 The Orff-Schulwerk method is not a method for teaching children to play xylophones, but rather one that mixes ensemble performance, with chants, rhymes, songs, games, dances and movement.
The deeper goal is to have students understand how melodies are constructed, accompaniment is created, and musical textures and timbres are manipulated to achieve expressive coherence. These are lessons the students will carry with them as they strive to achieve balance and harmony in their relationships and their educational and business endeavors throughout their lives.
The study of music requires an understanding of melody and harmony. To give students a good foundational experience, students need pitched instruments. The Orff Instrumentarium is designed with bars that quickly come on and off, depending on the requirements of the musical selection. It is also easier to eliminate all bars not needed for performance. This keeps student confusion to a minimum and makes for a more accurate and successful use of class time. Orff-Schulwerk instrumentation can be simplified to a basic repetitive pattern, or made as complex as needed.
The ability to create what is needed to fit every student’s needs is only limited by the arrangement a teacher creates, or more importantly, the number of instruments in the
classroom. Funds will be used to purchase 2 alto xylophones, 1 bass xylohpone and 3 pairs of mallets for the school’s music program.
The BNI Foundation thanks Margie Cowan, Executive Director, for this referral. |