Lesson: Fairy Tale Tableaus

fairy tale

Fairy Tale Tableaus – A Lesson for Dramatic Play The element I find that separates Orff Schulwerk from other teaching processes is the creativity factor. I had no problem setting students up for success and giving them the tools to improvise and create with untuned percussion and the barred instruments. I felt I covered the…

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Lesson: Be Our Guest!

movement

Be Our Guest! Exploring Vaughan Williams through Kitchen Utensils A food-themed exploration of Vaughan Williams’ “March Past of the Kitchen Utensils” through movement and play!  YOU’RE INVITED!  As educators who use movement to initiate music learning, we often explore a variety of themes to make connections with our students and to make these experiences lively…

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Lesson: Harvesting Creativity

Harvesting Creativity

Harvesting Creativity: Using Folk Repertoire as the Seed for Making New Music As Orff inspired music teachers, we all believe that one of the ways students demonstrate musical literacy is by creating new music.  In order to have students in upper grades feel confident in their creative skills, though, it’s important to have younger students…

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Back to School Lesson Contest

back to school lesson contest

CALLING ALL MUSIC EDUCATORS! While most of you are enjoying summer break, here at Teaching With Orff we are already planning for back to school. Share your favorite Orff-inspired back to school lesson for a chance to win a fabulous prize from MMB Music! Entering is as easy as 1-2-3! 1. Select a favorite lesson you…

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Rhythm Lesson: Queen Caroline

Queen Caroline

This piece can be used off and on throughout the elementary school years. It has a “perfect rhythm.” Kindergarten and 1st Grade, beginning of the year: 4 Voices: Whisper Shout Talk Sing – Create a story about a king and queen. 1) All the people in the castle were whispering about the queen’s hair (whisper…

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Sail Away Ladies: Call and Response

One Accord

Are you struggling with leading your school-age musicians to sing in multiple parts? Georgia Newlin shares her techniques for guiding call and response form in this lesson from her new book, One Accord: Developing Part-Singing Skills in School-Age Musicians.

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Purposeful Pathways Lesson: Never Sleep Late Anymore

PP3

Never Sleep Late Anymore by BethAnn Hepburn and Roger Sams We trust you and your young students will enjoy this lesson taken from Purposeful Pathways: Possibilities for the Elementary Music Classroom, Book Three – by BethAnn Hepburn and Roger Sams. Designed to encourage active music making, this lesson includes pathways to rhythm, literacy, partwork, ensemble, and improvisation. A printable version can…

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Playing With Improvisation

meet me at the garden gate

Playing With Improvisation 2, 4, 6, 8 – Recorder Version B Section 2, 4, 6, 8 – RECORDER Teaching Process: Sing song and ask students to label form. (abca) Sing the first 4-beat motive, the a motive. Students echo the a motive. Students sing the a motives and you sing the b & c motives.…

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Good, Better, Best

Good, Better, Best A Rhythm and Movement Lesson for Grades 4-6 Download a printable version of Michael Chandler’s lesson here. Objectives: Working with beat and divided beat through movement, body percussion, and instruments. Choreographing simple movement to elemental forms. Rhythmic and melodic improvisation and composition with elemental forms. Arranging and orchestrating a performance piece. Materials: Unpitched…

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Class Composition Using So, La, and Mi

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: Class Composition Using So, La, and Mi Suggested Grade Level: Late First Grade, Early Second Grade Objectives: Students decipher eighth and quarter notes by ear Students compose and notate melody using So, La, and Mi Students play melody on Orff instruments from written notation Materials: …

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