In Trinidad…
Cuba is known for its music, singing and dancing.
There are loads of different types of Cuban music, including son, rumba, mambo and Afro-Cuban jazz. African people who were forced to become slaves brought their music with them from Africa, which mixed with Spanish music in lots of interesting ways.
Activity 6: Cuban Music
In this activity we’re going to listen to some different Cuban music. All the lyrics (or words) are in Spanish.
On page X of your worksheets there are some lyrics with words missing. Your job is to fill in the missing words.
The missing words are: música • guajira • todo • histórica • alto cedro
There are 2 ways you can solve this puzzle. Pick which one you think is best for you.
The Easier Way
Use a search engine (like Google) to look up the lyrics of the songs. Just type in something like ‘lyrics chan chan’ and the words will pop up. Then you can work out which word goes with which song.
The Harder Way
Instead of researching the lyrics online, try listening to the music using the buttons below. If you listen carefully, you can work out which word goes with which song, even though the words are in Spanish.
Orishas
Buena Vista Social Club
Compay Segundo
Celia Cruz
Carlos Puebla
Dancing is also popular in Cuba. People in Cuba learn to dance when they’re young. Here you can see some Cuban children dancing.
(You don’t have to watch the whole thing…)