MENC: The National Association for Music Education

The Orff Schulwerk in the Classroom

Author(s): Grace C. Nash
Source: Music Educators Journal, Vol. 50, No. 5 (Apr. - May, 1964), pp. 92-93
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of MENC: The National Association for
Music Education
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3390142
Accessed: 30-03-2017 14:39 UTC

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 they
theygo goalong.
along. (This
(This
technique
technique
is also
is instructed
also instructedtoto
improvise
improvise
vocally
vocally
beautifully
beautifully illustrated
illustrated
in the
in second in
in the
the second thephrygian
phrygian mode
mode
andand
continue
continue
Orff
Orfffilm,
film,notnotyetyet
available
available
for dis- my
my rhythmic
for dis- rhythmicimprovisation
improvisationon the
on the
tribution
tributioninin thethe
United
United States). hand drum with awareness of the
States).

DeituuUt This
Thisbrings
Orff
brings
Orfffilm.
film.
to to
Here
mind
Here
mind
the the
we we
find
original
find
original
"rope-
"rope-
form as well. The class also im-
provised in rhythms of 5, 7, and 13
skipping,
skipping,ball
ball
playing"
playing"
kinds of ac-of metre.
kinds ac- This provided many a chal-
tivities. The critic of the Orff re- lenge. Often we sang, moved in a
cordings, Mr. Mitgang of the New certain rhythmic step, and impro-

-Ie York Times,l might well profit vised against this activity with hand
from viewing this film. drums. Needless to say this is not
asked of children beginning Orff
With a training program such as instruction. With experience in im-
one finds at the University of To- provisation, beginning with
ronto in Orff Schulwerk, one is well
rhythmic, continuing with melodic
aware of the opportunities afforded in pentatonic, major, aeolian,
children to improvise and create, dorian, phrygian, and then minor
and within a framework of musical
in a variety of exercises, one de-
form. As a part of my training lastvelops the ability to create spon-
summer at the University of To-taneously.
ronto, I was asked in Mrs. Matev's
"Anyone who has worked with
class- to improvise rhythmicallychildren in the spirit of the Schul-
over ostinati patterns in the phryg-werk will have discovered that it
ian mode played on the instru-has a humanizing influence which
ments by my classmates. Thistranscends its musical function."17
seemed simple enough until I was
"Carl Orff quoted by Harris Danziger
"Thresher, op. cit. in the New York Times, August 12, 1962.

The Orff Schulwerk in the Classroom

ALBERT g by Grace C. Nash
* "Good afternoon, Middlefork or within reach for for everyone.
everyone.
School . . . Just a minute, please." Therefore, may II share
share some
some of
of my
my
The principal, Miss Osborne, experiences in teaching
teaching the
the Schul-
Schul-
picked up the phone. werk (Orff Music
Music for
for Children)
Children) for
for
It wasn't about the PTA meet-
13EEDS four years, my own
upon actual classroom
ing, but another curious parent;
own opinions
classroom work,
opinions based
work, and
and
based

for the fourth call that day. comments of visiting

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visiting teachers,
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directors, and parents
"What does Jimmy do in music parents who
who have
have
seen and
period, Miss Osborne? He keeps heard Schulwerk in ac-
talking about his orphan music,
tion.
The Orff Music for Children was
playing orphan instruments." "Oh,
he means Carl Orff-Music for introduced in the Middlefork
School, Northfield, Illinois, in 1960
Children ... No, not orphan music,
Mrs. Jones, Carl Orff, the German
on an experimental basis; elective
composer. after school classes for two or
"What is an Orff? How do you three groups of children. Then in
play it?" . . 1962 it was adopted as the regular
These were some of the strange music curriculum for first, second,
questions that came from parents and third grades in the pilot pro-
and teachers when the Schulwerk gram of music education being
(Carl Orff, Music for Children) was
carried on in conjunction with the
Music Center of the North Shore,
first taught in our Northfield, Illi-
Winnetka, Illinois, schools where
nois, public schools four years ago.
To try to answer "What is it?" or Herbert Zipper is director.
"How do you do it?" is seldom sat- The enthusiasm of the children
is
isfactory with relation to any music, heart-warming as they come
rushing into the classroom (eight
and especially so with Orff music.
classes in all). They concentrate
It is better to experience it first
hand or at least to come and see hard and are reluctant to make way
and hear it for yourself. for the next class to enter. But-
Yet, I know this is not available
what do music teachers have to say

92 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL

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after they have witnessed an Orff Let's talk about the basic training grows and grows as the child be-
class in action? What do parents which the Orff method gives to comes more and more skillful with
say? children: rhythmic freedom which the
"I never knew children this A rhythmic pronouncement and teacher encourages and both the
control, gained through clapping,
young could concentrate so atten- teacher and student develop.
tively. .. ." "Every word comes
singing, playing, with the ability to Satisfaction of making music in
out clearly ...." "They listen two
do so of these three things simul- ensemble (playing and singing)
taneously. This ability develops
intently ...." "What excellent that sounds beautiful, is exciting,
quite naturally step by step with
rhythm they have...." "No wonder and just plain "great." As Jimmy
concentration and coordination: said, it's because "you put your
they sing so well. ..." "I wanted
pronouncing
to be in there doing it myself." "It's a repeated quarter
whole self in ...." to playing, sing-
like chamber music on an ele- note pulse, either played or ing, clapping, or movement that
mental level .... "It develops clapped
the as accompaniment to a brings the desired result of excel-
song or counter rhythm; and then
whole child . . . everyone partici- lence to listen to and to perform in
pates ...." and so on. to irregular patterns and impro- a group.
What do I think about it, as vised
the longer rhythmic and melodic Is all of this series of accomplish-
lines. ments possible with an average
instructor of these children? Just
this: The Orff Music for Children Muscular control of the voice. class of lower grade elementary
is so vital, so logical, and so rightAccuracy of pitch in the voice school children? Definitely, the
that we must train more and more develops step by step from listen- answer is yes, and I should like to
teachers to present it. Personally, ing to the correct pitch of the Orff quote from a bulletin comment
I could never go back to the tra- instruments, matching it with the about a program performance given
ditional school music teaching voice, individually and in group. six by my third grade class of twenty-
children at the Deerfield-North-
(which I once taught for ten Develops a listening ear for cor-
years!). The Orff method assures rect pitch, recognition ear-training; brook Rotary Club a few days ago.
development, musical growth, and echo-singing from voice to voice, "The program last week was one
individual progress for each child. voice to instrument, instrument to of the highlights of this Rotary
No child remains static. He im- instrument, voice with accompany- year. Grace Nash and her class of
proves; in rhythmic and pitch ing instrument playing a counter third grade pupils from Middlefork
sense, in speech and singing articu-ostinato; playing and singing simul- School, Northfield, Illinois, pre-
lation, and in his over-all capacitytaneously. sented as delightful, stimulating,
to make music with an energy and Ability to listen and to hear: (a) and truly memorable a half hour
concentration seldom experienced one part against another, (b) pitch [Orff Music for Children] as you
otherwise. intervals, (c) rhythmic intervals could find anywhere in the world.
(silent notes/pulse/ or rests), (d) Suffice to say, those of us who were
What are the goals of the Carl
Orff Music for Children? extended melodic and rhythmic privileged to witness and hear
lines, (e) musical form such as these children perform were richly
^'Making Music" like learning to rondo, canon, etc. rewarded.. ."
speak-before instruction in read- Rhythmic independence together The Orff background of training
ing, writing, and grammar begins. with the ability to create rhythms and performing seems to give the
Each child's singular or particular and melodies along with some de- children the basis for understand-
achievement is dependent on gree of shading in tone and phrase ing art music; be it Bach, Bee-
taking into account his potential dynamics. The Orff method stimu- thoven, or Bartok, they have an
ability which usually is much lates creativity. One of the first affinity for it. "That's for me," is
greater than the music teacher's experiences that come to a child in the way one boy expressed it.
expectations.
Orff training is the discovery or In summary, when children run
Musical precision in the execu- realization that he can pronounce faster to the music class than they
tion of these simple tasks is a prime repeatedly a simple quarter note do to the play ground or to their
requirement; the Orff Schulwerk pulse against an extended counter gym class, you can be sure that
implies the pursuit of excellence. rhythm done by the teacher. This something is happening . . . It's
Making music together means pre- is a creative experience which Orf!
cisely together, not approximately
together. These aims can be
achieved, and the over-all effect of
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

this simple music must have the

quality of professional perform-
ance. It is this reason that led the
writer of "The Contributions of
Carl Orff to Elementary Music
Education," in the Tanuary 1964
issue of the Music Educators Jour-
nal, to the erroneous belief that
professional symphony musicians
had participated in the London
recording.
Note to Readers-
Readers of the Music Educators Journal are cordially invited to sub-
mit short comments to the "Letters to the Journal" department. On the
other hand, longer commentaries such as the two preceding articles are
also invited. Constructive criticism and professional comment can en-
liven the official magazine and, at the same time, be of significant help
in clarifying the views of the members of the profession.
.Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!|lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllll

APRIL-MAY. NINETEEN SIXTY-FOUR 93

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