Orff-Schulwerk Rediscovered: Music and Teaching Models

This resource by Rainer Kotzian and Polo Vallejo contains teaching suggestions and extension activities for 15 musical pieces from the classic Orff-Schulwerk volumes 1-5. Lessons feature clear full-color text, audio examples, PDFs for printing and projecting, and video sequences demonstrating individual parts. 

The free Play Orff app (for iOS or Android) supplements the book with opportunities for students to create arrangements and compose in digital form. One song is free with the app, and the code found inside this book allows access to the remaining songs.

This book was created on the initiative of the Carl Orff Foundation, Diessen am Ammersee, Germany. 

About the Author:

Rainer Kotzian studied music and dance education at the Carl Orff Institute of the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Since 2010, he has been professor for elemental music education at the Hochschule fur Musik in Nuremberg. Additionally, he is an active musician and is involved in the field of further training. 

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Orff-Schulwerk – Music for Children
• The elemental concept
• Rhythm as a common basis
• Improvisation
• Rhythmic and melodic building blocks
• Conducting exercise – foundation of ensemble playing
• Range of possible conducting signs-Instrumental playing
• Movement
• Literature (chronological)

Prepared Teaching Models*:

• Ding, dong, digidigidong (MFC Vol. 1)
• Rhythmic Rondo (MFC Vol. 1)
• Everyone is Playing Fine (MFC Vol. 1)
• Sleep, Baby, Sleep (MFC Vol. 2)
• Tall Tales (MFC Vol. 2)
• Gassenhauer (MFC Vol. 3)
• Rundadinella (MFC Vol. 3)
• Malaguena / Behold a Bridge (MFC Vol. 4)
• Dance Song (MFC Vol. 4)
• Catalan Christmas Dance (MFC Vol. 5)
• Ecstatic Dance (MFC Vol. 5)

Further Suggestions for Lessons:

• Canon – simple (MFC Vol. 1)
• Canon – advanced (Spielbuch fur Xylophon Vol. 2)
• Allegro (Spielbuch fur Xylophon Vol. 3)

Appendix:

• Materials and copy templates-Index of audio examples

• Contents of DVD (videos, audio tracks, and PDFs)

*MFC = Music for Children Volumes 1-5 (Murray Edition)