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Welcome Eduardo!
Born and raised in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Eduardo Mendoza Reyes Ortiz is a multi-instrumentalist educator, producer, performer, and cultural ambassador, specializing in saxophone and Andean native woodwinds. During his undergraduate studies at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota (USA), Eduardo was named a Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Scholar and Ambassador for three consecutive years, advancing his mission to share and celebrate Latin music.
Graduating summa cum laude and invited to join the International Music Honor Society, Eduardo went on to make a meaningful impact on South Dakota’s education landscape by fostering Latinx culture in elementary schools and various organizations in Sioux Falls. He also served as the lead developer and instructor of South Dakota’s first Latinx music camp for elementary students. Eduardo currently serves on the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Alumni Committee and has returned to Bolivia, where he is building a music education culture from the ground up within a system where formal music education is still developing, leveraging his skills in music technology and multicultural education.
Se perdio mi Maraca
NEW spanish song and game by Eduardo Mendoza
Click on the image below to watch a lyric video of the song:
Click on the image below to watch a demo of the game:
Click on the image below to watch a video about the song:
Extension Activity: “Find the Maraca” Game
Setup:
- Students form a large circle or rectangle.
- Select 1–3 seekers to sit in the centre with eyes closed, facing each other.
- Divide the class:
- Group 1: Instrument players (maracas, shakers, hand drums, cowbells, finger cymbals, claves, guiros).
- Group 2: Singers.
- Use five maraca-like instruments (one per “Colombian region”).
Gameplay
- Everyone sings the song together.
- During the first chorus, seekers sing “Suena, suena, suena.”
- The rest of the class responds “Suena mi maraca.”
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- On “De Villavicencio, ¿dónde estará?” - instrument players play their instruments gently.
- During the second chorus, same pattern:
- Seekers: “Suena, suena, suena.”
- Class: “Suena mi maraca.”
- On “De Villavicencio, ¿dónde estará?” - instrument players hide their instruments behind them.
- Seekers open their eyes and guess who has the maracas.
Check out MORE resources from Eduardo Mendoza on MusicplayOnline!
Eduardo Mendoza Spanish Resources
From Chaos to Harmony: Music Centers That Actually Work
with Barbara Philipak
Wednesday, February 4th, 2026 @ 4:30-5:30 MST (60 Minutes)
A recorded version will be available if you are unable to watch live.
About the Webinar:
In this webinar, Barb will share a variety of developmentally appropriate music center resources. The session will highlight Stacy Werner’s Super Simple Music Centers for primary learners, as well as Veronica Harper’s Music Center Kits 1 & 2 for upper elementary. Additional resources will be shared to support efficient setup, smooth classroom management, and successful implementation of centers. Come explore practical strategies for making centers engaging and sustainable in your classroom! Educators will learn simple, engaging ways to implement music centers that reinforce core musical concepts and skills, including rhythm, pitch, dynamics (loud/quiet), melodic contour (high/low), music literacy (letter names), and more. These strategies are adaptable to a wide range of instructional goals and align easily with standards-based music instruction.
Musicplay Team Updates:
We wanted to take the opportunity to share some updates from the team:
Content Updates:
- Echo Sing videos added to Solfa Practice Level s,l,t,d
- Echo Sing videos added to Solfa Practice Level s,l,t,drm
- Program resources added to BINGO, Dashing Through the Show, and It's a Boy
- Script and audio tracks added to new musical Kick It
Development Updates:
- New Drum Machine interactive
- New Staff Lesson bass resources
- Support for 2 beat rhythms in Word Rhythm Composition tool
- Added the ability to disable student codes
- Navigation now remembers the last open state.
- Notifications can now be dismissed more easily
