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
Jamming + Orff Schulwerk: Reflections on My Favorite Musical Moment
Informal music learning processes can inform how we structure various improvisatory activities in the Orff classroom.
Zug the Bug
Children’s Book Review: Picture book tells story rhyming short words containing letter “u.”
Change Sings
Children’s Book Review: Picture book showcases beautiful, diverse community working together to create change.
General Music: Dimensions of Practice
Professional Development Book Review: Alternating between music making and meaningful dimensions of music, provides ideas for engaging students and suggestions for assessing growth.
Improvisation: The Pleasure of Survival
Author draws connections between improvisation in our daily lives and improvisation in the classroom.
Embracing Immediacy: Teacher as Improviser
Author details how the teacher-improviser embraces immediacy while constantly and creatively molding the student journey through the elemental process; teacher evokes, responds, models, and guides.
First Steps in Improvisation
Playful games are sequenced to propmote student improvisation and creativity in elementary and intermediate grades.
Orff, Kodály, and Improvisation
Improvisation
is a creative process supported by the Orff Schulwerk and Kodály approaches; examples highlight how teachers can include
improvisation through movement, instruments, and singing.
Singing and Culture: Rethinking Singing, Sound, and Beauty in the Elementary Classroom
Author challenges assumptions about bel canto style singing and encourages educators to accept the diverse voices and cultures of students.
Elementary String Players Immersed in the Orff Schulwerk
Author describes how she used Orff Schulwerk with her elementary string students to increase joy, excitement, and a sense of belonging while meeting the needs of diverse students.
Johnny
Author reflects on a former student’s progress.
A Case for Orff Schulwerk in Grades 7–12
The author discusses the use of the Schulwerk with music students in grades 7-12.
STRIVE-ing: Using Orff Schulwerk with Self-Contained Autism Students
The author tells about her work with autistic students in her music classes.
The Mexican Corrido in the Orff Classroom
Author examines experiences in his own classroom using the Mexican Corrido and its natural compatibility with the Orff Schulwerk approach due to its pentatonic melodies, elemental form, and organic nature.
An Appreciation of the Play Party and its Seamless Connection to Orff Schulwerk
The articles tells about uses of play parties for authentic American movement activities.
C is for Country
Children’s Book Review: Picture book correlates farm animals, tools, natural world with alphabet.