Celebrating Dias de los Muertos in your Music Classroom

As music educators, we know that culture and tradition are at the heart of musical understanding. Few celebrations blend art, music, and meaning quite like Día de los Muertos—the vibrant Mexican holiday honoring the lives of loved ones who have passed. Día de los Muertos is celebrated every year on November 1st and 2nd. This holiday has a long and complex history that dates back thousands of years. The beginnings of this holiday go back to Meso-American cultures, such as the Olmecs, more than 3,000 years ago. For music teachers looking to connect students with this beautiful cultural tradition, there are many free online resources that make it easy to integrate authentic music, storytelling, and creativity into your classroom this fall. Here are a few of my favorites:

Indiana University: Día de los Muertos Playlist

This unique resource from Indiana University’s Cook Music Library offers a playlist of songs curated around the theme of remembering the dead through music. It includes tracks such as “La Llorona” in multiple versions, “La Calaca,” and “Viene la Muerte Echando Rasero,” among others. Indiana University Libraries Collections. What makes it especially useful is that the site provides musical context (e.g., how the songs relate to remembrances and death), links to performances on YouTube and specialized music libraries, and invites teachers to explore how the idea of an ofrenda becomes, musically, a kind of memorial. This is a brilliant way to help students listen beyond the surface, reflect on how music expresses remembrance, and think about how our own lives are celebrated musically.

Google Arts & Culture: Day of the Dead Virtual Exhibit

Through interactive galleries and 360° tours, Google Arts & Culture allows students to explore Mexican altars (ofrendas), sugar skulls, and artwork from museums across Mexico. Teachers can guide students through a virtual field trip, prompting discussion on how music and art intersect to express cultural identity and remembrance.

PBS LearningMedia: Día de los Muertos Classroom Collection

PBS provides a robust library of short videos and lesson plans suitable for grades 3–12. The Día de los Muertos Collection includes music performances, interviews with artists, and historical context. It’s ideal for integrating music with social studies, art, and language learning.

The Ohio State University – “Día de los Muertos Teaching Resources” Page

This comprehensive hub includes a versatile collection of teaching-friendly materials: songs and music videos (for example, “La Llorona” and “Cumbia de Muertos”), infographics on ofrendas, crafts, coloring activities, writing prompts, and glossary lists of Spanish/English terms. The range stretches from elementary through high school, making it adaptable for band, choir, general music and cross-disciplinary work. What’s more, the page emphasizes the music-video component alongside craft and writing elements, allowing you to tie in rhythm and ensemble ideas with cultural storytelling.

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino – “Day of the Dead Resources / Learning Kit”

This outstanding resource from the Smithsonian Latino Museum offers a Learning Kit comprising music, videos, hands-on activities and guided educator material centered on Día de los Muertos. The kit draws from Smithsonian collections and includes musical examples, virtual exhibits (“The Meaning of the Altar,” “Honoring Our Ancestors,” etc.), and bilingual materials suitable for diverse student populations. For music teachers, this means you can link a piece of music (for example a traditional son or ranchera) to a visual altarpiece or ofrenda image, ask students how the instrumentation, tempo or timbre might evoke remembrance, and then have them respond via instrument improvisation or composition to reflect those ideas. The bilingual nature of the resources also supports dual-language classrooms or world music contexts.Here are a few project ideas that you can do with your music students. I think all of them are appropriate for grades 3 and up.

Create a Musical Ofrenda

Have students collaborate to build a class “musical altar.” Each student selects a song that reminds them of a loved one (or historical musician) and writes a short reflection connecting the song’s meaning to remembrance and celebration.

Compose a Calavera Song

Students can write lighthearted “musical calaveras” — humorous verses in song form — celebrating famous musicians or classroom heroes. Encourage use of rhythm instruments and melodic patterns inspired by mariachi or folk traditions.

Virtual Soundscape of Remembrance

Using online digital audio workstations like Soundtrap or YuStudio, students can design ambient soundscapes featuring bells, acoustic guitar, and traditional rhythms to evoke the mood of a Día de los Muertos procession.

Exploring Día de los Muertos through music gives students a meaningful way to understand how culture and tradition shape musical expression. By using these free resources and classroom projects, teachers can help students connect musical concepts with real cultural practices—celebrating life, honoring memory, and recognizing how music can bring people and generations together.