Reverberations: Teachers Teaching Teachers is a weekly, online publication available to members that publishes models of best practice from Orff Schulwerk classrooms in the form of lesson ideas, student-tested teaching strategies, articles related to classroom applications, and more.
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List of Reverberations Articles
A Gift for You
Words of wisdom for teachers who are feeling the pressures of the unpredictable season of preparing students for performances while continuing to carry on with the regular responsibilities of teaching.
Autumn Leaves
This article provides a framework for improvisation in the Aeolian mode using a song about autumn leaves as inspiration.
A Feast of Canons
Three easy rounds about food. Each one has options to add more verses. One round provides an opportunity for students to experience triplets.
Elemental Modal Explorations
This article reviews the concept of tonal centers and pentatonic modes and then introduces a model for modal music making by adding the half-steps that give each mode its distinct flavor.
LOOKING FORWARD to Being TOGETHER…in Kansas City!
Everything you need to know to come TOGETHER in Kansas City for the 2022 AOSA Professional Development in a few short weeks. LOOKING FORWARD to seeing you there!!
Seasonal Poems for Creative Speech Play
Word play offers an opportunity for children to engage in creative expression centered on the season of autumn and a fall holiday that is a favorite of many children. This lesson uses poetry as a starting place for exploring the musical qualities of speech.
Orff Schulwerk Discography
Ardith
Collins interviews Mark Francis, creator of the Orff Schulwerk
Discography and a YouTube channel of OS recordings. Learn about this
valuable collection and how to use it in the classroom.
Getting the Most Out of Your Resources
One teacher’s system of analyzing and indexing resources to plan efficiently and intentionally.
Creativity and Performance
Reprint of an editorial by Isabel McNeill Carley in The Orff Echo, February 1969, Vol. 1, No. 2. Carley writes about the challenges of balancing the child’s need for creative expression with performance expectations. She says, “The pressure is enormous, and it is easy to forget Orff’s basic tenet that participation is more important than performance.” And she asks, “Do we work out new ideas, new arrangements with our pupils, and use them in our public appearances? Do we trust them enough to improvise in public?”
The Leaves Turn Gold
Celebrate the change of seasons with a four-part canon in Dorian mode.
Planning a School Community Folk Dance Event
The author shares suggestions for planning a school community folk dance event.
Nurturing the Roots of the Schulwerk in Our Classrooms
Guiding questions to help the reader dig into Looking at the Roots: A Guide to Understanding Orff Schulwerk by Wolfgang Hartman.