National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15 each year in America and is a time to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Today, I'll share my best music lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month that you can do in your homeschool!
History of National Hispanic Heritage Month
Why was September 15 chosen as the starting point for the National Hispanic Heritage Month? September 15 is the anniversary of the independence of the Hispanic countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, which all declared independence in 1821.
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law Hispanic Heritage Week, and it was expanded to a month by a law signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Understanding the terms Hispanic and Latino
Who does “Hispanic” refer to? According to Wikipedia, Hispanic “is used to refer to modern Spain, to the Spanish language, and to the Spanish-speaking nations of the world, particularly in the Americas, Pacific Islands and Asia, such as the Philippines.”
On the other hand, Latino, Latina, and Latinx are geographic terms that refer to a person from Latin America or of Latin American descent. This includes Brazil, but excludes Spain. For many countries, there is a crossover, because Hispanics can also call themselves Latino, Latina, or Latinx.
Even though Brazilians don't speak Spanish–they speak Portuguese– I'm going to include Brazil in today's lesson because they are part of Latin America.
Best Music Lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month
Have fun with the following music lessons!
Most of these are free, but some are part of paid courses or memberships. Enjoy!
