WHAT IS ORFF?
Orff Schulwerk, an approach to music education developed by Carl Orff, is experiential and holistic and is for all types of learners, aural, visual and kinesthetic. In Orff Schulwerk, children learn in an active way, where imitation and exploration lead to improvisation and music literacy. Speech, song, movement and instruments are the vehicles used to teach rhythm, melody, form, harmony and timbre. Carl Orff defined the ideal music for children as "never music alone, but music connected with movement, dance, and speech - not to be [merely] listened to, meaningful only in active participation."
Orff Schulwek is built on the idea that a child must be able to feel and make rhythms and melodies before being called on to read and write music. Orff believed that a child internalized and developed ownership of a concept by experiencing the concept before it is put into words. "Experience first, intellectualize second." In the same way that a child learns to speak before learning to read and write, he or she must have a musical language in which to feel at home before technical knowledge is introduced.
Through pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments, movement, games, singing, and rhythmic exploration, the child learns of his own innate musical talents in a way that is immediately successful and rewarding.
WHO WAS CARL ORFF?
Carl Orff (1895 – 1982) is probably best known as the composer of Carmina Burana, but his work with music education has led to a worldwide approach to teaching music to children. Between 1950 and 1954, Orff and his collegue, Gunild Keetman, wrote down the pedagogical concepts that had grown out of their work with children. When they had finished, they had written five volumes: Schulwerk, in its re-creation and transformation, had become Music for Children. Orff viewed rhythm as the basic element inherent in music, dance, and speech and created 'one language' based on this common element. Improvisation and creation were at the center of his teaching. He used the voice as the first and most natural of instruments and made the ostinato (a repeated rhythmic, spoken or sung pattern) serve as the form-giving element in all improvisations.
At the core of Carl Orff's work is a kind of musical expression that is able to speak to children without the loss of musical integrity. Therein lies its significance and its genius.
Orff Beginnings in Ottawa
by Leslie Bricker
November 25, 1982…. A Theatre Arts Studio in a high school that no longer exists…, a workshop flyer on the door, with hand-stenciled lettering… a grand total of three people in attendance 10 minutes before start time (the clinician, the clinician’s husband, and the co-convenor of the workshop!).
So begins the story we might call, “Ottawa Orff Chapter: the Sequel.”
Flashback to the beginning of the Ottawa Chapter, for the “back story…”
Originally formed on January 18, 1977, Ottawa became the fourth regional chapter of Carl Orff Canada. Master teachers and pioneers such as Doreen Hall and Charlotte De Neve sparked interest in Ottawa by offering workshops and networking with school board administrators and teachers. Founding Chapter President Ann Golden-Fisher reminisces about the first workshop held in Ottawa, in 1976:
Today I gave three sessions… along with Doreen Hall and Charlotte De Neve for the Ottawa Board of Education. I felt … the whole day was very successful…I met a number of Orff people I’d hoped to contact, met Arnold Earl, Vocal Consultant of the O.B.E.
Consequently, a small group of us knew that there could be considerable interest in the Orff Philosophy… because of the success and the large attendance at this first-ever Orff workshop in Ottawa. The impetus behind this occasion, and the drawing card for the day was the woman who had brought “Orff” to North America: Doreen Hall.”
Building on the success of this workshop, the National Executive of Carl Orff Canada, along with Chapter President Ann Golden-Fisher and charter members such as Margaret Taylor, Evy Paraskevopoulos and the late Laura Shaw, hosted the third National Conference of Carl Orff Canada in 1977. Margaret Taylor reflect on the conference,
The presence of so much music happening in one place at the National Conference in Ottawa was quite amazing. As a newly-established Orff centre, hosting a National Conference provided great motivation.”
From 1979 to 1981, the chapter experienced a period of hiatus and regrouping; this brings us back to “Ottawa Orff Chapter: the Sequel.”
Leslie Bricker, a student of Doreen Hall’s, moved to Ottawa in 1982, bringing with her the inspiration of mentors such as Doreen Hall and Joan Sumberland. Teacher-training resumed at the University of Ottawa, children’s classes flourished in the Ottawa Board of Education… and the Ottawa Orff Chapter was reborn!
Small but mighty Chapter Executives have continued to promote the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy. Workshops for teachers, Children’s Day events, Orff Levels courses, and training for the classroom teacher have all been offered, meeting the changing landscape of teaching in eastern Ontario.
1990 saw the national conference return to the nation’s capital. “Reach Out in Harmony / Accordons-nous en harmonie,” Carl Orff Canada’s eleventh National Conference, welcomed close to 600 people and brought together a stellar group of clinicians and performing groups. Once again, we return to Margaret Taylor, for a comparison of the two Ottawa conferences,
… Of course one could see the growth that had occurred in Carl Orff Canada at the 1990 National Conference, also held in Ottawa. The number of children’s performing groups, the wealth of music available, the wonderful displays and banners of all the regional chapters and the sheer numbers in attendance at the conference spoke highly for the development of Carl Orff Canada.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2002, the Ottawa Orff Chapter also established a scholarship in memory of charter member Laura Shaw, a stalwart supporter of Carl Orff Canada and an exemplary music educator.
In its 36th year, the Ottawa Chapter continues to evolve and grow. A chapter lending library, sharing sessions and vibrant workshops help to promote the high quality of music education in the national capital region. In the Jewish culture, the number 36 represents “life;” may the Ottawa Orff Chapter have a long and healthy life, bringing the rich philosophy of Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman to Canada’s capital.
Orff Schulwerk, an approach to music education developed by Carl Orff, is experiential and holistic and is for all types of learners, aural, visual and kinesthetic. In Orff Schulwerk, children learn in an active way, where imitation and exploration lead to improvisation and music literacy. Speech, song, movement and instruments are the vehicles used to teach rhythm, melody, form, harmony and timbre. Carl Orff defined the ideal music for children as "never music alone, but music connected with movement, dance, and speech - not to be [merely] listened to, meaningful only in active participation."
Orff Schulwek is built on the idea that a child must be able to feel and make rhythms and melodies before being called on to read and write music. Orff believed that a child internalized and developed ownership of a concept by experiencing the concept before it is put into words. "Experience first, intellectualize second." In the same way that a child learns to speak before learning to read and write, he or she must have a musical language in which to feel at home before technical knowledge is introduced.
Through pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments, movement, games, singing, and rhythmic exploration, the child learns of his own innate musical talents in a way that is immediately successful and rewarding.
WHO WAS CARL ORFF?
Carl Orff (1895 – 1982) is probably best known as the composer of Carmina Burana, but his work with music education has led to a worldwide approach to teaching music to children. Between 1950 and 1954, Orff and his collegue, Gunild Keetman, wrote down the pedagogical concepts that had grown out of their work with children. When they had finished, they had written five volumes: Schulwerk, in its re-creation and transformation, had become Music for Children. Orff viewed rhythm as the basic element inherent in music, dance, and speech and created 'one language' based on this common element. Improvisation and creation were at the center of his teaching. He used the voice as the first and most natural of instruments and made the ostinato (a repeated rhythmic, spoken or sung pattern) serve as the form-giving element in all improvisations.
At the core of Carl Orff's work is a kind of musical expression that is able to speak to children without the loss of musical integrity. Therein lies its significance and its genius.
Orff Beginnings in Ottawa
by Leslie Bricker
November 25, 1982…. A Theatre Arts Studio in a high school that no longer exists…, a workshop flyer on the door, with hand-stenciled lettering… a grand total of three people in attendance 10 minutes before start time (the clinician, the clinician’s husband, and the co-convenor of the workshop!).
So begins the story we might call, “Ottawa Orff Chapter: the Sequel.”
Flashback to the beginning of the Ottawa Chapter, for the “back story…”
Originally formed on January 18, 1977, Ottawa became the fourth regional chapter of Carl Orff Canada. Master teachers and pioneers such as Doreen Hall and Charlotte De Neve sparked interest in Ottawa by offering workshops and networking with school board administrators and teachers. Founding Chapter President Ann Golden-Fisher reminisces about the first workshop held in Ottawa, in 1976:
Today I gave three sessions… along with Doreen Hall and Charlotte De Neve for the Ottawa Board of Education. I felt … the whole day was very successful…I met a number of Orff people I’d hoped to contact, met Arnold Earl, Vocal Consultant of the O.B.E.
Consequently, a small group of us knew that there could be considerable interest in the Orff Philosophy… because of the success and the large attendance at this first-ever Orff workshop in Ottawa. The impetus behind this occasion, and the drawing card for the day was the woman who had brought “Orff” to North America: Doreen Hall.”
Building on the success of this workshop, the National Executive of Carl Orff Canada, along with Chapter President Ann Golden-Fisher and charter members such as Margaret Taylor, Evy Paraskevopoulos and the late Laura Shaw, hosted the third National Conference of Carl Orff Canada in 1977. Margaret Taylor reflect on the conference,
The presence of so much music happening in one place at the National Conference in Ottawa was quite amazing. As a newly-established Orff centre, hosting a National Conference provided great motivation.”
From 1979 to 1981, the chapter experienced a period of hiatus and regrouping; this brings us back to “Ottawa Orff Chapter: the Sequel.”
Leslie Bricker, a student of Doreen Hall’s, moved to Ottawa in 1982, bringing with her the inspiration of mentors such as Doreen Hall and Joan Sumberland. Teacher-training resumed at the University of Ottawa, children’s classes flourished in the Ottawa Board of Education… and the Ottawa Orff Chapter was reborn!
Small but mighty Chapter Executives have continued to promote the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy. Workshops for teachers, Children’s Day events, Orff Levels courses, and training for the classroom teacher have all been offered, meeting the changing landscape of teaching in eastern Ontario.
1990 saw the national conference return to the nation’s capital. “Reach Out in Harmony / Accordons-nous en harmonie,” Carl Orff Canada’s eleventh National Conference, welcomed close to 600 people and brought together a stellar group of clinicians and performing groups. Once again, we return to Margaret Taylor, for a comparison of the two Ottawa conferences,
… Of course one could see the growth that had occurred in Carl Orff Canada at the 1990 National Conference, also held in Ottawa. The number of children’s performing groups, the wealth of music available, the wonderful displays and banners of all the regional chapters and the sheer numbers in attendance at the conference spoke highly for the development of Carl Orff Canada.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2002, the Ottawa Orff Chapter also established a scholarship in memory of charter member Laura Shaw, a stalwart supporter of Carl Orff Canada and an exemplary music educator.
In its 36th year, the Ottawa Chapter continues to evolve and grow. A chapter lending library, sharing sessions and vibrant workshops help to promote the high quality of music education in the national capital region. In the Jewish culture, the number 36 represents “life;” may the Ottawa Orff Chapter have a long and healthy life, bringing the rich philosophy of Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman to Canada’s capital.
