The Orff Echo Editorial Board is seeking submissions for the Fall 2019 issue, “Soul of the Schulwerk.” Submission deadline is February 15, 2019.
In the context of music making, the term “soul” has many meanings. It can refer to the way music connects with our students emotionally, or the fact that for many teachers, the practice of Orff Schulwerk has a spiritual element. In some school communities the Orff Schulwerk teacher fills the role of griot—the West African storyteller who is also the keeper of the community’s culture. Finally, soul is also a musical genre.
We invite various types of submissions such as (1) philosophical and theoretical work reflecting the application of the Schulwerk; (2) interpretation and adaptation of Orff pedagogical techniques for music and other teachings; (3) empirical and/or historical research related to the Schulwerk.
We encourage writers to consider the following questions:
1. Is there a connection between Orff Schulwerk and spirituality? Religion? Meaning-making? Flow theory? Ecstatic music and dance? What are the implications for our practice?
2. As Orff Schulwerk practitioners, how does our work feed the souls of our students?
3. The spark that catches teachers’ imaginations in Levels courses is well known among Orff practitioners—what is the basis of that phenomenon?
4. What is the place for “soul music” in an Orff Schulwerk classroom?
5. Does an Orff Schulwerk practitioner have a role to play in the soul of the school community?
6. Carl Orff once said, “Elemental Music, word and movement, play, every-thing that awakens and develops the powers of the soul, builds up the humus of the soul, the humus without which we face spiritual soil-erosion…. we face spiritual soil-erosion when man estranges himself from the elemental and loses his balance.” How does this resonate with American Orff Schulwerk practitioners?
The Orff Echo Editorial Board is always interested in original research and informative articles covering all aspects of Orff Schulwerk and music education, such as movement, play, singing, assessment, and curricular planning. Our format allows for submissions dedicated to your area of interest in addition to our featured topic.
Please contact Roxanne Dixon (rxndxn@gmail.com), Richard Lawton (richard@richardlawtonmusic.com), or Martha O’Hehir (martha.aosa.echo@gmail.com) with submissions or questions regarding the Fall 2019 issue, “Soul of the Schulwerk.” For general questions about The Orff Echo, send inquiries to Linda Hines (linda@aosa.org).
