| Orff Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. The title "Schulwerk" is
an indication of the educational process taking place. Schulwerk is a German
word literally meaning schooling (in music) through working, that is through
being active and creative. It is based on things children like to do: sing,
chant rhymes, clap, dance, and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These
instincts are directed into learning music by hearing and making music
first, then reading and writing it later. This is the same way we all
learned our language.
Orff Schulwerk uses poems, rhymes, games, songs, and dances as examples and
basic materials. These may be traditional or original. Spoken or sung, they
may be accompanied by clapping and stamping or by drums, sticks, bells,
barred instruments and, at the later levels, recorder.
The special Orff melody instruments include wooden xylophones and metal
glockenspiels that offer good sound immediately. Played together as in a
small orchestra, their use helps children become sensitive listeners and
considerate participants.
With Orff Schulwerk, improvisation and composition start students on a
lifetime of knowledge and pleasure through personal musical experience.
Learning is meaningful only if it brings satisfaction to the learner, and
satisfaction arises from the ability to use acquired knowledge for the
purpose of creating. For both teacher and student, Orff Schulwerk is a theme
with endless variation.
This definition was taken from the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. | |
