What is Orff? The Eternal Question

When parents or community members learn that we have an "Orff" program in our music room, I always get lots of questions.  What is it?  Who is Orff?  That's the xylophones, right?  How do you spell that?

With my first grade families, to introduce myself and the program each year, I always send a letter home about my philosophy of teaching and what we will be doing in the music room during the year.

I also attach AOSA's brochure, What is Orff in Elementary Music Education, so that all parents get a better understanding of what we are going to be doing and learning.

Today, I came across this video, though, that I think quickly, beautifully, and visually explains what Orff-Schulwerk is, and the power of this type of instruction.  I will definitely be adding this to my webpage at school and sending the link home as well.  This trumps the brochure.

Check it out! Click here!

Hope these ideas help you explain or understand Orff more. 

Holiday Who Ha Link Up

When I started at my school, there was already a traditional "holiday-sing."  Every year on the last day of school in December, we'd file into the gym and each grade level would sing a song or two, and we'd do some carols together.  This was fine and dandy, but I decided I wanted something that would be more conducive to bringing the whole school together on more than one day.  Thus, our new holiday celebration has been birthed.

Each year now, for the past five years, I have chosen a famous book made into a movie.  (We've done Polar Express, The Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, and this year The Year Without a Santa Claus).  We create a whole school theme for the entire month.  I provide classroom teachers with cross curricular activities to go along with our theme, and they create some of their own.  The PTO has come on board and they decorate the entire school to go with our theme.  It always looks incredible.

Then, for the music, I teach each grade level one or two songs from the film or movie.  I buy performance tracks and the music ahead of time, of course.  I then write a readers theater or play that the faculty acts out based on the movie/book.  The students stand and interject their music at the appropriate time, to tie things together, while they remain enthralled throughout the assembly, watching their teachers perform.  Some teachers have even been willing to sing solos.  Our superintendent and principal even participate!

Both faculty and staff dress in costumes this day as well.  We gift prizes for the students who look most like the characters in the book/movie.  Almost 100 % of our faculty and staff dress up.  We love this day!

Before the performance, I make a funny movie of the characters for the year taking over the school that has multiple faculty members in it.  This is always a fun highlight.

Parents come and watch the performance as well.  Communities collaborate on costumes and overall, everyone is just psyched.  This has been such a huge community builder for our school and is something we pride ourselves on.

I love that the music the students are working on has a theme and works together so well, instead of being randomly pieced together.  The music is learned in class, but throughout December, students are taught music from other cultures and traditions as well, as part of their music learning.

Enjoy a few pictures from past years' festivities.  I will post about this year's amazement after it is over!  I can't wait to hear what you do and get ideas too!

To link up, you will simply need to:

• Save the linky party graphic above onto your computer (by right clicking), then include it into your post, with a link back to this post.
• Blog about your holiday "who-ha" celebrations or traditions. Include pictures with links when possible.
• Click the button to join the linky party! 

Thanks to Summer Pitman for her frames and fonts.  Check out her TPT store.  

Phys Ed and Music Partnership: Artist in Residence

I am beyond lucky to work on a team with an amazing PE teacher.  Beyond being awesome in the classroom, she is awesome because she understands in and believes in the partnership between music and physical education.  She understands that not only is beat important in the music room, it is important in most physical activity.  Not only is physical fitness and ability to move important in the gym, it is important in the music room.

For the past seven years or so, we have worked together on many projects.  However, my favorite annually, is our collaborative artist in residence.  Each year, through the funding of our local education foundation, we bring an artist in residence to teach our classes for the week.  Half our students see the guest for the first two days in a row, and then the other half of the school sees the artist for the next two days.  Then, there is usually a closing assembly.  We also have a family night where students can bring their parents back to experience what has been happening all week.

We have had many amazing artists from Kalani, to the Amidons, to Matt Savage, to Kerri Lynn Nichols.  However, this year's artist, Rene Bibaud is right up at the top of the list!  She was incredibly engaging, she got the students attention from day one, she demanded respect and high levels of performance, and she was an amazing performer herself.

Rene was a member of Cirque de Soleil, performing with her jump rope in the show Quidam.  Throughout the week, she shared many rope tricks and skills with our students.  However, the overall theme of keeping a steady beat was emphasized (and we all know that this is a skill we continue to hammer in K-12!)

Not only did she teach them movement skills, she also reminded students how important it is to try things.  Making a mistake isn't a bad thing.  It reminds us to keep on trying to improve.  

Check out Rene's in these short videos:

Check out Rene's website: www.ropeworkjumprope.com

Music Library

In thinking of ways to increase the musical impact I have on my students outside of the classroom,  I collaborated with my librarian to create a "music library."  Through grant funding and some PTO support, we have been able to order a series of CD's, cases, and storage equipment.  Students are able to borrow the cd's, listen to them at home, and return them the next cycle.  Teachers can also use the cd's as resources to incorporate music across the curriculum in their classes.  It has been a huge success.  The next challenge will be to figure out how to do this once cd's become obsolete!

When undertaking this endeavor, we started with the spinner of cd's.  Eventually, the spinner was too full, so we purchased a storage rack.  

Music is classified by genre on the cd cases and on the rack.

Dots on the spine of the durable cases we purchased alert students (and those who shelve the cd's) to the genre classification of the music.

As cases break, we replace them.  Every few years, we add to the mix of repertoire for our students.  I try to select a wide variety of quality music that represents a broad range of categories, relates to the Common Core or National Standards, and is interesting to students.

We make sure to include albums from all of the Artists-in-Residence who have visited our school, as well. 

Communication Cards

To have students share their learning with parents and to advocate for all the great things that are happening in music class, I have my first grade students take home small cards every few classes.  The cards ask the parents to share a task with their child (have their child sing the song for two people, have parents do the motions while the student sings, etc.)  The cards also share the lyrics of the songs, in case students need help remembering them at home.  As an added measure, I have uploaded performances of me singing/speaking the assignment onto my district teacher webpage.  Parents can log on and click to hear it and help their students in this way too.

Feedback on this is great.  Parents love to see what their kids are learning and the kids love sharing.  They love to have their parents complete silly motions or movements to a song.  It's a great way to build music making outside of the classroom.  It works well with first grade because so much of their repertoire is public domain folk repertoire and because they are still incredibly excited to perform for their parents!