathalia’s music is an uplifting blend of South American and U.S. influences, mixing different musical genres such as pop Latino, rock, cumbia, jazz, and reggaeton to produce a hybrid, contemporary pan-Latin sound designed to get the entire family dancing and feeling great.
Her talent as a bilingual singer/songwriter is celebrated across the international children’s music scene, and she has released several albums that were co-produced and/or performed by notable Grammy Award winners.
Nathalia has appeared on various talk shows and her music is popular among many parenting blogs and radio stations for its uplifting, empowering and sophisticated lyrics with positive messages about life in general.
This music is most suitable for elementary through high-school aged children, but younger siblings can dance along while gradually learning the catchy lyrics.
One of our favorite songs is ‘Frida pinta’ which features in our Hispanic Heritage month unit!
Canticos
Canticos is a highly-rated bilingual brand for younger learners in the pre-school age group, featuring an assortment of apps, books, games, and animated videos based on classic Hispanic nursery rhymes that are popular across the entire Spanish-speaking world.
Founded by artist, entrepreneur, and mom, Susie Jaramillo,
The goal of Canticos is to bring families together through a shared love of languages, music and culture.
Susie Jaramillo
This is one of our favorite sources of excellent music for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
For little learners, nursery rhymes are ideal tools for imparting early literacy and math concepts, as well as familiarizing children with Hispanic culture. These are the songs that your bilingual children will grow up and sing to their bilingual children some day!
Related Post: Canciones infantiles: Spanish songs for kids
Jose-Luis Orozco
José-Luis Orozco is a dad, abuelo, bilingual educator, and an award-winning children’s author and recording artist who has devoted over 50 years of his life to encouraging the use of the Spanish language and fostering an appreciation for Latin American culture by creating quality bilingual music, books, and videos for children.
Originally from Mexico City, José-Luis Orozco developed his love of music when he became a member of the Mexico City Boy’s Choir at the age of 8, touring through 32 countries across Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and seeing how music can enhance learning for children.
After earning his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco, he began singing and writing music and books for children, launching the career of his dreams and winning multiple awards in the process.
José-Luis’ music is perfect for elementary school children and celebrates bilingualism with songs in both English and Spanish rooted in typical Latin American rhythms.
Daria Music
Daria is an internationally-known folksinger who has won various awards for her children’s music recordings, including a Parent’s Choice Award, a NAPPA (National Association for Parenting Publications) Award, and a Children’s Music Web Award.
Daria’s songs focus on building a better world through music, and her songs have been used in Teaching Tolerance Curriculums in New Zealand and Australia.
Daria’s Music empowers kids while exposing them to an eclectic mix of beloved folk songs from the Americas and other world music traditions.
Using traditional instruments, such as shékeres, cajón, güiro, cowbells, washboard, doumbek, chapchas, and native drums, Daria’s music also incorporates a variety of languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Zulu, German, Quechua, and Oneida (Iroquois).
Her songs include popular international hits such as “La Bamba” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” performed with surprising and exotic musical arrangements. This music is versatile enough to engage kids of all ages.
Daria partnered with Llamitas Spanish® to share and talk about her instrumental song “El cóndor pasa’ in Level 2 Curriculum, Los pájaros (birds) unit.
Here’s a little intro video to introduce her! Check out level 2 here!
Related Post: Elementary Spanish Curriculum for Kids
Marta Gomez
Marta Gomez is a Colombian singer and composer who has won a Latin Grammy, a SIBL Project Award and a Billboard Prize.
Marta’s work centers the guitar and features poetic lyrics inspired in traditional folk songs from Latin America, with a sprinkling of jazz and pop thrown in.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Marta’s work echoes the voices of the legendary singer/songwriter/activists of Latin America, such as Violeta Parra, Mercedes Sosa, and Chavela Vargas, but is also influenced by contemporary American artists such as Carol King.
Marta also holds a Master’s in Literary Creation from the Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, and has made several recordings with the prestigious Putumayo label.
Marta’s lyrics promote messages of human rights and world peace, and are most suitable for children in elementary school and older, who can understand and appreciate the activism in her songs, although younger siblings can happily dance along while learning the catchy lyrics.
Alina Celeste
Cuban-American artist Alina Celeste is a musician, educator, YouTuber, and content creator who has won both a Parent’s Choice Gold and Silver Award for her YouTube channel.
Alina creates songs in Spanish and English that celebrate bilingualism and explore the joys of childhood in two languages!
Inspired by her hometown of Miami, Alina’s music incorporates Latin American, Caribbean, and even a little bluegrass influence into her unique musical sound, which is perfect for early childhood learners.
She also writes and performs family-friendly songs and stories in Spanish and English, and uploads weekly kids’ videos to her popular YouTube Channel.
Mi amigo Hamlet
Mi Amigo Hamlet is a Guatemalan-born artist, producer, songwriter, and musician creating what he calls “Bilingual Kids Alternative music,” integrating Latin and world music influences, with empowering, conscientious lyrics that promote everything from love for our planet to good nutrition.
A Parent’s Choice Silver and Gold winner, Hamlet also won a Parent’s Choice The “Helpers” Award for making available musical resources for kids in the midst of the Covid pandemic.
Hamlet studied music at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, focusing on guitar and flamenco fundamentals, and studying with the legendary flamenco and dance guitarist, Mehran Jalili, and bossa nova instructor, Paulinho Garcia.
The combination of these two styles became the foundation of Hamlet’s music, and today he produces alternative kids’ music with a uniquely fresh and international signature sound that celebrates not only Latin American culture, but all the cultures of the world.
His beautifully-produced videos are appropriate and entertaining for children of all ages.
Mister G
Ben Gundersheimer is a Latin Grammy Award-winning artist, author and educator who was dubbed “a bilingual rock star” by The Washington Post, and earned the name Mister G from his young students while working on his Master of Education degree.
Mister G is a graduate of Amherst College and winner of the first songwriting scholarship ever awarded by Berklee College of Music. He creates original music designed to bring people together and promote cross-cultural understanding.
Mister G has earned numerous awards, including a Latin Grammy Award and five Parents’ Choice Gold Awards for his beautiful animated videos featuring original bilingual music and lively arrangements rooted in such rhythmic styles as reggae, cumbia, and rock, ideal for children from Pre-K through elementary school.
Mister G also tours around the world, performing live concerts for audiences of all ages. Whether his songs are in English, Spanish or Hebrew, Mister G uses music as a tool to unify and build bridges between people of different cultures.
His book “Señorita Mariposa” is a popular title and pairs beautifully with unit 4 (El jardín/ The Garden) of of our level 1 curriculum.
Rita Rosa Ruesga
Rita Rosa Ruesga is known for her delightfully lively children’s music in Spanish, rooted in the Afro-Caribbean rhythms of her native Cuba.
The Founder of Pikitin Learning Projects, Rita Rosa is a musician, songwriter, content creator, producer, and Scholastic en Español children’s book author, with four Latin Grammy Award nominations, and an International Latino Book Award.
Rita Rosa graduated from the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba, and holds a degree in choral conducting. Her music and books have reached over 10,000 children in Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Germany, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and the USA.
Rita Rosa’s versatile musical career has also led her to do voiceover and vocal backups for many well-known Latin artists, such as Celia Cruz and Ricky Martin, among others.
Rita Rosa is also the conductor of the West Miami Children’s Choir, and a producer for the Los Grandes Amigos project.
Rita Rosa’s books and music are appropriate for young children, but her musical theater productions, endowed with over-the-top theatrical flair and wild costumes, are sophisticated enough to keep audiences of all ages entertained!
Tina Kids
Winner of a Latin Grammy in 2020 for Best Latin Music Album for Children, Tina Kiel, a Spanish singer and performing artist known as Tina Kids, creates uplifting children’s music with Spanish-language lyrics and conscious messages, and hosts a YouTube channel for kids. She also tours internationally and provides live concerts for children and families.
Filled with the colorful rhythms of Latin America, Tina Kids’ music is invigorating and inspiring, motivating kids and families to dance and sing and express their joy. Appropriate for little listeners as well as older elementary school students, this music is sure to get everybody moviendo el esqueleto.
What about Reggaeton?
If your kids are hitting the age where they want to listen to popular Urban music such as Reggaeton, and to get to know some of the artists that are headlining the Latin music scene today, you as a parent will have to do your due diligence and literally listen to these artists yourself, picking out appropriate songs one by one, so you can safely let your kids enjoy this type of music without having to worry about inappropriate lyrics.
Once you’ve got a few of your favorite songs picked out and screened the lyrics for wholesomeness, create curated playlists that you and your kids can listen to and enjoy together.
To start, here is a kid-friendly playlist of some of today’s most popular Reggaeton hits.
Llamitas Spanish Curriculum
Llamitas Spanish® provides academic, beautiful and authentic curricula for families raising bilingual children.
Our levels include carefully selected Spanish nursery rhymes and songs that are rooted in Hispanic culture and clean.
Music is a core component to the curricula levels and is often described as one of the most loved parts of the program!
>> Visit the curriculum shop today to learn more!
Maya is an artist and freelance writer from Cuba who has worked in Art Education, Language Education, Simultaneous Interpretation, Subtitling, and Literary Translations. She is also a Mom and Abuela, committed to providing resources for homeschooling parents (such as her own daughter!) and to all who value the conservation of her beautiful, native Spanish language.