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
Words from the Other Side
Words of wisdom from a retired teacher remind us that OS trained teachers are terrific teachers who do not need to make their jobs harder.
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
Lesson idea based on “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” from “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Mussorgsky/Ravel.
Students experience musical form through playful movement and then use movement to create a new composition.
Winter Word Chains…Unchained!
In this lesson idea rhythmic word chains become the vehicle for artful exploration.
Trepak Triptych
A 3-part lesson idea using imitation, exploration/creation, and re-imagination to explore a selection from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet. Includes Google slides with visuals and printable materials.
I Got the Rhythm
This lesson idea, based on a picture book, invites rhythmic speech play. The author includes some teaching tips to help children discover the natural prosody of words.
Something Old…Something New
New: Download visual aids that support your teaching. Peer reviewed research has been added to library. Old: Rediscover articles, still current today, about using speech as tool for building musicianship in an Orff Schulwerk setting.
Bring Back the Beat
Orff Schulwerk practitioners are uniquely equipped with the necessary tools to support our students in growing the elemental skill of maintaining a steady pulse.
Middle Eastern Rhythms on the Frame Drum in the Orff Classroom
Frame drums, known as hand drums in OS classrooms, are considered to be the oldest musical instruments on the planet. Learning authentic techniques can bring out much more expressive playing in your students. Article includes video demonstrations.
Conference Essentials
Information for attendees of the 2021 AOSA Professional Development Conference.
Playing with Music and Color
Visual art is the starting point for a lesson that includes movement exploration, speech composition, and an adaptation of a piece from Music for Children.
Resources for Teaching About Indigenous American Peoples and Cultures
Teaching resources from past issues of The Orff Echo that share cultural traditions of people who are indigenous to North America and the Hawaiian Islands.
Playing with Tumbula
Expanding on one of “The Principals of Orff Schulwerk” as articulated by Wolfgang Hartman in the Fall 2019 issue of The Orff Echo, this lesson idea models the principle of “The individual at the center” through experiences in impression, lingering, expression, and reflection.