The Orff Echo is the national, peer-reviewed quarterly journal and philosophical voice of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. Our mission is to demonstrate the value of Orff Schulwerk and promote its widespread use; to support the professional development of our members; and to inspire and advocate for the creative potential of all learners. Non-members may contact the editor for information.
Interested in writing for The Orff Echo? Check out how to get involved in the process:
Extensions to articles published in The Orff Echo can be found in the AOSA Resource Library.
List of Orff Echo Articles
How the Orff Instruments Came Into Being
This history of the development of what we now call an Orff Instrumentarium is a condensation by Margaret Murray of an article written by Carl Orff that appeared in German in the Orff-Institut publication, Orff-Schulwerk Infomationen, 18.
Playing Mallet Instruments: Some Motor Skill Considerations
The author discusses new understandings in motor system physiology and application of this knowledge to planning building block experiences for developing mallet skills in young learners.
Learning From Orff Instruments
The author describes several non-traditional ways for children to play with the bars on Orff instruments. By re-configuring the arrangement of the bars, children explore and discover a general awareness of the structure of Western music
Wrappin’ in the Summer
Sub-titled “and we’re not talkin’ speech ensemble,” this article is a tutorial on how to re-wrap yarn heads on mallets…repair and recycle!
Fix, Fiddle, and Make Do
Tips on how to care for and repair mallet instruments including fixing a “buzz,” tuning, and reinforcing the nails on resonator boxes to guard against over-zealous little hands removing bars. The article also includes a section on instilling in children a respect for the instruments.
Reminiscenses: Orff Schulwerk at the Detroit Psychiatric Institute
The author describes how she used music and dance while working with children who were institutionalized after suffering severe trauma and neglect.
From the Classroom: Rasping Around the World or, Music to Set Your Teeth on Edge
The author describes how she encouraged her students to create new instruments played by scrapping an object across something with bumps or cracks. The materials list shows the creative possibilities.
Keetman Compostions and the Original Instrumentarium
A look at the original instrumentarium and Gunild Keetman’s dance compositions helps to clarify the intended direction of Orff Schulwerk in its early days and offers a picture of its importance as a new trend in music education.
Jazz Goes to School
This article describes the “natural integration” that happens when jazz is introduced into an Orff Schulwerk curriculum.
Who Says You Can’t Improvise?
Jamey Aebersold, nationally known saxophonist, discusses some of the obstacles that teachers may need to overcome to teach improvisation with confidence.
Using Jazz to Teach Musical Concepts
Dunscomb begins the process of teaching jazz by asking students to write lyrics for the 12-bar blues and then improvise vocally to “tell their story.” The article includes a suggested playlist of jazz standards for the classroom.
Elementary Students “Get” the Blues
Goodwin shares a teaching sequence to prepare children to play the 12-bar blues.
Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop and Mysterious Thelonious
Children’s Book Review: A visual journey with minimal rhythmic text appropriate for a younger audience who will enjoy acting out and vocalizing the sounds of jazz along with Charlie Parker. A second book that weaves color and rhythm to introduce Thelonious Monk.
The Joys of Jazz: A Resource for Orff Educators
Garcia shares an annotated listing of books and recordings for teachers to use to introduce jazz in the Orff Schulwerk classroom.
A Jazz Overview
Gorny identifies and describes various forms of jazz from it’s early beginnings in field work songs to post-war “Intellectual Jazz.”
A Tale of Two Scenarios
In this keynote address for the 1997 AOSA Professional Development Conference, Eismann makes a case for the centrality the arts as essential for the fullest development of human potential