The music to Encanto is perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month elementary music lessons! The movie highlights the music of Colombia and was written by a dynamo team of Hispanic composers. So let’s talk about all the fun ways you can use the music of Encanto to enhance your Hispanic Heritage Month music lessons.
Who Wrote the Music to Encanto?
The music to Encanto was written by Lin Manuel Miranda and Germaine Franco. Specifically, Lin Manuel Miranda wrote the songs and Germaine Franco did the music soundtrack. Both of these composers are worth highlighting during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Lin Manuel Miranda is the creator of such Broadway hits as Hamilton and In the Heights. He also wrote music for Moana, Encanto and Vivo. He has won Grammys, Emmys, Tonys and a Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps one of the most famous Latino composers of all time!
Germaine Franco wrote the score for Encanto. She also did the soundtrack to Disney’s animated movie Coco (also a great option for Hispanic Heritage Month music!). She was the first Latina to win the Best Score Soundtrack Grammy, which she earned for the Encanto film.
Encanto Showcases the Music of Colombia
Encanto takes place in Colombia, and as such, incorporates Colombian instruments and music into the songs and soundtrack. Colombia has very diverse styles of music within the country. Encanto highlights styles such as vallenato, reggaeton, bambuco and traditional folk songs of the region.
This article by Disney Imagination Campus discusses some of the styles of Colombian music that are used in the different songs, and how songs are used for storytelling.
The music team for the Encanto music did extensive research on Colombian music to make sure they were using authentic Colombian rhythms and instruments throughout the film. Carlos Vives (who sings Colombia, Mi Encanto in the film), was interviewed about working with Franco and Miranda in this article on the Smithsonian Magazine.
Encanto Song List
Encanto has a wide variety of songs, from slow and sad to upbeat dance music. Here is the full Encanto Song List.
- The Family Madrigal
- Waiting On a Miracle
- Surface Pressure
- We Don’t Talk About Bruno
- What Else Can I Do?
- Dos Oruguitas
- All Of You
- Colombia, Mi Encanto
Hispanic Heritage Month Elementary Music Lessons Featuring the Music of Encanto
Waiting On A Miracle – Lyric Analysis
This activity is geared towards older grades. Probably 4th or 5th.
I would give each student a print out of the lyrics, or play a YouTube video with the lyrics of the song. As the music plays, have them follow along. Have a prompt on the board for them to think about. Maybe something like “How do you think Mirabel is feeling during the song? What do you hear in the words or the music that supports your statement?”
I would give them pencils and a highlighter to highlight or annotate as they listen. Your classroom teachers will LOVE that they are having to support their thoughts with evidence from the text! Higher order thinking to the core.
Once students have had the chance to talk about what they thought and you have written some of the different emotions down on the board, you could even take the prompt a step further, saying something like “Have you ever had a time in your life you have felt like this?”
It is always great when you can tie things back to students’ own experiences. They will connect with it more, remember it more, and realize that art often does imitate life.
We Don’t Talk About Bruno – Beanbag Passing Game
Of course we can’t forget the most popular song from Encanto – We Don’t Talk About Bruno. I decided to make this into a beanbag passing game.
As you might guess, this game was a big hit. Kids especially liked the cha-cha-cha motion!
Motions to We Don’t Talk About Bruno
Intro: shake your finger no
Verse 1 (Pepa): Grab. Pass. Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
We Don’t Talk About Bruno: shake your finger no
Verse 2 (Dolores): Grab. Pass. Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
Verse 3 (Camilo): Grab. Pass. Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
We Don’t Talk About Bruno: shake your finger no
Villagers: Grab. Pass. Say “oh. No!”
Verse 4 (Isabella): freeze
Verse 5 (Dolores): Grab. Pass. Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
We Don’t Talk About Bruno: shake your finger no
Isabella your boyfriend’s here (time for dinner) – call out
Final Verse (all): Grab. Pass. Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
We Don’t Talk About Bruno: shake your finger no
What Else Can I Do – Parachute Activity
This buoyant song by Mirabel’s sister Isabella just seemed like it needed a parachute activity. And I have to say that this one was very popular with my classes.
Motions to What Else Can I Do
Intro: sit
Build up (what else can I do): stand
Part A (I grow rows and rows of roses): walk in a circle
Part B (what could I do if I just grew …): in and out (8/8)
Part C (a hurricane …): up and down (8/8)
Part D (can I deliver us): side to side.
Part C (a hurricane …): up and down (8/8)
Part B (what can you do): in and out (8/8)
Part C (I’m coming through): up and down (8/8)
Coda (what else can I do): up and down (4/4/4/4)
Los Oruguitas – Choral Arrangement
If you are looking for a beautiful song for your students to perform, consider Los Oruguitas. This is the song that plays in the movie as the butterflies fly and lead Mirabel to the final piece of the puzzle she needs to know from Bruno’s vision.
This song can be sung in Spanish or English. The version of Encanto Dos Oruguitas arranged by Audrey Snyder is available for a variety of voicings and has accompaniment tracks available if you need them.
Colombia, Mi Encanto
This is my personal favorite song from Encanto. This song is by Colombian superstar Carlos Vives, and has such a fun party vibe!
I usually do this scarf dance with younger grades. But occasionally I’ve used it with my older grades too and it really wasn’t a hard sell!
Encanto Music Lesson on YouTube
Here is a tutorial video I created on YouTube of the dance to Colombia, Mi Encanto.
Motions to Colombia, Mi Encanto
Intro: Wave scarf above head
Verse: Side to side (16). Turn in place (16)
Transition: Wave above head
Chorus: Toss scarf on the words “tanto” and “encanto”
Transition: Wave above head
Verse: Side to side (16). Turn in place (16)
Chorus: Toss scarf on the words “tanto” and “encanto”
Transition: Wave above head
Rap: freestyle dance
Chorus: Toss scarf on the words “tanto” and “encanto”
Ending: Wave above head
You can get a FREE visual of the scarf dance motions to display in your classroom here. I always use a visual when teaching motions to a song (both to help me and to help the kids).
I hope you find at least one new activity to try in your class! Or maybe all of them. Whether you are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with your music class, enjoying movie music, or just looking for something fun, these activities from Disney’s Encanto are sure to be a hit in your classroom!
More Hispanic Heritage Month Elementary Music Lessons
Want more ideas for Hispanic Heritage Month besides Encanto? Check out this blog post:
Songs for Hispanic Heritage Month in Elementary Music Class
Looking for more songs from movies? How about the music of John Williams?
10 Terrific John Williams Music Activities for Elementary Students
