Colors Springing, Voices Ringing

Posted April 26, 2018byDrue Bullington

Colors Springing, Voices Ringing

Orff Schulwerk and New Beginnings

This lesson will use a process in which important nouns, verbs, and descriptive language are chosen and used as a springboard for individual and group creativity. A canon will serve as a unifying piece of music and a music literacy component will take shape as this piece of music comes to life slowly through solfege.

We will explore components of folk dance through the New England Dancing Masters version of “Sweets of May,” found in Chimes of Dunkirk (an invaluable resource) and use these figures to create our own adaptation of this folk dance. We’ll go one step further and create a new elemental composition of instrumental music to be played on Orff Instruments which includes ideas generated from exploring the the magical poetry of the children’s book. The final product will even include exploratory improvisations!

The power of Orff Schulwerk comes from unlocking the potential for creativity and awakening the endless possibilities of Music by Children!

Please click here to download a pdf of the lesson, which details Drue’s process and includes links to his Google slide presentation and printable cards.

Drue Bullington

Drue Bullington teaches elemental music and movement at Brownstown Elementary School in Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster, PA. Bullington is twice a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania where he received a B.S. in Music Education and a M.M. in Music Education with a certification in Orff Schulwerk. Drue holds a second master’s degree from Wilkes University in Online Teaching and Learning with an Online Educator’s Certificate of Endorsement from the state of Pennsylvania. He has also participated in advanced Orff Schulwerk studies and an apprenticeship program in Orff Schulwerk at George Mason University. Drue has taught in several Orff Schulwerk Levels Certification programs around the U.S. and offers numerous professional development and workshop sessions on elemental music and movement through the Orff Schulwerk Approach, elemental music and movement applications in the classroom, incorporating technology, and integrating the soprano ukulele into the K-12 music classroom. Drue and his wife, Elise, live in Lititz, PA. They enjoy an active life filled with travelling, culinary adventures and volunteering in their community.

See all posts by Drue Bullington

5 Comments

Rosemary Circo on April 28, 2018 at 1:39 pm

A quick question, can you suggest how I might add the book slides after purchasing a hard copy of the book? I have ordered mine and was thinking I would then photo each page and upload…

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Karen Bramlage on April 29, 2018 at 10:13 am

Love every part of this! Thanks so much for sharing!!

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Russell on April 30, 2018 at 11:17 am

Lovely process, creativity, and end result, as ALWAYS, Drue!!!

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Marcia Working on May 2, 2018 at 1:09 pm

Thank you Drue. Great lesson and process.

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Melissa Burroughs on September 25, 2018 at 7:30 pm

I just came across this…and it helped me through a major brain block! Thanks for sharing!!! Well done!

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