The guided composition activity towards the end of the lesson allows students to spread their wings a bit. They could use the ice cream flavors I created or choose their own. Most of my students choose the latter. I call these activities guided because I give them a basic structure, but they also have opportunities to make decisions and be creative. I also give my students opportunities to decide on their final form. We have utilized many elements in this lesson, but ultimately they decide how to put it together.

This lesson will work even if you don’t have enough barred instruments for every student. You can have one instrument for every two students, and the lesson works just as well. Some of you are reading this saying, I don’t even have that many. Again, this lesson will still work. Hand drums, wood blocks, rhythm sticks, or any un-pitched percussion instruments will work as our primary focus is on rhythm. The pitched percussion instruments just add a different flavor.

I hope you enjoy creating with your students this spring and take some time for a frosty treat this summer.

– Angela

Ice Cream Please

Concepts:

• Hand Drum Technique  
• Canon  
• Rondo Form  
• Rhythmic Building Bricks  
• *Composition

Click here to make a copy of the Teaching Slide Deck

[Based off of Rhythmic Canon, Music for Children, Vol I. pg. 74 #7 by Margaret Murray ] 

• What is your favorite flavor of Ice Cream? 
• Present visual of the three rhythmic units 
• Teacher speaks the pattern 
• What order did I say these in?  1 -2 -3 – 3 – 1 
• Teacher speak the pattern, perform body percussion (clap) 
• Underline word Please & Me – let’s make those a different level of Body Percussion (pat or stomp)
• Teacher speak the pattern, perform body percussion (clap & pat) one phrase at a time- Students echo
• Repeat as needed until S are comfortable with the rhythm 
• Challenge students to do it without your help. Tell them you are going to try and trick them. Teacher performs part 2 of the canon.  Can students hold their own? 
• Divide the class in half. 
• Perform the pattern without speech only Body Percussion – Try in a 2-beat canon and 4-beat canon 
• How is it different? Which do the students like the best? 
• What would happen if you tried a 1 beat canon? (This is a challenge but fun to try.  Some groups can do it- others can not) 

• T discusses hand drum technique: 
  • Play drum with dominant hand  
  • Two main sounds – ‘down’ with thumb and ‘up’ with middle & ring fingers  
  • Be sure to ‘bounce’ off the drum  

• T tells S to use the ‘down’ stroke for the pats and the ‘up’ stroke for the claps -T Models
• S play rhythm on drum  
• When S are comfortable on drum – play rhythm in 2-beat canon  

ON ANOTHER DAY! 

• Introduce the ice cream map with rhythmic building bricks- insert the building bricks into the ice cream map
  • Example:  I want some Ice, Tin Roof Sundae, Ice; I want some Rocky Road 
    Yes indeed! 
• Rotate several students to come up and choose their flavors to place in the chart. 
• Have students clap and say the new pattern. 
• Have students transfer rhythms to hand drums or other un-pitched percussion instrument.

• Option:  Have all students go to Orff Barred instruments and set in a Pentatonic (example C pentatonic they would take off their B’s & F’s)
  • At the instruments, can students play the rhythm that was created on the Ice Cream Map on only the note C? Can they expand to the notes C,D,E? Can they expand to the whole pentaton? (C, D, E, G, A)
  • Encourage students to play rhythm on any notes they wish; but end the last word (deed) on a C (your home tone). 

• You could just work on this as a class or you might choose to work in small groups to create your own building brick ice cream. 
• Talk about Rondo Form (The A keeps coming back) Day one is the A section – the whole class or small group creations are the contrasting sections. 
• Create Ronod Form – Perform as a class.   

• Another Option: Have small groups create a guided composition. See the project sheet below. Guided Composition will take more time, but students enjoy the freedom to choose and create. 

Building Bricks in Duple Meter (these are the basics, to begin with) You could create your own or have your students create their own based on these rhythms.

*Chocolate can be said in different ways depending on your region. Feel free to replace*

Example of Project Sheet I use with students

Click here to download a pdf of Angela’s lesson plan.

The post Lesson: Ice Cream Please first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

While Gillespie’s poignant statement refers to the enactment of the Orff approach in our classrooms, the possibilities are also nearly endless in our Post-Level III study of the Schulwerk. Gillespie continues in emphasizing that the secret to a fruitful life in the Schulwerk begins with seeking experiences and moments of discovery and that “the lifelong work of Orff Schulwerk must be built on the roots of wonder”  (Gillespie, 1987). As experienced Orff Schulwerk educators, many of us seek additional coursework to benefit our students’ musical experiences and feed our own need for professional, musical, and personal growth. Our “roots of wonder” truly begin to germinate, sprout, and blossom with our involvement in Post-Level III coursework. 

Curriculum Development

There is a misconception that there is little understanding of the educational capacity of the Orff Schulwerk materials, with the utilization of the Orff approach having a misguided reputation as disjointed, scattered, and lacking in curricular direction. Though we as Orff Schulwerk practitioners have gained an understanding of how to utilize both Orff and Keetman’s primary sources and other materials through the Orff approach, there is enormous potential within a Curriculum Development course to focus one’s teaching as we meet students in each grade level. 

Courses in Curriculum Development have been available for Orff Schulwerk practitioners for decades, with opportunities presenting them as early as the mid-1980s. One such course was led by Orff Schulwerk luminaries, Jane Frazee and Arvida Steen in 1984 at Hamline University (AOSA, 1984). Steen and Frazee’s initial groundbreaking course has led to the inclusion of similar courses in Curriculum Development at a number of other sites of Orff Schulwerk dispersal. Notably, Steen led courses herself and with her protegé, Jay Broeker, until her retirement in the summer of 2000 (AOSA, 2000; AOSA, 2001).

My personal experience includes courses in Curriculum Development at the University of Kentucky and the University of St. Thomas. Each of these courses were led by former students and mentees of the initial course facilitators, with my course at the University of Kentucky being led by Jay Broeker and the course at the University of St. Thomas course being led by Diana Hawley. Though varied in material, both courses took great inspiration from the initial leaders’ framework, using a curriculum grid familiar to users of Steen’s revolutionary book “Exploring Orff” as well as models from Frazee’s unprecedented text “Discovering Orff” and its supplements, including “Artful-Playful-Mindful in Action.”  

In addition to the analysis of one’s grade level activities for inclusion in the curriculum grid (which acted as a culminating project for participants), we had the opportunity to experience teaching models where the instructor led us through activities that would be appropriate for each grade level band. After participating in each activity, we would analyze why it might be appropriate in that particular grade level and discern whether it might share that appropriateness within our own teaching situation. Once we had experienced the instructor’s models, we created our own lessons for involvement in our newly revised curriculum, with a number of lab teaching experiences being some of the most valuable aspects of the course.

Though instructors in other courses might veer from Steen and Frazee’s initial model, the opportunity to analyze the skills needed to develop an effective music curriculum is invaluable. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity for yourself and your own students. This summer (2024), there will be courses of this sort available at the University of St. Thomas (Diana Hawley) and Anderson University (Lisa Sullivan Odom). Please visit the AOSA Course Website Listings for more information or for additional courses, as they are added frequently.

Master Class

According to the Handbook for Orff Schulwerk Teacher Education Courses, Master Classes are only suited for those music and movement educators who have completed all three Orff Schulwerk Levels Courses. As stated on the AOSA website (2013), “Master Classes are intended to be a series of specialized, intense, and focused high level experiences.” Additionally, AOSA states that “Participants who do not have the background knowledge from the three levels of Teacher Education courses will not benefit from the advanced ideas that are being presented in a Master Class situation unless they have the appropriate foundational learning.” 

Each Master Class demands immense focus from the participants, but the information and materials will vary per instructor and be dependent on the course design. Courses might focus on intensive study of the Orff and Keetman primary materials, delve deeper into the historical foundations of the Schulwerk (Elemental Explorations with BethAnn Hepburn), create connections between the Schulwerk and diverse media or new music (Matt McCoy–Building on the Past, Looking Towards the Future), or find the connecting threads between Orff Schulwerk and the others arts and sciences (Integrating the Arts with Sofia Lopez-Ibor). Additionally, instructors might choose to share their greatest passions (or their students’ passions) through their course design. In another recent Master Class, Karen Medley shared her passion for catering to a child’s view of the world with a course entitled “Through Children’s Eyes.” Whatever the theme, content, or design of the Master Class, each participant will gain experiences that will weave together the various threads of the Schulwerk together in a new synthesis for themselves and their students. 

Supplemental Courses in Specialized Topics

In addition to Curriculum Development and Master Class, there are a variety of courses offered that might better support both your students’ and personal needs. You might hope to broaden your understanding of implementing the Orff approach with your youngest students– consider Janet Greene’s course in Orff Schulwerk and Early Childhood. Perhaps you have a passion for involving music unique to the United States in your approach to teaching– have you heard about Doug Goodkin’s Course in Jazz and Orff Schulwerk? 2024’s other opportunities include a course in Orff Schulwerk and Popular Music (Martina Vasil and David Dockan, University of Kentucky), Trauma-Informed Pedagogy through the Orff Schulwerk lens (Dr. Abbie Van Klompenberg, University of Kentucky),  Composing and Arranging in the Style of the Schulwerk (Elemental Composition at Anderson University), and a Post-Level III Retreat in Oregon (Portland Orff, with Kris Olsen, Matthew Stensrud, and Fauna Woolfe). These courses change from year to year, with courses still being added, so please visit the AOSA Course Listing for more details.

International Orff Schulwerk Experiences

Though these courses vary on a yearly basis, there are a multitude of opportunities beyond the United States. As the Schulwerk’s development is different in each of its countries of dispersal, exploring international coursework is also worth considering. 

The Orff-Institute in Salzburg offers a variety of courses for music and movement educators, with its yearly International Summer Course being one of its most approachable. In this course, seasoned practitioners of the approach offer classes that cater to an international clientele. I had the opportunity to visit the Orff-Institute in 2018. One of the most striking features of the course was the inclusion of students from six continents and dozens of countries. It was both incredibly exciting and humbling to be involved in a course with students with such diverse backgrounds and understandings of Orff Schulwerk. The classes at the Institute cover elemental pedagogy, movement, and learning through play– all hallmarks of the Schulwerk. Please visit the Orff-Institute’s website for details on how to register.

Outside of the Orff-Institute, there are a number of additional international courses that you might find inspiring.

• JaSeSoi Ry’s International Music Village: Often held in Finland (as it is a course associated with the Finnish Orff Association, JaSeSoi Ry), 2024’s course will be held in Croatia as the beginning of a rotating series of summer courses, with next year’s course being held in Catalonia. This rotation is being done in an effort to provide greater accessibility to the world’s Orff Schulwerk practitioners.
• Orff-Afrique: This course happens biennially in Dzodze, Ghana. Led by Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo and further facilitated by Doug Goodkin, Sofia Lopez-Ibor, and James Harding and other faculty local to Ghana, the course explores the connections between Orff Schulwerk, the traditional musics of Ghana, and the music of the West African diaspora. The course will be offered in the summer of 2025.
• There are often other courses offered around the globe, so please visit the International Orff-Schulwerk Forum Calendarfor more information.

Retaking a Level (Or More!)

If the thought of taking additional supplementary courses seems daunting, perhaps taking a familiar course will be appropriate to expand your understanding of Schulwerk. I have been fortunate to retake my Levels courses as part of my graduate program. With that opportunity, one has the chance to follow the instructor’s teaching process in a way that a first-time participant might not. Using their understanding of the Orff approach and unencumbered by first-time body percussion woes, bashful movement exploration, and speech piece tongue twisting, participants might gain even more understanding during their second “go through.” Please consider this valuable opportunity at any of the incredible courses listed on the AOSA Course Listing Website.

And if you are earlier in your Orff certification journey and want to learn more about what to expect in each course, please see our post on 2024 Summer Orff Levels.

The post Making It Work: Post-Level III first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

In 2016, I began the AOSA Teacher Education Program, becoming a fully certified Orff Schulwerk Educator after completing Level III in 2019. My experience, along with the ever-growing resources AOSA offers, truly makes a difference in who I am and how I do my job. Here’s a nugget from my journey that has taken on so much more meaning in the past year…

During my Level I course I was introduced to the assessment tool: “I notice – I wonder – I value.” At the time, I understood it as a means of evaluating something I had read because that is the context in which I used it in the course. It was one more assessment tool for me to use when I wanted to know what the people I worked with thought, felt, or understood about whatever the topic of the moment was. And I’ve used it this way ever since.

Now, five years later, 2020 and 2021 have brought events I could never anticipate: wildfires in Australia and the United States; a global pandemic; injustice that leads to an awakening in racial and social justice; tornadoes, hurricanes, and snowstorms; political divides at home and abroad; the loss of many influential leaders; a reinvention of space exploration and landing a rover on Mars. History has been made these past 18 months at breakneck speed. The world around us has changed so much, it will never be able to reset to what we remember pre-2020.

In the midst of all this uncertainty, I rediscovered the assessment tool that I learned back in 2016. And the rediscovery brought with it more clarity and understanding of how to use it, not just when analyzing something I’ve read – or a project I’m reviewing – but how to use it when going through the daily work of life. The power of “I notice – I wonder – I value” is much stronger than my first perceptions in Level I. In fact, the power of this way of thinking has helped me find clarity, focus, and even purpose in this new era of hyper-connectivity through a virtual platform with less personal connectivity to each other.

I notice… I spent much of the summer of 2020 noticing so much about music education that I had never observed before. I always knew our music teachers have a significantly higher level of dedication than might be expected from teachers in general. And I recognized that music education has too many challenges for a person to choose it for a career unless they care deeply about this work. I was aware of a lack of resources many music educators have come to accept – and work around – all in the name of love for music and children. What I noticed in 2020, however, was:

• The depth of the passion and focus of music educators
• The perseverance and tenacity so many music teachers possessed that kept music alive in the adverse conditions of virtual learning
• The fight and fortitude of musicians who wouldn’t allow their students to lose the powerful experience that comes with learning music as a core part of their education

I wonder… as I noticed all these things, I began to wonder, what AOSA could do to make this work easier, more attainable, and maybe even more enjoyable as our music teachers reinvented the field of music education while on the job…and without missing a beat. I wondered about the optimal way to present the most valuable content in ways to best serve those who served our students every day. I wondered what gaps AOSA could fill as we moved forward in this uncharted territory.

To that end, I posed these questions to the servant leadership of AOSA and we got to work. Mondays with Music Virtual Learning Events, the reinvention of summer studies in OS including what universities and colleges offered along with the roll out of the AOSA Independent Study Units, an entire Virtual Symposium…these are only a few of the many things that AOSA did to shift how we serve membership in this time of more virtual connection with less community involvement. AOSA continues to come up with new ways to serve and always welcomes input from membership. We are here to serve you as we navigate this together. And that leads me to the final part of this three-part assessment.

I value…

• The amount of time spent and level of training so many music teachers endeavor to attain so that they can serve their students in the completely new world of virtual learning
• The way music educators overcome the challenges of not being able to play together, use instruments, or sing in community
• The high level of connectedness our music teachers created through an uninviting, remarkably un-connected screen
• Something that I had known, but not acknowledged, for a while: Music educators are awe-inspiring, mind-blowing, truly amazing human beings.

And this acknowledgement goes further because I value the work you do – not just as the executive director of AOSA – but as a friend, as a parent, and as a musician. What you do is not easy work and sometimes it’s not appreciated work. However, I can assure you there are many out here in the trenches of life who truly value what you do. We see the commitment. We see the extra dedication. We see the passion.

If you want to learn more about AOSA – the many resources, networking opportunities, programs, and activities we offer – visit www.aosa.org. For a free two week trial membership, go to https://member.aosa.org/register/free-trial.

My appreciation is unending. Thank you.

Carrie

The post I Notice – I Wonder – I Value first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Materials

• Visuals of rhythm cards 1 and 2 and visuals 1 and 2 (colored square images).
• Visuals of Mondrian’s art works, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, Victory Boogie-Woogie and Composition A.
• White and black construction paper
• Red, yellow, and blue construction paper, scissors, and glue
• Red, yellow, and blue markers, crayons, or colored pencils.

The Art

• After reading book with students, show rhythm card 1 visual.
  
• Ask students to identify quarter notes and eighth notes. Ask students how the notes are arranged; help them discover that the pattern is the same forwards and backwards.
• Define symmetry.
• Show next rhythm card 2. Ask if this rhythm is also symmetrical (no).
  
• Define asymmetry and show other images and examples.
• Show visuals of Piet Mondrian’s work, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, Victory Boogie-Woogie and Composition A. Allow students time to discuss.
• Mondrian was inspired by rhythm and music, especially jazz. Show Visual 1.
• Ask students to determine if image is symmetrical or asymmetrical. How many rectangles are in the top row?
• Add colors and notation and show Visual 2.

The Music

• Have students speak the colors of the top row aloud (blue, red, blue, white) while teacher plays steady beat on drum.
• Repeat, asking students to think the word “white.”
• Speak the second row of colored squares. Think the word “white.”
• In three groups, have the students play as follows.
  • Group One – Play metal percussion instruments on yellow.
  • Group Two – Play drums on blue.
  • Group Three – Play wooden percussion instruments on red.
• Practice playing the first example again (without words or rhythm).
• Play top row of rectangles, second row, etc., then play two rows, and finally play all four rows.
• Groups trade instruments (metals go to skins, drums to woods, woods to metal); perform again, etc.

The Art Reprise

• While listening to jazz selections, groups will create a similar piece of artwork using red, yellow, blue, and white squares with black lines.
• Using white construction paper as background, cut black construction paper to use as lines.
• Use construction paper, markers, crayons, or colored pencils to create color blocks.
• Have each group decide on instrument timbres for different colors.
• Practice and perform.

Extension

• Have each group add movements for each color as they play instruments.
• Have students create a form including an introduction and coda.
• Practice and perform.

This lesson has been reproduced with permission and is an excerpt from Aimee’s book Painted Music. Copyright 2018 by Beatin’ Path Publications.

Download a pdf of Aimee’s lesson here.

The post Lesson: Coppernickel Goes Mondrian first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Objectives for Rain of Leaves:

I can-

-Sing create melodies in la hexatonic

-Perform rhythms accurately and independently with appropriate playing technique

-Play a melodic ostinato with a steady beat

Essential Questions:

–How do musicians make creative decisions? (Create)

-How do musicians improve the quality of their creative work and performance? (Create/Perform)

-When is a creative work ready to share? (Create)

-How does understanding the structure of the music inform the performance or response? (Perform/Respond)

-How do performers interpret musical works? (Perform) and discern expressive intent? (Respond)

-When is a performance or creative work ready to share? (Create/Perform)

Process:

1. Teacher leads the class in tonal Learning Sequence Activities (LSAs) focusing on la hexatonic or incomplete minor.

• LSAs should include call and response of 2-4 tones that outline the i chord and the V chord. I suggest having a pattern that compliments the song melody. Mix your LSAs with the whole class and individuals echoing your patterns.o La-do-mi
  o Mi-re-ti-so
  o La-do-la

• Once they are successful echoing your patterns, pick a pattern that you can use and have the students improvise a different one using the same pitches.

2. Ask students share about the colors of autumn, the special sounds of autumn, and any special movement that happens with leaves in the autumn. Create a list of words on the board using their ideas.

3. Sing the song for them. Teacher leads rhythmic LSAs in the same meter of the song using rhythmic solfege (du-de system preferred).

• Rhythmic LSAs should begin with call and response of the same patterns, and then move to
• Call and response where the students change what the teacher calls. This way the students are already audiating and creating new rhythms to use later.

4. Sing the song again asking them to listen for any of the words from their list that appeared in the song, and where they occurred. Sing again, having students listen for any words that would indicate a shape, or a movement direction. On the third listening, students create the shapes (big, small etc) and use locomotor movement to indicate the direction of the leaves, ending in a low shape on the floor.

5. Check for audiation of tonal center by singing the song again, stopping at various spots where the students respond by singing ‘la’ on the correct pitch.

6. Have a brief discussion with the students regarding the tonal center of the piece, and how the movement will indicate the minor tonality and mood of the piece. Repeat the movement exploration, taking note to point out students that are using different levels, pathways, freezing on their shapes, and exploring different directions with the direction of the melody.

7. Ask students to snap on the rhyming words (fall, small, brown, down) while you sing. Add snaps on the remaining bold text. Ask students what the order of the colors are in the song, then have them sing the entire song while snapping.

It raining big it’s raining small,

it’s raining autumn leaves in fall,

it’s raining gold and red and brown,

as autumn leaves come tumbling down.

8. Transfer the snaps to unpitched instruments of the students’ choosing, then sing and play in the appropriate places. Analyze the melody-which portion of the melody ends on the tonal center of la? Where does most of the melody stay? What direction is the melody moving? Is it moving by skips or mostly steps? (This step will help them not only sing the melody better, but will help them create their own melodies later in the lesson)

9. At mallet instruments in F hexatonic (DEFGA CD) students identify the tonal center of low la on the instrument (D). Add a tremolo on D while singing the melody and playing the finger cymbal part on their chosen instrument.

10. Sing and model the AX part in the air while they mirror you above their instruments. Have students identify how many times the ostinato is played the same, and what happens at the end. Hold a discussion about why they think that may be (to create a complete cadence.)

11. Using the original list of autumn words, allow the class to create a word chain of 8 beats. Clap the word chain twice. Transfer the rhythm to A, with the repeat on either D.

12. When students are ready, explore moving up and down the scale in the direction that leaves might fall, tumble, or swirl when carried by a wind, beginning the improvisation on A so that they have the possibility to go either direction. Hold a discussion about where the tonal center of the piece is, and where the improvisation should end. (NOTE: this has already been established by all the previous activities that focus on the tonal center).

Explore options of using repeated pitches, and different melodic contours demonstrating falling leaves. Hold a discussion regarding the fact that in hexatonic, ti & re are best if used as “passing tones.” Allow more time for creating melodies, encouraging them to create their own rhythms as well if they are ready. (many of my students forget the original word chain so end up improvising anyway )

13. Share improvisations with a shoulder-partner, encouraging them to say what they noticed about their neighbor’s piece. Ex: “I noticed you went up and down mostly by steps and ended on D.” Have them share with the class what they noticed in an example they heard that created an interesting melody. (This should be things like repeated sections, a surprise leap, the melody moving stepwise in both directions etc.) Repeat the process; have the neighbor share what they noticed about how the melody has changed or evolved. (Hint: Some students may be able to verbalize to their partner WHY they made the change-when this happens, I know the students are thinking musically and engaging in the process with higher order musical thinking, rather than just playing randomly)

Perform:

Allow the class to create a final performance using all the experiences from the lesson:

• Movement
• Speech
• Unpitched instruments to create sound effects
• Improvisations
• Original melody with accompaniment

Example:

Introduction: unpitched percussion to create a sound carpet with leaf movement while Bass Metallophone plays a tremolo on D

A- Song with accompaniment

B- Improvisations of a few students (could be chosen by timbre of instrument-glocks, metallophones, xylophones etc)

A- Song with accompaniment

C- Improvisations

A-  Song with accompaniment

Coda: Tremolo on BM with movement

Click here to download a pdf of this lesson.

The post Lesson: Rain of Leaves first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Title Photo Credit: Jennifer Mishra, University of Missouri St. Louis

What is about Level III?

Congratulations! You have completed two levels of Orff training! It is time to start thinking about Level III!  Don’t be frightened, you will love every minute.  But wait, you may ask! Are you ready to take the plunge? Is Level III too hard? Will I be able to understand all of those new ideas when I am just beginning to figure out what I learned in Levels I and II. Yes you are ready! For most, Level III brings together many ideas and skills you have experience sin previous classes. You have had the fun experience of Level I with drone/borduns, ostinati, speech pieces and the like. You have explored meters and modes in Level II while reviewing and deepening your understanding of Orff pedagogy. It is time to put it together….or at least continue the journey.

About Level III

To many who have taken it, Level three is all about musicianship challenges and putting all of the elements of Orff pedagogy and media together to build a deeper understanding of the Schulwerk. Most of my students have said that they finally are connecting ideas together in level III that they hadn’t had the chance to do before. They see the progression from duple meter to triple to odd and changing meters. They see the progression from elemental bordun/drone arrangements to shifting harmonies and then to I-IV-V harmonies. They are asked to analyze and demonstrate the teaching models they have seen by their mentors for level I and II. Pedagogy is an important part of Level III. You will have at least one practicum where you will demonstrate some of the teaching/process skills you’ve learned and experienced in class. In movement and basic/pedagogy, you will probably be teaching your peers as well applying the skills and models you have experienced in your level training. Your movement experiences will deepen your appreciation of the importance, value and potential of movement education. Recorder classes will also extend your skills, repertoire, and pedagogical understanding through the Orff lens.

Time Commitment

By now you should know that a two-week Level course demands your full attention. Level III has a chance for you to really explore all of the concepts you touched on in other courses.  You need time to reflect but also to learn many new skills. There are assignments for arrangements, rhythm pieces and the like and each experience leads to a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Orff process. As with other Level course, you will have 60 hours to sing, dance, play and grow. Three of those hours will be in “Basic/Pedagogy” where you will hone your skills in arranging and pedagogy.  The rest of the day is divided between recorder and movement training with special topics at the end of the day on certain days. You will review and get better on your recorders and play more advanced pieces (practice your F-pipe fingerings!).

Don’t Delay! Register Today!

Don’t be shy. You’ll be fine. It is certainly possible to give yourself a break between each level or to do them in sequence over three summers. Some people will even retake a level just to be sure that they fully grasped the content of levels I and II before they take the plunge into Level III. It is equally common for people to most from one level to the next. If you have completed your other levels, don’t worry, you will start with a review of what you experienced in other summer courses.  Even if you have waited a few years between levels courses, Level III instructors know that review is always a good thing. If you have studied with one instructor, you will learn new tricks and models of teaching from your Level III instructors.

New Materials

Depending on your Level II experience, you will have some degree of training in the modes and meters. This is reviewed along with everything you experienced in Level I when you were just starting your Orff journey. Among the most exciting things you will explore in Level III will be elemental writing using I-IV-V harmony! All of those songs and pieces you have been dying to arrange are a core part of the Level III curriculum. In addition, depending on the instructor, you will probably have time to explore all five volumes of the Orff Schulwerk and all of the great pieces and processes that those volumes offer to the Orff teacher.  You will delve more deeply in the modes, meters, and more advanced pieces and concepts in the Schulwerk.

What to Pack?

As with every Orff course, you should now know that coming with an open mind and a spirit of music adventure are central to any Orff experience. You will have many new assignments and challenges. Plan on a full two weeks. Bring all of your recorders (practice your F-fingerings!). I often tell people to have a good support system for the two weeks so you can devote your time and energy to your studies.  You will be working on harder recorder pieces and process. You will explore more advanced movement concepts (so be ready to move every day). You will be teaching your peers. You will have fun composing and arranging in the elemental style every day or so.

The most important thing to look forward to is exploring Orff Schulwerk with new colleagues who are equally passionate about being great teachers. That is perhaps the most anyone could hope for… being part of the Orff community of like-minded educators all searching to find ways of being active music makers and teachers.

Photo credit: Robert Amchin

The post Making It Work: Orff Level III first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Educators have the opportunity and responsibility to join various professional organizations. However, as educators, available funds to join the most appropriate ones are not always easy to come by. How can an educator decide which memberships are the best fit for them? Which organizations are going to provide the greatest benefits to their members in exchange for their annual dues? A strong argument can be made for joining the American Orff Schulwerk Association. For teachers who are seeking resources in active and creative music making for their students and schools, AOSA offers many benefits. 

National Conference 

The AOSA national conference can’t be beat. At state music conferences, teachers need to filter through to find the general music sessions, which represent only a fraction of the entire conference. At the national AOSA conference, nearly every session caters to general music. Participants often struggle to decide which sessions they would like to attend. AOSA membership cuts the price of registration in half, and the online membership portal allows attendees to find colleagues to room and carpool with from the airport, being more cost effective.  

Scholarships and Grants 

Speaking of saving funds, after a year of membership, opportunities are available to apply for multiple AOSA sponsored scholarships and grants. Funds can be used to sponsor professional development, like an Orff levels course, of attending national conference. They can also be used to study Orff Schulwerk internationally, as well as for various instruments for the classroom. There is even a fund available to specifically support Title I, low income campuses. 

Digital Mentor Program 

Recently, AOSA has introduced the Digital Mentor Program. Teachers with at least one Orff level can apply to work with a mentor teacher who has multiple years of experience in the Orff approach. The vast amount of technology today makes this program incredibly easy to access. Teachers can even record themselves teaching to get valuable feedback that often cannot be provided if they are the only music teacher on their campus. 

Publications 

AOSA members receive both The Orff Echo and Reverberations. The Orff Echo is a quarterly journal that members receive a hard copy of. This journal is full of high quality articles that offer information directly applicable in the classroom. This resource truly invaluable. 

Reverberations is a monthly online publication that is directly emailed to teachers. Various lesson plans, melodies, technology ideas, and even classroom management tips are shared. Additionally, Reverberation articles are categorized for members to easily search through for more specific ideas. 

Online Resources 

Today, so many teacher resources are available online, and AOSA is keeping up with those expectations. In addition to the Reverberations articles that are available online, there is an entire section of “Teacher Tools.” 

-Lessons- Features past lessons from Reverberations. 

-Tech Spot- Articles based on the use of technology. 

-Canon Corner- Features both traditional and newly composed canons. 

-Speaking Volumes- Features lessons based on various pieces from the Music for Children five volume set (required source material when taking an Orff levels course) 

-Video Library- Access to hundreds of videos from past conference sessions, interviews with master teachers, historical videos, and so much more. All videos are tagged with key words, making them easy to search and filter.  

-Listening Booth- A valuable list of musical examples that can be used to teach different concepts in the classroom. 

-Rubrics and Assessment Tools- Sample rubrics for different music topics and concepts are provided. 

-Diversity Matters- Explore lesson plans, book reviews, glossary of terms, and world music references related to diversity. 

-Children’s Book Reviews- Archived reviews from The Orff Echo of children’s books are provided. 

The American Orff Schulwerk Association offers so many benefits and services to their members for a very reasonable annual membership fee of $85. Interested in joining? Visit the website and sign up today by clicking HERE. 

The post What Is AOSA and Why Should I Join? first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

The post What is Orff Schulwerk? first appeared on Teaching With Orff.