Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching Orff-Schulwerk

Will there be Orff training in St. Louis this summer (2007)?

With a resounding “YES” I can say there will be Orff-Schulwerk teacher training in St. Louis this summer. This course is offered July 16-27 at Webster University. Returning to the course are Brian Burnett and Sarah Richardson. For the two weeks we will explore the historical roots of the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy, while examining modern theories of teaching and learning. We are also fortunate to have a course supplied with Studio 49 and Mountain Rythym instruments. This will allow for a full and vibrant Schulwerk experience. More information can be found at www.webster.edu. I hope people will join us for this experience where music teaching and learning is both joyful and thoughtful.
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Will MMB continue to provide sample lessons in the future?

Since MMB’s founding, there has been a strong commitment to serving the needs for educators of Orff-Schulwerk. The past year has been exciting with the launch of the new website, new instruments from Mountain Rythym, and free curricular support via the website. We are committed to continuing and strengthening the resources we are already providing and plan to continue doing so next year.

Looking ahead, we are examining ways to communicate in a more deliberate and authentic manner with teachers. The feedback we receive from the website is wonderful and we want to find a way for people to post and respond to specific research questions about Orff-Schulwerk. Constructing knowledge about music teaching and learning can only build the strengths of all teachers involved in it. We are committed to continuing this journey and exploring the myriad possibilities available.
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Some of my teachers recently attended a Reggio conference in your area and were very impressed. As a school inspired by the Reggio approach, we are looking for better ways to have the kinds of experiences in music that are beyond the scope of the traditional. I agree that Orff and Reggio tie together well, but we need some ideas for change. How can we access the article you wrote with Louise Cadwell and is there any opportunity to visit your school coming up?

It is wonderful to ask about the blend of the Reggio Approach and the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy because it details ideas that support ongoing professional development. Reading articles and books is critical to our work at The College School. It informs our thinking about teaching and learning in ways that support our ongoing research and work. The article Louise Cadwell and I have written will be published in the forthcoming spring issue of the Orff Echo. The journal is a wonderful resource provided by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (www.aosa.org). This article discusses our journey over the past years of weaving these two philosophies into daily work with our students.

Another wonderful way of support and development is visiting other teachers. The St. Louis Reggio Collaborative (www.reggiocolab.com) has regular delegation days where educators observe and dialogue with faculty members and parents about the teaching and learning philosophies utilized.

To really understand Orff-Schulwerk, I encourage you to explore your local chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. These meetings will expose you to the Schulwerk way of working with students to assist them in composition and aesthetic understanding. Taking a two-week training course is the first step to real understanding of the Schulwerk. At the Webster course in St. Louis, we are exploring our inspirations from the Reggio Approach in our teacher training sessions.

These venues are critical to understanding the Schulwerk and making connections with the Reggio Approach. The two weeks of intense training give you the ability to return to your teaching situation infused with a solid philosophy of music learning and teaching to enhance the aesthetic sensibilities of your students.
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I am a preschool teacher and would like to start educating myself on Orff-Schulwerk before I take a class. Which book should I start with?

It is wonderful that you are thinking of resources before the beginning of your teacher-training experience. I would recommend the following books as the fundamentals of studying the Schulwerk:

Elementaria, Gunild Keetman, translated by Margaret Murray. This is the only original source work that addresses the pedagogy. Keetman provides the philosophical foundation for music and movement. There are many musical examples contained in this treasure.

Music for Children, Volume I, (Murray edition). This book of music will acquaint you with the sounds and concepts of Level I Certification. Although this is a volume of musical scores, the pieces and the order in which they are arranged negotiate music learning that is critical to children.

Rhythmische Ubung. Literally this translates as "Rhythm Book." This is a wonderful book of body percussion pieces that can be transferred to unpitched percussion, movement, and/or barred instruments. Like Volume I, theses pieces progress from simple to complex, adding rhythmic interest, varied body percussion, and changing meter to their forms.

These are the books I require for all Level I students in the Orff Certification courses I teach. I also suggest indulging in Iona Opie’s resources for traditional children’s poetry and nursery rhymes. These will serve as the impetus for students creating their own music.

Aside from reading, becoming involved in your local chapter of AOSA will build collegial friendships and expose you to nationally known Orff-Schulwerk educators.
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I am teaching Middle School vocal/Orff music in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I was surfing the web and found your school and your program there. I am trained in Orff Level 2. I have recently moved to middle school and was able to take all my Orff instruments with me. I need more guidance on using this process with middle school.

The beauty of Orff-Schulwerk is that it works with all ages. I have been weaving the Schulwerk into middle school for several years. The poetry is suited for older children and comes from many world sources from which students begin to manipulate forms and phrases that lead to modal improvisations with barred instruments, voices, and recorders. The harmonic material is more advanced for the middle school student. Shifting and changing chords are the norm, with students realizing the effective melody construction. The improvisations become compositions that are enhanced with spoken word and movement.

Enrolling in a Level III course will help you understand the melodic and rhythmic material used with the older student.
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What resources are essential for anyone practicing the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy?

The most essential works are the five volumes of Music for Children, as translated by Margaret Murray. Commonly referred to as "the volumes," these books provide myriad models of student-created pieces. The challenge of the volumes is the absence of written text. This requires the pedagogue to closely examine the intention of each piece, the specific volume, and the progression of music sequences in the five books.

Keetman and Orff address mallet technique, rhythmic and melodic reading and knowledge, as well as harmonic function through a sequenced layout of musical selections. The goal is to imitate these selections and the sequence utilizing the original ideas of today’s students.

Additional material should include pedagogical writings by Jane Frazee, Arvida Steen, and Brigitte Warner. All are essential in forming current thoughts of Orff-Schulwerk in the United States.

Participation in a local chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association provides ample opportunities to experience nationally known clinicians and engage in collegial dialogue with other practitioners of the Schulwerk. It is this continual dialogue about the pedagogy that will give it strength and facilitate its growth.
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Recently, I had the opportunity to observe you teach at The College School (St. Louis, MO) and witnessed a group of middle school students creating a barred instrument piece. Do all students create at all times?

YES! The goal of the Schulwerk is that students create their own music. This, of course, varies, depending upon the age of the student, the time immersed in the philosophy, and the comfort level of the teacher. If a student simply adds a melodic ostinato, a rhythmic body-percussion pattern or an un-tuned percussion amplification to an existing piece, this stills allows the student to create. The goal is to focus this creation on learning and understanding through music.
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Many music teachers ask, "Why Orff?"

Orff-Schulwerk is a philosophy, not just a choral program or the instruments children play. Perhaps the main tenet of the Schulwerk is the belief that once you get children creating and involved, the floodgates of education and teaching are opened. The air of slight chaos found in Orff classrooms is really the excitement of children actively engaged in the process of creation and the celebration of ideas. The Orff concept takes pupils from wherever they are and helps them grow. There are no requirements, no prerequisites—you can jump in with both feet and without fear. It makes music education a living, breathing entity that crosses all boundaries of culture and ability to unite students in learning—not just about music, but about life.

In combination with Orff instruments, the Schulwerk offers versatility, flexibility, and attention-grabbing tools. Singing, speaking, playing instruments, and moving give the teacher the ability to open up the rest of the world (math, literature, culture, etc.) to a young audience through music. Orff-Schulwerk happens in a non-competitive atmosphere where one of the many rewards is the pleasure of making good music with others. When the children want to write down what they have composed, reading and writing find their moments.
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Do children read music in the Orff-Schulwerk classroom?

Of course. Orff-Schulwerk follows the logic of educational philosopher Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827). Pestalozzi advocated that children learn through the senses before any graphic notation is introduced; this became known as "sound before sight." This practice is evident in the Schulwerk where children are given the tools of speech, song, movement, and instruments to create aesthetic compositions. From these compositions, the fundamentals of music—including literacy—should be extracted. The moment for literacy should not supersede the creation of music. After many experiences, literacy will have its moment when the need to write down a student-created composition is presented.
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Is speech really important in Orff-Schulwerk?

Yes. Words and text are the main rhythmic tools that initiate music creation in the Schulwerk. Most importantly, the poetic quality of the text is imperative to all age levels if aesthetic experiences are to be created. Dilettante text, bad verse, and consumer-based pieces have no place in the Schulwerk. Rhymes from traditional Mother Goose, poets such as Christina Rossetti (English, 1830-1894) and Carl Sandburg (American, 1878-1967), haiku, and other world sources provide quality text that can lead to joyful and beautiful student creations.
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