National Board of Trustees

With a small core staff, the majority of work done by AOSA is completed by volunteers who give of their time and talents to promote Orff-Schulwerk in the U.S. and around the world. These volunteers comprise a network of boards, panels, committees, and subcommittees. The National Board of Trustees, which is elected by the membership, serves as the senior governing body of AOSA and is distinct from these volunteer groups. The various panels, committees, and subcommittees report to the NBT, which is charged with managing the strategic direction and daily programming of the organization while providing oversight to the volunteer structure that carries out much of the association’s work.

Resources & Links

NBT Handbook

View details about the National Board of Trustees in a handy document format.

Board Meetings & Minutes

Access minutes from previous meetings and register to attend our next tri-annual meeting.

Volunteer for National Leadership

AOSA members may apply to volunteer for national leadership for any committee or subcommittee.

Leadership History

View past NBT and committee members, chairs, presidents, and more.

Communications Policy

Learn about the process around publicly disseminated AOSA messages.

Commonly Used Acronyms

Get definitions for abbreviations used throughout the site.

Trustee Job Description

View the full responsibilities for a trustee.

National Board of Trustees

Executive Committee

  • Restructuring Ad-Hoc Committee
  • International Connections Subcommittee
  • North American Alliance
  • Incident Response Team
  • Alliance for Active Music Making

Chapter Relations

  • Chapter Acknowledgement and Recognition Subcommittee
  • Advisory Board Subcommittee

Curriculum & Instruction

  • Continuing Teacher Educator Development Subcommittee
  • Curriculum Oversight and Revision Subcommittee
  • Basic Teacher Educator Assessment Panel
  • Movement Teacher Education Assessment Panel
  • Recorder Teacher Educator Assessment Panel

Professional Development & Research

  • Digital Mentorship Subcommittee
  • Research to Practice Subcommittee
  • Orff Schulwerk Education Programming Subcommittee
  • Virtual Programming Subcommittee

Finance

  • Fund Development Subcommittee

Member Relations

  • Crisis Response Team Subcommittee
  • History Subcommittee
  • Grants and Scholarships Review Panel

Leadership Development & Nominations

Staff-Managed

  • Reverberations Editorial Board
  • The Orff Echo Editorial Board
  • Social Media Subcommittee

NBT Committees, Subcommittees & Panels

Executive Committee (EC)

The executive committee oversees the strategic plan and overall operations of AOSA.

  • President: Connie Van Engen
  • President-Elect: Matthew Stensrud
  • Immediate Past President: Josh Southard
  • Treasurer: Karen Petty
  • Recording Secretary: Dan Gullick
  • Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access: Manju Durairaj
  • Vice President-Elect of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access: Victor Lozada

Partnerships:

Subcommittees:

International Connections (IC)

The International Connections committee develops and promotes international relations with global Orff-Schulwerk organizations.

Current Chairs: Carolee Stewart and Michael Chandler

IC Links:

North American Alliance (NAA)

Committee designed to build partnership with Carl Orff Canada.

Current Chairs: Josh Southard and Pam Hetrick

Incidence Response Team (IRT)

The Incidence Response Team (IRT) convenes to address issues of bias raised by membership. The team is chaired by the VPs of DEIA. The IRT endeavors to facilitate courageous dialogue and recommends strategies and practices to affirm the dignity and worth of all our members.

Current Chair: Manju Durairaj

IRT Links:

  • Incidence Response Form: This form allows the user seeking response to report instances of bias or discrimination.

Chapter Relations (CR)

The Chapter Relations (CR) committee helps local chapters follow best practices.

Current Chairs: Fauna Woolfe & Joseph Gershin

Resources & Links:

Subcommittees:

Chapter Acknowledgment and Recognition Subcommittee (CARS)

CARS celebrates and recognizes chapters throughout the country in order to validate, affirm, and highlight chapters of AOSA.

Curriculum & Instruction (CI)

CI develops and oversees AOSA teacher education policies, curriculum, and Levels course structure.

  • Current Chairs: Natasha Thurmon and Michelle McCarver
  • Staff Member: Karen Benson, Professional Development Director

Resources & Links:

Subcommittees:

Curriculum Oversight and Review Subcommittee (CORS)

CORS updates the AOSA Teacher Education Curriculum per recommendations and reviews of Teacher Educators and site directors.

Current Chair: Karen Benson

CORS Resources & Links:

Continuing Teacher Educator Development (CTED)

CTED’s mission is to:

  • Develop virtual learning opportunities for teacher educators addressing:
    • Curriculum content areas
    • Special topics or areas of focus

Current Chair: Shoshannah Drake

CTED Resources:

Teacher Education Apprenticeship Panels (TEAPs)

These 3 panels oversee the apprenticeship process for Basic, Movement, and Recorder Apprentices. Those who would like to be an AOSA approved Teacher Educator must successfully complete this process in the area of their choice. For more information, contact [email protected].

Current Chairs:

  • Basic TEAP: Betsy Sebring
  • Movement TEAP: Mika Inouye
  • Recorder TEAP: Mona Mann

TEAP Resources:

Professional Development & Research (PDR)

The Professional Development and Research (PDR) Committee develops and manages Orff Schulwerk professional development, research, and programming to serve AOSA members and the greater music education community.

  • Current Chairs: Katie Settleberry and Crystal Briley
  • Staff Member: Karen Benson, Professional Development Director (email: [email protected])

Resources & Links:

Subcommittees:

Digital Mentorship Committee (DMC)

DMC facilitates the AOSA Digital Mentorship Program for members who have completed at least Level I Orff Teacher Education and are interested in refining their Orff Schulwerk teaching practice.

Current Chair: Rachel Grelle

Orff Schulwerk Education Programming (OSEP)

OSEP promotes continued learning through AOSA Professional Development opportunities for all members from Pre-Level I through Post-Level III.

Current Chair: Jesslyn Hall

Research to Practice (RTP)

RTP manages current research activities of AOSA and develops additional programs and activities when possible, to encourage research in the Orff Schulwerk approach

Current Chair: Jennifer Wassermiller

Virtual Programming (VP)

VP manages and produces AOSA’s virtual content such as podcasts, Youtube shorts, and audio books.

Current Chairs: Matt Shea and Katy Halsted

Finance (FIN)

The Finance Committee oversees AOSA’s financial health and advises the National Board of Trustees on audit, budget, fundraising, and fiscal matters.

Current Chair: Karen Petty

Resources & Links:

Subcommittees:

Fund Development (FD)

FD develops and promotes annual and endowed fundraising for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association.

Current Chair: Karen Petty

Member Relations (MR)

MR develops and implements policies to support current members and grow AOSA membership.

Current Chairs: Dan Gullick and Sarah Williams

Resources & Links:

Subcommittees:

History Subcommittee

  • Identify, gather and preserve materials of historical significance to AOSA and the growth of Orff Schulwerk in the United States
  • Facilitate the archiving of historically significant documents and materials
  • Encourage historical research on behalf of the organization

Current Chair: Brent Holl

History Subcommittee Resources:

Grants and Scholarships Review Panel

Review and evaluate scholarship and grant applications in a timely, professional manner.

Current Chair: Deb Farrington

Resources:

Leadership Development & Nominations (LDN)

LDN is tasked with identifying, developing, and nominating qualified candidates for AOSA leadership positions, and reviewing award applications.

Current Chairs: Nora Golden and Sarah Fairfield

Resources & Links: