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.
It is possible that some attachments in older articles did not migrate correctly to our new site. If you notice missing content (e.g., attachments, images), please alert us using this Google form and we will correct this as soon as possible.
Interested in writing for Reverberations? Check out how to get involved in the process:
List of Reverberations Articles
The Healing Power of Song
In times of external stress, we can provide a safe community for our students without burdening them with the complexities of adult controversies. Few actions foster a sense of belonging as powerfully as the simple, shared act of singing. This annotated collection of canons, curated from the AOSA Resource Library, centers on the essential themes of peace, acceptance, and harmony.
Sasara Ang Bulaklak
This Filipino song/game comes is shared by a culture-bearer and experienced Orff Schulwerk teacher. Included are sound files to help with pronunciation.
Building from Books
This article shares ideas for teachers to consider when looking for children’s books to use in the music classroom and offers a framework for empowering your students to create their own materials for use with a book.
Leo Lionni Meets the Volumes
Picture books invite musical exploration in an Orff Schulwerk classroom. This article shares lessons paired with two books by Leo Lionni that model concepts aligned with student needs. Includes suggestions for creating new lessons, inspired by literature, that can be tailored to the needs of your students.
Take One Thing
The Music for Children volumes – both the English Versions and the American Edition – become far richer resources when we move beyond simply playing what is on the page and instead view them as creative jumping off points for lesson planning. Rather than treating each example as a finished product, we can approach it as an invitation to explore musical ideas in new ways with our students.
Movement: The Heart of Orff Schulwerk
This selected anthology shares some interesting articles from first two decades of AOSA (1970 – 1990) about movement that not only give great lesson ideas but also show the historical growth of our organization through The Orff Echo.
Pulling Back: How Much is Too Much?
How much work is too much? How do you determine the realistic and appropriate level of additional teaching time you give back to your students outside of the contracted work day? This article shares the person story of a music teacher who decided to pull back.
December Survival Kit
Before the Winter Break, both teachers and students are ready for music lessons that are fun to do and easy to prepare. What can you do that keeps creativity alive, addresses the needs of excited children, and allows a busy teacher some well earned-time off from lesson planning?
Beginning at the Bars
Discovering the magical xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels can be among the most joyful musical delights of childhood. Here are some playful preparations for mallet instrument readiness and first experiences with barred instruments.
Songs for the Season: Autumn Canons
Three canons that were previously published in AOSA publications. Enjoy these lovely songs about autumn leaves and learn a little about the tradition of including canons in AOSA publications.
A Packet of Pleasantly Pungent Proverbs
This article is a reprint from an early issue of The Orff Echo in which Ruth Hamm shares teaching ideas based on her fondness for proverbs. There are suggestions for rhythmic speech activities; her sample of proverbs from around the world provide a good source of texts.
Choral Warmups: Setting the Stage For Success
How do you start your choir rehearsals, or approach singing, with your older students? And how can warmups be a playful extension of what they have done in previous OS classes? Planning your warmup will help you to set your singers up for success while practicing healthy vocal technique and skills they can readily apply to the music they are learning. This article addresses the body, the breath, and the voice and includes video models from the classroom.