What is the Orff-Schulwerk Approach to Music Education?
Orff-Schulwerk is an internationally accepted approach to musically educating children in a group setting. The famous composer and educator, Carl Orff, in Germany, developed this approach. "Schulwerk" is a German word meaning ‘work for the school.' Today, the Orff-Schulwerk approach is widely used by music educators in private and public schools throughout the United States and the world.
From the moment an Orff music class begins all facets of expressing, creating, and performing music are integrated. The elements of music - melody, rhythm, form, texture, and harmony, are always at the forefront of carefully planned lessons. Orff involves many things that children like to do: sing, chant, play games, dance, move, dramatize, improvise, and play the recorder and other unpitched and pitched percussion instruments. It is when these elements are combined in a group experience that the true magic of Orff unfolds. This ‘hands-on' approach is based on the idea that children learn best by doing. The child is not the spectator, listening and singing along with a record or teacher-provided accompaniment. Rather, the child is the participant - making the music and involved in the process of creative expression. Orff is child-centered and based on the premise that experience precedes conceptual learning. The elements of music are less abstract to child when he or she is actively engaged in creating and performing the music.
Orff Schulwerk Teaching Principles include:
- Involvement - all of the children are involved and active participants
- Creativity - Children help to create parts of the music they perform
- Theory - Expand the child's concrete knowledge
- Togetherness - All parts are taught to everyone in a spirit of working together
- Child-Centered - the teacher must always adapt to the needs of the group
- Beauty - All music performed should be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing