Orff Schulwerk Certification

TEACHER TRAINING IN AN INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT

**IMPORTANT NOTICE - We regret to inform interested students that both Level I and Level II Orff Certification courses at Gordon College have been cancelled for this summer, 2013.

Due to the high number of public school day weather cancellations this year, the extension of the public school calendar has forced some of our Orff faculty, and the majority of our student participants to have teaching commitments which now extend as far out as June 26 – 27.

Please consider registering for one of Gordon’s Graduate Music Workshops during the week of July 14 – 19, 2013.  There are 7 different topics to choose from, and courses range from 1.5 days up to 5 days.  www.gordon.edu/workshops
 

Guided by expert and knowledgeable faculty certified by the American Orff Schulwerk Association, music education students are introduced to the enduring idea that music, movement, speaking, singing and playing all form an integral part of providing an active and joyful experience for music students.

*Please note the original course schedule has been modified to accommodate for the extension of the academic school year in many New England communities due to weather cancellations.

Level III offering anticipated during subsequent summers

Expert Faculty:
Donna Fleetwood, Level I; Michele Przybylowski, Level II; Laura Webster, Movement; Nick Wild, Recorder

Daily Schedule (*updated as of February 13, 2013)
Tuesday, June 25, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday - Saturday, June 26 - 29 and
Monday - Friday, July 1 - 5, 8 a.m. - 4:30 pm

No class Sunday, June 30 or Thursday, July 4

Online Registration is Now Open! 

Level Courses are the primary means of Orff Schulwerk training in the United States, as set out in the guidelines of the American Orff Schulwerk Association. Teachers completing Level III are awarded Orff Schulwerk Certification.

Level I students are introduced to the unique pedagogical principles, media, and philosophy of Orff Schulwerk through active participation in carefully sequenced lessons.  Participants experience for themselves the creative process by which children discover and explore the elements of music and use these elements to compose, improvise and perform meaningful music for specific expressive purposes. Emphasis is placed on active music making and guided "hands-on" manipulation of simple rhythms, melodies, and accompaniments in child-centered contexts.

Model lessons demonstrate how children's imaginations and innate musicianship can be successfully harnessed and developed in a variety of age-appropriate ensemble settings, including speech pieces, children's rhymes, stories, body percussion, unpitched percussion, mallet instruments, soprano recorder, folk songs, folk dances, musical games, play-acting and creative movement.

Level II students delve deeper into the principles of elemental music and movement by exploring expanded forms, meters, rhythm patterns, melodies and harmonic techniques through traditional Orff media: singing, saying, moving and playing.  Instrumental techniques on pitched and unpitched instruments are refined through ensemble performance.  Review of pentatonic modes leads to improvisation and composition in a la-based and do-based hexatonic and diatonic modes.  Creative movement and choreography are fully integrated with each new musical concept and students expand their repertoire of traditional folk dances from various cultures.  Alto recorder pedagogy is introduced in tandem with expanded range on soprano recorder.  Daily lessons serve as models for practical application in the classroom and open up new expressive possibilities for children of all ages.  Prerequisite: Orff Schulwerk Level I.

Graduate Credit is issued by the Graduate Music Education Program at Gordon College. Tuition for four (4) credit hours at the graduate level is $1,500. The course is graded and students may request an official transcript from the registrar of the college in addition to a certificate of participation.

More Information about Graduate Music Summer Term at Gordon College

Our Campus
Gordon's bucolic north shore environment boasts tree lined walking paths, wooded walking trails, natural spring fed ponds, and the convenience of being located less than one minutes from Route 128, just 25 miles north of Boston.

Facilities for Graduate Music Students
Summer Term Graduate Music students use a variety of classroom locations throughout the day—all within walking distance—including Phillips Music Center, equipped with faculty studios, practice rooms, and an intimate recital hall.

Housing and Meals
Air-conditioned, apartment style housing is available on campus for a reasonable nightly rate, assigned on a frist-come first-served reservation basis. Meals can be purchased on a cash basis in Lane Student Center, or for convenience, students may choose to build a meal plan in advance of their arrival on campus.

Online reservation information and rates for 2013 coming soon...