Emily Winchip

AIS Kuwait
emily.winchip@aiskuwait.org

NESA Conference

The Orff-Schulwerk Approach

in Music Education

Suggested
Approaches
Movement
Body Percussion
Singing
Poetry

Process

Imitation
Exploration
Improvisation
Notation

Dance
Games
Acting
Experimentation
Choice
Chance
Variation
Risk

WHAT IS ORFF
SCHULWERK?
Schulwerk translates roughly as school
work or the work of children. This
approach is an experience based way for
children to enjoy, create, and participate in
music making.
Through the processes listed to the right,
students are fully engage in every aspect of
learning music. There is freedom of choice,
learning through error, and a lot of risk
taking.
It is not a method, textbook, or curriculum
but a way of viewing the world of music
education. Participate and enjoy!

Want more info?

The American Orff
Schulwerk Association

www.aosa.org

University of Nevada
Las Vegas Class

www.unlvorff.com
Orff Association of
Canada

www.orffcanada.ca

Activities for Young Musicians

Young students are always happy to be in charge and making the decisions!
With just a small amount of freedom and choice, they dont mind practicing the
same skills over and over.

Imitation Model several ways to move low to high and high to low.
Exploration Have students come up with different ways to show it.
(i.e. squatting to standing, arms low to high, eyes look down to up)
Improvisation Student solos, they make up the answer to how are you
*Allow students to practice in a group before expecting solos
Notation Show Sol and Mi on the staff.

Apples
Red ones, Green ones.
Grow on trees ones.
In my mouth ones.
Good for me. Yum!
Imitation Model the steady beat of the words
Exploration Get rid of words, replacing them with rests Red and Yum go last
Mix the words around
Place the words as Sol and Mi; as Sol, La and Mi
Notation Show Sol and Mi; Sol, La and Mi on the staff

*You may choose Billy Blue for the boys and Sally Sue for the girls
Continue the new motion through the next Tutti until you are given a new direction.
Imitation Model different ways to move to the steady beat
Exploration Have students choose (first, sing the solos all together to practice)
Improvisation Have student soloists choose what motion to do
Start with Non-locomotor, later add in Locomotor movements
Notation Notate sol, la, and mi

*Motions are added at this point

Imitation Model the duple steady beat (march) and the triple steady beat (skip)
Exploration Have students come up with new motions to add a Rig a jig jig each
time (I find that my memory is usually limited to the 5-7 range)
This is primarily a wear em out or wake em up activity with some social
interaction. It is also a good experience in duple and triple meters, but is probably not
suitable for notating.

Activities for Older Musicians

Even older students enjoy creativity (and silliness!). Music courses offer a great
opportunity for risk taking and structured improvisation. In specialized music
classes like Choir, Band, or Orchestra, we can work on new skills and get a lot of
practice by using a creative approach.

Flash Cards
Imitation -- Practice counting using regular 4 beat long flash cards
Exploration -- Choose different sounds for quarter notes and eighth notes
(i.e. quiet clap for quarters and a snap with each hand for the eighth notes)
Challenge -- Flip the flash cards one measure ahead of what they are counting
Improvisation Use a determined set of notes (maybe Do, Re and Mi if you are
singing; Concert Bb, C, D for band; etc) that students can choose to play the rhythm.

Writing Music Notes

Imitation Model how to write the rhythms and notes on the staff
Exploration Have students write their own rhythm bingo cards
Give the students a 4-measure long rhythm and have them choose the
notes to write
(give suggestion for a set of notes that they could sing or play)
Improvisation Eventually, students may be comfortable improvising their own
short length rhythms and melodies

Good luck, have fun, and ENJOY YOURSELF!!