Take Note
Here’s a review from our last workshop!
The BC Orff Chapter met on Oct 6th at Queen Elizabeth Elementary in New Westminster for a wonderful workshop session presented by Heather Nail. I am so glad I chose to attend this workshop because it was full of gems I could use instantly in the classroom and I met so many wonderful new friends. When you are the only music teacher at your school, it’s easy to forget that music teachers become fast friends!
Our presenter, Heather Nail, is from Calgary and is the current president of Carl Orff Canada (COC). She is kind of a big deal but when you sit and learn from her, you see that she knows what you face in the real classroom on the day to day. Her workshop moved quickly with concise instructions that were based on actual classroom constraints and challenges. Heather’s ideas reminded us that adding Orff principles to songs, books, poems, chants, and instrument instruction always makes it fun and engaging for the students. I later asked Heather how much time she spends creating because her name was credited to all the ideas presented. She laughed and told me it comes easier to her now that she has been working at it for so many years. She inspired me to take more risks but to also rely on the Orff process to connect with my classes and increase their engagement in this screen consumed world.
After we all got settled we warmed up with a classic camp song paired with body percussion. We were immersed in the joyful spirit of Orff Schulwerk — exploring how movement, rhythm, speech, and play can come together to bring music to life in the classroom. Basically, we nerded ourselves out acting like the eager and capable students we hope to develop in our classes. Imagine 50 music teachers on the floor with non-pitched percussion instruments passed around so everyone got a turn with each instrument. Imagine setting up Pentatonic C on 40 xylophones without bar nails being bent and creating perfect borduns with improvisation between verses. And to end it all, imagine all our voices joining in a beautiful canon that could be performed with the entire school at your next winter concert.
This workshop was a great reminder that there are so many possibilities with the Orff Schulwerk! Magical moments are created when we pause to dig deep and extend a simple melody or picture book with something the students can discover from the inside out. Thank you Heather and we hope to see you again!”