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
Making a Case For Quality Material
Good repertoire choices – for both music and literature – can make teaching less stressful and more effective. But what exactly IS good repertoire? Obviously material that children like is a great starting point, but there are several other characteristics that should be taken into consideration when deciding which pieces to teach.
Five Great Reasons to Take Level II
What are the most compelling reasons why someone should take Level II? Reflecting on her experience as an AOSA Teacher educator, the author offers five great reasons why you should consider taking Level II.
The Murray Volumes: Music (and Movement!) for Children
Using movement to prepare the students for playing a barred instrument piece allows students to internalize rhythm, melodic contour, and structure of a piece, in fun and engaging ways, long before they play it on instruments. Isolating one or two of those elements and approaching the piece through the ear and body first will result in less frustration for both students and teacher. In this article, you will find four models for experiencing material from the Music for Children volumes using movement.
Bless Them That Curse You
This canon by the Baroque composer John Hilton anticipated the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
When Will Spoke: Reflections on a Master Teacher
When Will Schmid spoke, his voice drew people in, not because it was loud, and not because it was particularly unique. It’s the way he communicated – it was the joy, the purpose, the twinkle in his eye, that turned heads. Will was a teacher, a leader, a visionary, a pied piper, a peace-maker, a day-in-day-out champion of social justice, equity, and inclusion.
Working With a Model to Improve Recorder Skills
In teaching young recorder players, working with models from the Music for Children volumes provides multiple opportunities for students to reinforce and enhance skills. Working with a model in this way provides opportunities for each student to create in an open-ended manner, according to his/her interests and capabilities and allows the teacher to facilitate the group dynamic through close observation, to learn from the students, and to assess their progress.
Elemental Pathways to Ukulele
Two authors talk about how the ukulele plays a role in an Orff Schulwerk classroom. One writer explains how a ukulele can become an affordable tool for accessing the Orff Schulwerk primary source material found in the Music for Children volumes. The second author invites the reader to explore the possibilities for improvising pentatonic melodies in musical “conversations.”
Incorporating Student Teachers in the Orff Schulwerk Classroom
Student teachers may come in to their placement with minimal or no knowledge of the Schulwerk. How do we, as Orff Schulwerk educators, maintain the integrity of the Schulwerk for our students while still providing the student teacher with a full student teaching experience?
Winter Lesson Ideas
Do you need a quick idea for a lesson during the busy holiday season? Or would you like a head start on planning for the post-holiday month of January? Here are some ideas to keep the creativity flowing in your classroom.
Lost in the Clouds: Where’s All My Stuff
Take a little time to organize your data and manage your storage options so that you can free up time and space to get into what really counts – teaching, creating and living.
Viva la Musica: a Lasting Legacy of AOSA
This canon by Michael Praetorius is well-known by AOSA members; Viva la Musica often serves as a prelude at workshops, levels courses and performances. It has been and is sung at every AOSA conference. This article traces the song’s historical roots.
Black and Gold: An Autumn Lesson
Autumn brings colorful opportunities for exploration in our music classrooms. This lesson is targeted toward third or fourth graders, however the age-neutral text is also appropriate for older students. The primary focus for this lesson is on melodic improvisation and rondo form with suggested lesson extensions.