The Andes regions of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile have a wide variety of musical traditions. Huayno is the name given to the traditional music of the Andes and is famous for the use of panflutes. While there is a long tradition of musical heritage in the Andes, today's music is influenced by the Native South Americans, the Spanish, and Africans brought to the area as slaves. Roman Catholicism also has an influence in the music. Music in the Andes is part of every day life. There is music for agricultural labor, for building houses, for funerals, and for marketing cattle, sheep and goats. There are also numerous traditional dances and traditional dance songs.

Lyrics of the songs are in either Spanish and Quechua. Subjects include the earth, the seasons, harvest time, love, family, children, and the stars. Types of instruments include, pan pipes, flutes, rattles, the guitar (introduced by the Spanish), a native guitar called the charango, and the drum. The music's African influence is evident in the rhythms. Polyrhythms that are Pre-Columbian in origin are also used.

Valses (waltzes) are popular in Peru. While it is true that they have European roots, valses have evolved into a unique form in Peru. Salsa music is more popular on the coasts of Peru and is also the number one type of music in other South American countries although it is typically thought of as a Cuban form. Carmen Miranda, the Bossa Nova, and the Lambada are other popular South American dances and dance songs.

Soca is a form of music popular in the Caribbean area. Soca music is dance music, with a rhythmic one-two beat. It is a blend of soul and calypso. Soca is sung in English. A form of dance similar to Soca but more popular in the south is the merengue. The words to this song are sung in Spanish or a different Latin American language. The dances and the rhythms are similar however.

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the main instruments used in the Andes were wind instruments, especially flutes and drums. The biggest Spanish influence on musical instruments is in the form of guitar-based instruments. Along with guitars, the Spanish brought instruments such as harps, mandolins, violins, transverse flutes, pipes-and-tabors, and oboes to South America. The most popular instruments today are the kena, siku, charango, guitar, and bombo. These instruments all originated in southern Peru or Bolivia. However, the actual music played is a mixture of Native South American, Spanish, and African styles.

The most famous dance and song of Argentina is the Tango. Tango began in the mid 19th century among the members of a social class that formed in Buenos Aires. People that formed this class were immigrants from inland Argentina, European immigrants, and porteños. Tango was a cultural mixture from all of these people and was a way for the people to be united in their new home. Tango is more than music, it contains a particular language, certain usages and customs ,and a characteristic philosophy.