A Peek Inside a Song: "Don Alfredo baila"

Thinking about starting your own Music Together® classes? Take a peek inside one of our favorite songs, "Don Alfredo baila."

The song

Don Alfredo dances with his fingers. Don Alfredo dances with his fingers and his hands. Don Alfredo dances with his fingers and his hands and his arms and... well, you get the idea! This is from the beloved Music Together song, "Don Alfredo baila." It's a fun and silly song, and as the class sings and dances together, there are also deeper things happening.

Of course, Music Together is fun. And of course, Music Together songs and activities support children's music development. Plus, as a licensee, you'll be sharing a program with families that is rooted in research in how children learn and, thus, supports child development on many levels in an engaging way. "Don Alfredo baila" is one example of how we do it.

The process

During the song, we sing about different body parts (e.g., fingers, hands, arms, etc.). While "Don Alfredo baila" is in Spanish, even non-Spanish speakers quickly learn the parts of the body we're singing about through the motions of the teacher and adults in class. Each verse adds another body part as we sing faster and faster. (Children especially love this silly aspect of the song!) We sing about those body parts consecutively and in the same order every time. The specific order of the verses and actions in the song, give the children (and adults) a chance to practice a skill called sequencing.

The skill

Sequencing is the ability to put things in order, like from smallest to largest or first to last. The ability to do this is critical for the development of emerging math skills, reading skills, and more. Music is an important life skill on its own, but when we sing songs like "Don Alfredo baila," which contain a specific order to verses and actions, we are supporting a child's cognitive development, too.

Who knew there was so much behind the songs and activities in a Music Together class? Actually, we did! Every song and activity in the curriculum was chosen because of its support for children's music and overall development.

Learn more about the research behind Music Together on the Music Together blog, and visit our Opportunities site (password: Opportunity4me!) for more about how you can share this important (and fun!) work with families in your area.