Upcoming Events
Music and Movement for All Ages
Description
In this workshop, we’ll discover ways to strengthen musical skills and create avenues for creativity and growth by getting children actively involved. For our youngest students, we’ll explore age-appropriate activities that utilize adapted folk dance, fanciful finger plays, and the world of pretend. For our older students, we’ll explore how limiting choices and developing clear structures can benefit the creative process. We’ll also have a special topic where we learn about Border Morris dance, a percussive folk dance from the border of Wales and England that uses wooden sticks.
You Can Say It, You Can Play It! Building Rhythmic and Melodic Fluency
You Can Say It, You Can Play It! Building Rhythmic and Melodic Fluency
Presented by Thomas Murphy
Description
Connect the voice, body and mind to pave the way to internalizing rhythm and melody. Use superhero names, songs and storybooks to encourage student creativity through composition. Along the way, construct a musical mission statement for students to gain a positive understanding of classroom expectations. Speech, singing, movement, and instruments combined all lead to student success! If you can say it, you can play it!
Bio:
Thomas Murphy is a music educator that strives to encourage student creativity through composition. He teaches general music at San Tan Elementary in Gilbert AZ, where he was named the 2017 Higley Unified District Teacher of the Year. He holds a B.M. in Music Education from Potsdam College and an M.M in Performance from Arizona State University, where he also completed his Orff Levels training. Thomas has served as Chapter-President for both the Arizona Orff Association and Arizona Percussive Arts Society. He has presented Orff workshops in Arizona, California, New York and the AOSA National Conference. Beyond his work in music education, Thomas is an active percussionist in the Phoenix area, performing with musical theater, Latin, jazz and rock ensembles.
Come back later to register!
Do you want to host a workshop? Do you want the perks that come with hosting?
Go to the membership page to fill out an informational form and someone will reach out.
Popular Music and the Orff-Keetman Approach
Popular Music and the Orff-Keetman Approach
Presented by Martina Vasil
Description
Have you ever wondered how to bring the music your students prefer into the classroom? In this workshop, you will learn many ways to integrate popular music and movement into your classroom through the Orff-Keetman approach. You will also learn how to create your own materials that make authentic connections with your students and help them learn. Bring your ukuleles and recorders and let’s have some fun!
Bio
Martina Vasil, PhD, is Professor of Music Education at the University of Kentucky, where she runs summer Orff levels and teaches collegiate courses in general music and popular music education. Martina is an Orff Level III certified teacher and long-time member of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. She teaches a masterclass on Popular Music and Orff with Dr. David Dockan and presents frequently for Orff chapters internationally and nationally. Martina has 14 years of experience teaching preK–8 general music. Her BMME and PhD in music education are from West Virginia University and her MA in music education is from Eastman School of Music.
Check back later to register
Do you want to host a workshop? Do you want the perks that come with hosting?
Go to the membership page to fill out an informational form and someone will reach out.
Mini Conference - From Play to Performance: A Musical Roadtrip
From Play to Performance: A Musical Roadtrip
Presented by Rob Delgaudio
Workshop Description:
From Play to Performance: A Musical Road Trip is a hands-on professional development session for elementary music teachers that explores how playful musical experiences can naturally grow into meaningful instrumental performance. Participants will begin with games and simple songs that actively engage students, then learn how to scaffold those experiences onto classroom instruments in developmentally appropriate ways. The session includes practical strategies for creating simple Orff arrangements using voices and classroom instruments, with a focus on creativity and accessibility for all learners. Along the way, teachers will take a musical road trip across the United States, discovering how regional musical styles can inspire engaging lessons and performances that guide students from joyful play to confident musical expression.
Bio:
Rob DelGaudio is a composer and elementary music educator based in the New York City area.. He holds a B.M. and M.M. from Manhattan School of Music and Hofstra University and has completed Orff Levels training at Hofstra University, Villanova University, and George Mason University.
As the creator of Music With Mr. DelGaudio, a YouTube channel with over 20,000 subscribers, Rob shares original songs and engaging lesson ideas for music educators. He is also a graduate of the prestigious BMI Musical Theatre Writing Program and serves as the creative director of his own theater company, Pancake Productions.
Beyond his work in music education and theater, Rob leads the Tarrytown Ukulele Jam and is the author of Music, a Barnes & Noble exclusive book.
Registration
Online registration is now closed. Please register in person at the event. We look forward to seeing you!!
Cherry Creek Teachers, please register in person and bring your school ID.
Do you want to host a workshop? Do you want the perks that come with hosting?
Go to the membership page to fill out an informational form and someone will reach out.
Michael Vasquez
Online Registration is now closed. Please register for the event in person.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Chelsea Short presents Fireside Frights: Minor modes that spook and thrill
Online registration is closed. Please register in person at the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
David Row
Workshop Registration
Online Registration is now closed. Please register in person at the event.
Summer Mini Conference: Prof. Werner Beidinger
From Process to Product: Orff Schulwerk in the 21st Century with
Prof. Werner Beidinger
Join the Rocky Mountain Chapter as we explore Orff-Schulwerk in the 20th Century. Experience the process as it is taught at the Orff Institute. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!
Bio:
Werner Beidinger, born in 1963, began by studying Music Education with majors in piano and elemental music pedagogy.
After completing his studies at the Orff-Institute in Salzburg, he stayed on to teach there for over seven years. At the same time, he gathered experience in the professional area of music schools and joined the staff for elemental music education at the Bruckner Conservatoire in Linz, Austria.
In 1994 Werner was appointed a professor for Elemental Music Pedagogy (EMP) at the University in Potsdam, Germany.
Since 2003, he is president of the German Orff-Schulwerk Association and published of the magazine “musikpraxis” at the Fidula publishing house (until 2023).
He publishes on various questions concerning musical and movement education and is a much-sought lecturer in courses, symposia and conferences in Europe, Australia, and the U.S.
His artistic activities currently focus on the “BodyLab”, a student performance ensemble that works and performs a wide variety of projects using the Schulwerk-specific expressive media of body percussion, voice, instrumental playing, movement, and dance.
Online Registration is now closed. Please register in person at Mini Conference. We look forward to seeing you!
Chapter Share
A Recipe Book of
Children’s Literature
Members of RMC-AOSA will share their best lessons and ideas that use Children’s Literature!
Artful, Playful, Mindfulness Integrating SEL Into Orff Schulwerk with Sarah Posey
Description:
Experience, explore, and play with an array of lessons built intentionally around teaching Social Emotional competencies alongside the Orff Schulwerk approach.
Bio:
Sara Posey is a K-5 Music Educator currently teaching in the Adams 12 School District at Silver Creek Elementary. She received her BA in Music Education from MSU Denver in 2018 and her MA in Music Education from The University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN) in 2022, where she also completed her Level III Orff certification. Sara has had the opportunity to present at CMEA on the topics of integrating SEL into Orff and has also been invited to present at the National AOSA conference in 2024. She has a passion for helping educators seamlessly integrate SEL competencies into their Orff-based curriculum with classroom-vetted lessons and strategies!
Online Registration is closed. Please register in person at the workshop. We will see you tomorrow!
Stories that Move with Mika Inouye
Description:
Learn how to listen to a story with your whole body. Engage your senses and discover patterns and relationships that you will use to create elemental structures for music and movement improvisations. Join a dynamic conversation about how to share stories that move us to compassion, inclusion and celebration of our diverse world.
Bio:
Mika Inouye is a performing artist and educator in Durango, Colorado. She is a member of 20MOONS Dance Theater and teaches inclusive creative dance classes and K-6 music and movement for Durango 9R public school district. Mika is the founding president of Four Corners Orff Chapter, a member of AOSA’s Movement Teacher Education Apprenticeship Panel, and the movement instructor at Orff Levels courses in Los Angeles County and Old Dominion University. Mika is the co-director of Piano Academy at Fort Lewis College and performs regularly as a pianist and harpsichordist with San Juan Symphony's Beyond the Concert Hall series. She leads Orff-Schulwerk movement workshops across the country and will present at the 2024 International Orff Schulwerk Forum Salzburg Convention.
Online Registration is Closed. Please register in person. See you tomorrow!
Unlocking Imaginations Through Shadow Play with Peggy McCreary
Description:
Shadow puppetry reflects the elemental aspect of the visual arts, whereby an Orff Schulwerk teacher can teach and integrate musical elements along with language arts, creative writing, geography, history, science and geometry. Learn about shadow screen building, lighting and different types of shadow puppets with “make and take” construction time.
Bio:
Peggy McCreary received her B.M. from the University of New Mexico and her Orff Teacher Training Certificate from the University of Denver. She then joined this faculty to teach recorder and one of the only percussion classes offered nationally. She has taught recorder and percussion in teacher training courses at the Universities of Denver, Northern Colorado, Hawaii, and New Mexico; workshops for American Orff Schulwerk Association chapters nationwide; and has presented at more than two dozen AOSA National Conferences. She received a Lifetime Honorary Membership from the Rocky Mountain Chapter of AOSA and the Distinguished Service award from AOSA.
Her video on Orff instrument care can be found in the AOSA Video Library. She has contributed articles to the national publications The Orff Echo and Re-Echoes II, was a collaborator on Jane Frazee’s book, Discovering Keetman and was an author for the AOSA newsletter Reverberations, where instrument repair tips can be found in her column “Refurberations.” See Peggy's article, “Learning Through Exploration and Play” at http://www.aosa.org/article.htm.
Peggy continues her own musical activities by playing percussion in the Colorado Wind Ensemble.
Online Registration is now closed. Please register in person.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Meter Mosaic with Karen Petty
Description:
Meter adds the mmm in music, perhaps a bit of magic, too. Pulse in patterns. Changing the meter brings a new twist to familiar favorites. Experience and explore meter through all of the Orff media – speaking, singing, moving, playing and creating. Games and Assessment ideas will be shared as well. Materials include some original modal pieces and will be appropriate for 2nd-8th grade. Please bring soprano and alto recorders and wear comfortable clothing.
Bio:
Karen Petty recently retired after teaching Elementary Music and Movement for 43 years - most of that time in public school in Colorado with an 11-year period teaching at Trevor Day School in NYC. She is an AOSA Teacher Educator in Movement and Recorder and Level 1 Basic Pedagogy. Education: BME University of Northern Colorado; Orff Certification UNC; MA in Education, Curriculum & Instruction – Creative Arts in Learning Lesley College. Karen has served on the AOSA National Board of Trustees as a Regional Representative, Recording Secretary and currently as Treasurer. She is a frequent workshop presenter and is past president of both the Rocky Mountain and the New York City Orff Chapters. Karen recently published Mostly Modal with Movement and More – a collection of 21 original pieces for Orff ensemble – with Beatin’ Path Publications.
Online Registration is Closed.
Please register in person at the event.
LeslieAnne Bird Summer Mini Conference
Serving All Our Students in the Schulwerk: ELLs, Special Education, Culturally Responsive, Trauma Informed
Meeting the musical, emotional and educational needs of each student in teaching and learning environments that are constantly changing can be a challenge. Never Fear!
While it does seem overwhelming it can be done AND it is easier when we work together.
During the mini conference we will:
Identify and explore ways that Universal Design for Learning aligned with Orff process teaching can help us to meet the educational needs of all of our music students and ourselves.
Discuss and apply strategies to support young musicians who are learning a second language, (English) and students with special needs.
Explore the developing brain and practice trauma-informed strategies that work in the general music setting.
Develop criteria and actionable tasks to become culturally relevant and respectful music educators.
As a representative of ACEMM (The American Center for Elemental Music and Movement), LeslieAnne looks forward to sharing about the organization, its mission and how we support music educators in creating elemental music with their students and communities.
Friday, July 26 = 8am to 5pm
Saturday, July 27 = 8am to 4pm
Lunch is not provided but the lunch break will last one hour each day.
Mini Conference Registration
2 Day - $150
1 Day - $100
Online Registration is closed. All are still welcome to register in person.
“Visual Art as Inspiration” Laura Bercaw Petersen
Laura Bercaw Petersen
Using rich visuals as inspiration, workshop participants will sing, say, dance, and play their way through the morning. Stunning works of art will help spawn ideas for movement, improvisation, speech and song. Come find new ideas to re-energize your music classroom while making important co-curricular connections!
Online Registration is closed. Please join us and register in person.
"Culturally Responsive Approach to Black Music" Brandi Waller-Pace
Brandi Waller-Pace
Framed by historical context, narratives, and dialogue, explore various styles of Black music and learn to incorporate them in ways that center the experiences of Black people.
Online Registration is closed. Please register in person.
We look forward to seeing you there!
“Playful Pedagogy in Elemental Music and Movement” Drue Bullington
Drue Bullington
Mindful movement, creating with rhythmic building blocks, stories, drawings, elemental melodies, and more are all playfully explored as participants are guided to create artistic musical experiences. Bring a hand drum, a soprano recorder, a soprano ukulele (if you've got one handy), and your curiosity! We'll have fun making music and making memories together!
Pre-registration is closed. Please register in person at the workshop.
"Re-Grounding & Recharging" Dr. Paul Cribari
Let’s come together before the start of a new year to reground in Orff Schulwerk's basics, develop new ideas for connecting to students, and deepen our understanding of elemental music! In these two days, we will explore some gems from the Volumes, create new pieces based on the models, and connect with one another as a community of educators/musicians.
See you there!
Chapter Share
Curious about Orff? Want to get more lesson ideas for your classroom?
Then join us for a fun morning of joy, curiosity and music making as we take the opportunity to learn from each other. Chapter members will share lessons from their classrooms. This is a great event to grab some end of the year gems for your students and to get your ideas rolling for next year.
The best part is…it’s completely free!
Judith Thomas - Solomon - Workshop
Judith Thomas - Solomon
“Orff Schulwerk: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”
Orff Schulwerk is an incomparable approach in bringing children of all ages to music - Its power shapes us, awakening the best of what is in all of us, teachers and students alike: awareness and the creative spark.
So won’t you come and add YOUR “fiery particles” as we ignite our lives together. Come experience her decades of “living” the Orff Schulwerk approach and add your unique touches. We guarantee you’ll come away with renewed ideas and energy!
Workshop Registration
Did you miss online registration? We still look forward to seeing you in person!
Walt Hampton - Workshop
African Marimba in the Orff Classroom
Participants will experience first-hand the benefits and excitement of African-style marimba music in their classroom. They will learn playing and teaching techniques from this master teacher as they play, and also gain background information on this fascinating music. Participants will also learn about arranging pieces for performance, and the keys to creating a high-level performing group at their own school.
Workshop Registration
Online registration is closed for this workshop. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, January 14th, for in person registration.
Tiffany English - Workshop
Tiffany English
Seasonally Orff
Unpack the secrets of success! IMITATE, EXPLORE, and CREATE: Play with the media of the Schulwerk from speech to body percussion to creative movement, and instruments. Unpack the tools you need to develop elemental musical experiences and uncover the ingredients needed for successful music making.
Credit and Clock Hours available!
Online registration is now closed for this event. You can still register in person.
Matthew Stensrud Workshop
Effortless Play: Using the Schulwerk to Enhance Creativity
There’s always a place for creation – a folk dance with a twist, a chance to explore the xylophone, or an opportunity to see what your body can do with one word – but pulling these ideas from our students can be challenging. Let’s go back to the Schulwerk roots of playfulness, discovery, and wonder as we explore these ideas and more through student-led choices, improvisation, risk-taking, and more. We’ll unearth the unexpected, so join us on the journey!
Matthew Stensrud is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed music educator and currently teaches PK-4 Lower School Music and Movement at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. Matthew presents frequently on the successful combination of Orff Schulwerk and Responsive Classroom, has published articles on Responsive Classroom in the music room and contributed to a book for specialists on the incorporation of Responsive Classroom. He received the Spotlight Award from the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement in Summer 2017 and was recognized by his school as Teacher of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year.
Meg Tietz and Andrew Ellingsen - Summer Mini Conference
SCHEDULE:
Thursday July 21: 11:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.
Friday July 22: 8:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.
Come spend two playful days discovering the multitude of ways body percussion can enrich the music-making in your classroom! While many associate the Orff approach with the playing of instruments, there are so many ways for children to be creative musicians. This workshop will highlight a host of ways that teachers can utilize body percussion in their classrooms -- as entry points into movement and the playing of barred instruments, as accompaniment patterns, in dramatic play, while folk dancing, and more!
Using body percussion allows teachers with a small budget to incorporate the Orff approach into their classrooms. Additionally, it enables students to make music on their own, no matter whether they’re in the music classroom, with the music teacher outside, or on their own at home or at recess. Help students access a myriad of sounds with the instrument they carry with them everywhere they go -- their body!
SCHEDULE:
Thursday July 21: 11:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.
Friday July 22: 8:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.