ORFFESTRATION LESSON PLAN

Durmete mi nio (Sleep my baby)

Traditional Mexican Song
4th grade

Primary Outcome: Students will experience and perform syncopations by performing on Orff
instruments and singing. Students will engage and experience a cultural song from Mexico.

Other Learnings: Solfge, Form, Spanish, Cultural childhood songs, orff instrument techniques,
steady beat, pitch matching,

National Standard(s): Realizing artistic ideas and work through interpretation and
presentation.
Responding: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning.

California Standard(s): 1.3 Read, write, and perform rhythmic notation, including sixteenth
notes, dotted notes, and syncopation
3.3 Sing and play music from diverse cultures and time periods.

Materials/Media: Visual; Orff Instruments: Soprano glockenspiel, Alto xylophone, claves,

congas, and bass xylophone

Background of the Song: When I was around the age of 4-5 years old, I would have trouble
sleeping because of bad dreams. I would wake up my mom and tell her that I couldnt sleep and
explain my bad dreams. She would assure mi that it was only a dream and would come with me
to my room to try and make me go back to sleep. She would sing tis song to me and it always
worked. It worked so well that most days I couldnt finish singing with her because I would fall
fast asleep.

THE SONG
 Display visual

Echo-speak each of the Spanish words

Tell what each Spanish phrase in the verse means:
Durmete mi nio, Go to sleep my baby, Dwhayr-meh-tay mee nee-nyoh
Durmete mi amor, Go to sleep my love, Dwhayr-meh-tay mee ah-mor
Durmete pedazo Go to sleep piece of Dwhayr-meh-tay pay-dah-soh
de mi corazn my heart Day mee coh-rah-sohn

Durmete mi nio, Go to sleep my baby, Dwhayr-meh-tay mee nee-nyoh

Durmete mi sol, Go to sleep my sun, Dwhayr-meh-tay mee sohl
Durmete pedazo Go to sleep piece of Dwhayr-meh-tay pay-dah-soh
de mi corazn my heart Day mee coh-rah-sohn

Teach song phrase by phrase. Sing together.

(Visual of Orff Arrangement)

ACCOMPANIMENT
Teach percussion/unpitched parts
o For the conga rhythm pattern, students will pat both hands with body percussion
(Clap, Clap, Clap, *rest*, Clap, Clap, Clap, *rest*, etc.)
o For the claves rhythm pattern, students will clap hands (*rest*, *rest*, *breath*,
Clap-clap, *rest*, *rest*, *breath*, Clap-clap, etc.) The breath is used to simulate
the eight note rest and to help with the syncopation
Teach bordun
o Students mirror the _(L, R, L, L, R, L, L, R, L, L)_first two L, R, L patterns have
cross over pat for first section; (L, R, L, L, R, L, L, R, L, L) first L, R, L pattern
has cross over pat for second section bordun by patting the pattern on laps.
Instructor sings the melody while continuing to pat.
o Students sing the bordun pattern on solfge. Transfer to barred instruments on
_C__ major.
Teach harmonic/pitched instrument parts
o For the Bass xylophone rhythm, students will pat half notes both hands with body
percussion
o For the Soprano Glockenspiel rhythm, students will pat both hands with body
percussion (*rest*, *breath*, Clap-clap, *rest*, *rest*, *breath*, Clap-clap,
*rest*, etc.) The breath is used to simulate the eight note rest and to help with the
syncopation
CONTRASTING SECTION(S)
Create a B section
Include possibility for improvisation

FORM (Final Performance place visual here)