ORFF SCHULWERK TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
Introduction to Orff Schulwerk
August 4-8, 2026
(Tuesday through Saturday)
Location:
John Knox Christian School –
Elementary Campus
8260 13th Ave, Burnaby, BC V3N 2G5
This course is designed to welcome music educators to the many elements which comprise the Orff philosophy. The course will familiarize participants with Orff terminology and review basic music theory. Explore a creative approach that integrates speech, singing, movement, improvisation and instrument technique on pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments as well as recorder. Discover the Orff music process and enhance your music program through 30 hours of hands-on music, movement and drama activities. We invite you to join Bethany Elsworth in this 30-hour immersion into the Orff approach to music and dance education.
Faculty: Bethany Elsworth
Bethany Elsworth (previously known as Rowe) is an experienced Orff-Schulwerk teacher from Australia. She completed her Level 4 Orff training in New Zealand and is a graduate of the 2014/15 Special Course from the Carl Orff Institute in Salzburg. Bethany has been a levels presenter for the Australian National Orff-Schulwerk Association since 2011. Over the years she has been invited to deliver professional development experiences for the Australian Girls Choir, Australian Society of Music Education, Education Queensland, MusicaViva, Music Therapy Association and PanArts. In 2019 she published her first book “As simple as you make it” in Australia and has recently launched a new resource in Canada called, “Hey you, make that sound!” Bethany enjoys sharing her love of this creative approach and has enjoyed presenting sessions in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Japan and Singapore.
❋ Need more information?Course information: levels@bcorff.ca
Registration information: vicepresident@bcorff.ca❋ PrerequisitesThere is no prerequisite for this course although knowledge of music notation is helpful.
Level I – Orff Schulwerk Certification Program
August 10-21, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Monday through Friday)
Location:
John Knox Christian School –
Elementary Campus
8260 13th Ave, Burnaby, BC V3N 2G5
Level 1 is a two-week course immersing educators in the learning process of Orff Schulwerk, inspiring the growth of teachers’ creative expression and improvisation, designed to develop an experiential understanding of this approach to teaching. It includes expression through movement, the voice, barred instruments, non-pitched percussion, and soprano recorder, as well as introduction to Orff theory (pentatonic scales, bordun, ostinati, orchestration for Orff barred instruments). Special Topics sessions may include choral techniques, folk dance, world music traditions, yoga, staging and other topics.
Certified Orff Levels Courses are the primary way to receive in-depth professional development in Orff Schulwerk in Canada, following the guidelines of Carl Orff Canada. They are offered in two-week sessions during the summer, usually running from 8:30 – 5:00, Monday through Friday. Each Level includes 3 hours of Basic Orff instruction, 1 1/2 hours of Movement, 1 hour of Recorder and 1 hour of Special Topics daily. Only one Levels Course can be taken in each year, with the intention that the course material and Orff philosophy of teaching will be explored and implemented for at least year before continuing to the next Level.
Faculty:
Pam Hetrick, Basic Orff and Recorder
Bethany Elsworth, Movement
Endorsed by Carl Orff Canada
Required Materials:
Orff/Keetman, Orff-Schulwerk Music for Children, Volume I, Margaret Murray, ed., Schott
Doug Goodkin, Play, Sing & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk, Schott
Keetman, Gunild, Elementaria, Schott
soprano recorder (preferably Aulos or Dometsch)
Windsongs Series Books 2 & 3, Joe Berarducci and Birthe Kulich.
course packet (available for purchase first day of class)
manuscript paper and/or computer notation program such as Finale or Sibelius
Suggested Materials (optional):
Children’s poetry or nursery rhyme book
Doug Goodkin, Teach Like It’s Music, Pentatonic Press
Successful completion of an approved Level I course with a grade of at least 80% provides participants with the opportunity to continue training in Level II.
No university credit will be given for the course.
Pam Hetrick
Has taught children for over 30 years, most recently K – 7 in Burnaby, BC. As an Orff specialist she presents at workshops and National Conferences in both the U.S. and Canada. Pam has been Course Director as well as Basic Orff Teacher Educator for Orff Teacher Education in B.C. since 2007. She served as Co-President of the BC Orff Chapter and is currently Past-President of Carl Orff Canada. Performance experience includes steel drum ensembles, Keith Terry Body Music Ensemble, Balinese Gamelan, and Adanu Habobo, an African drumming/dance ensemble co-directed by Kofi Gbolonyo. Pam received the BCMEA Music Educator Award in 2014 and BC Orff Chapter Honorary Life Membership in 2023.
Bethany Elsworth, Movement
(previously known as Rowe) is an experienced Orff-Schulwerk teacher from Australia. She completed her Level 4 Orff training in New Zealand and is a graduate of the 2014/15 Special Course from the Carl Orff Institute in Salzburg. Bethany has been a levels presenter for the Australian National Orff-Schulwerk Association since 2011. Over the years she has been invited to deliver professional development experiences for the Australian Girls Choir, Australian Society of Music Education, Education Queensland, MusicaViva, Music Therapy Association and PanArts. In 2019 she published her first book “As simple as you make it” in Australia and has recently launched a new resource in Canada called, “Hey you, make that sound!” Bethany enjoys sharing her love of this creative approach and has enjoyed presenting sessions in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Japan and Singapore.
❋ Need more information?Course information: levels@bcorff.ca
Registration information: vicepresident@bcorff.ca
❋ PrerequisitesA degree in music or strong musicianship, including the ability to read music is required. Introductory Orff and practical teaching experience are highly recommended.
Level II – Orff Schulwerk Certification Program
August 10-21, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Monday through Friday)
Location:
John Knox Christian School –
Elementary Campus
8260 13th Ave, Burnaby, BC V3N 2G5
Level II is a newly revised two-week course where educators consolidate the learning from Level I and go on to explore hybrid meters, hexatonic and modal melodies and accompaniments as well as extended forms, through movement, playing, improvising, and composing. Students develop practical skills in lesson planning and teaching in a supportive environment. Recorder includes a continuation of soprano recorder as well as introduction of the alto recorder. Movement vocabulary is built through active participation with opportunities to experience set dances, generate sequences, explore notation, and fundamentally embody the concepts of elemental music as the creative and artistic expression of self.
Level II prepares students for the “new Level III” curriculum featuring functional harmony and changing meter. The new Level III will be offered as a separate course in subsequent summers. However, this summer, Levels II and III will be combined for Basic Orff to facilitate those who have taken the “old Level II.”
Certified Orff Levels Courses are the primary way to receive in-depth professional development in Orff Schulwerk in Canada, following the guidelines of Carl Orff Canada. They are offered in two-week sessions during the summer, usually running from 8:30 – 5:00, Monday through Friday. Each Level includes 3 hours of Basic Orff instruction, 1 1/2 hours of Movement, 1 hour of Recorder and 1 hour of Special Topics daily. Only one Levels Course can be taken in each year, with the intention that the course material and Orff philosophy of teaching will be explored and implemented for at least year before continuing to the next Level.
Faculty:
Amanda Ciaverelli, Basic Orff
Bethany Elsworth, Movement
Karen Epp, Recorder
Endorsed by Carl Orff Canada
Required Materials:
Orff/Keetman, Music for Children, Vols. I, II & IV, Schott, Margaret Murray Ed.
Jane Frazee, Artful-Playful-Mindful, Schott 2012
The Royal Conservatory of Music Orff Teacher Education Handbook, Catherine West, available for purchase on the first day of the course
Windsongs Series Books 5 & 6, Joe Berarducci and Birthe Kulich
Recorder Packet available from Instructor
Three piece Soprano and Alto recorders (Aulos or Yamaha) required with English/Baroque fingering. Please bring sopranino, tenor and bass recorders if available.
manuscript paper or music program e.g., Sibelius or Finale
Suggested Materials (optional):
Paul Cribari and Richard Layton, The Elemental Style: A Handbook for Composers and Arrangers, Part I, Sweet Pipes
Doug Goodkin, Play, Sing & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk, Schott
Steven Calantropio, Pieces and Processes, Schott
Spielbuch fur Xylophon I, II, and III, Orff/Keetman
A good book of children’s poetry
Successful completion of an approved Level II course with a grade of at least 80% provides participants with the opportunity to continue training in Level III.
No university credit will be given for the course.
Amanda Ciavarelli, Levels II & “old” III Basic Orff
Amanda teaches elementary music at École South Pointe School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her choirs and Orff ensembles perform regularly at school assemblies, community events and concerts, at the Winnipeg Music Festival, and with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education. She was honoured to receive the Morna-June Morrow Award for Excellence in education. Amanda is passionate about music education because of the important role music plays in the development and growth of children, fostering musicianship, teamwork, and communication while creating an opportunity for children to experience emotion and humanism through music.
Karen Epp, Recorder (B.Mus., B.Ed. UBC, Grad. Dip. Ed. SFU) Karen has played recorder for as long as she can remember. When she was 18, she left England to come to Canada, and began studying music at UBC. At that time UBC did not allow students to study recorder so she majored in Oboe and Piano. Eventually she was allowed to switch to recorder, and became the first graduate with a major in recorder! After graduating, Karen played professionally with Early Music Vancouver, the CBC Orchestra, and the baroque group Ciacona. Karen is also a highly regarded and experienced teacher, working with students from 4 to 94. In 1981 Karen discovered the world of Orff and has never looked back. The Orff approach has influenced her teaching in both regular and music classrooms, as well as her work with adults. For many years she taught children’s music programmes at the Langley Music School, the Dunbar Community Centre and the Birthe Kulich Orff studio. She has since moved to the Surrey school district. As a recorder specialist Karen has conducted Orff workshops across the country and taught Orff levels courses in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Karen continues to teach privately both to individuals and groups. She believes that everyone can learn to play well and is passionate about sharing her love of the recorder.
Bethany Elsworth, Movement
(previously known as Rowe) is an experienced Orff-Schulwerk teacher from Australia. She completed her Level 4 Orff training in New Zealand and is a graduate of the 2014/15 Special Course from the Carl Orff Institute in Salzburg. Bethany has been a levels presenter for the Australian National Orff-Schulwerk Association since 2011. Over the years she has been invited to deliver professional development experiences for the Australian Girls Choir, Australian Society of Music Education, Education Queensland, MusicaViva, Music Therapy Association and PanArts. In 2019 she published her first book “As simple as you make it” in Australia and has recently launched a new resource in Canada called, “Hey you, make that sound!” Bethany enjoys sharing her love of this creative approach and has enjoyed presenting sessions in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Japan and Singapore.
❋ Need more information?Course information: levels@bcorff.ca
Registration information: vicepresident@bcorff.ca
❋ PrerequisitesSuccessful completion of an approved Level I course with a mark of at least 80%. Please send a copy of your Level I grade to Pam Hetrick if you did not take Level I at VCC.
“Old” Level III – Orff Schulwerk Certification Program
August 10-21, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Monday through Friday)
Location:
John Knox Christian School –
Elementary Campus
8260 13th Ave, Burnaby, BC V3N 2G5
The “old” Level III is a two-week course where educators review what they have learned from the previous two Levels, and explore hybrid meters, major, minor, and modal melodies and accompaniments through movement, playing, singing, improvising and composing. Students will demonstrate mastery of the Orff process in lessons presented to their peers. Because the Basic Orff content significantly overlaps in the “new Level II” and the “old Level III” for the summer of 2026 Levels II and III will be combined for Basic Orff. Supplementary experiences for Level III students will enable the emphasis on leadership and pedagogy. This will not require any additional hours for Level III students, but scheduled times when Level II and III students meet separately.
Level III recorder will review pentatonic and diatonic scales as well as explore Medieval modes on the full range of recorders. In movement Level II concepts will be consolidated, developing artistry through choreographic opportunities, experiencing historical dance forms, strengthening notation skills, working with mixed meters, and moving to various styles of music.
Certified Orff Levels Courses are the primary way to receive in-depth professional development in Orff Schulwerk in Canada, following the guidelines of Carl Orff Canada. They are offered in two-week sessions during the summer, usually running from 8:30 – 5:00, Monday through Friday. Each Level includes 3 hours of Basic Orff instruction, 1 1/2 hours of Movement, 1 hour of Recorder and 1 hour of Special Topics daily. Only one Levels Course can be taken in each year, with the intention that the course material and Orff philosophy of teaching will be explored and implemented for at least year before continuing to the next Level.
Faculty:
Amanda Ciaverelli, Basic Orff
Bethany Elsworth, Movement
Karen Epp, Recorder
Endorsed by Carl Orff Canada
Required Materials
Orff/Keetman, Music for Children, Vols. I, II & IV, Schott, Margaret Murray Ed.
Jane Frazee, Artful-Playful-Mindful, Schott 2012
The Royal Conservatory of Music Orff Teacher Education Handbook, Catherine West, available for purchase on the first day of the course
Windsongs Series Books 5 & 6, Joe Berarducci and Birthe Kulich
Recorder Packet available from Instructor
Three piece Soprano and Alto recorders (Aulos or Yamaha) required with English/Baroque fingering. Please bring sopranino, tenor and bass recorders if available.
manuscript paper or music program e.g., Sibelius or Finale
Suggested Materials (optional)
Paul Cribari and Richard Layton, The Elemental Style: A Handbook for Composers and Arrangers, Part I, Sweet Pipes
Doug Goodkin, Play, Sing & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk, Schott
Steven Calantropio, Pieces and Processes, Schott
Spielbuch fur Xylophon I, II, and III, Orff/Keetman
Jane Frazee, Artful-Playful-Mindful, Schott 2012
A good book of children’s poetry
After successful completion of “Old” Level Three, students will receive Orff Certification.
No university credit will be given for the course.
Amanda Ciavarelli, Levels II & “old” III Basic Orff
Amanda teaches elementary music at École South Pointe School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her choirs and Orff ensembles perform regularly at school assemblies, community events and concerts, at the Winnipeg Music Festival, and with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education. She was honoured to receive the Morna-June Morrow Award for Excellence in education. Amanda is passionate about music education because of the important role music plays in the development and growth of children, fostering musicianship, teamwork, and communication while creating an opportunity for children to experience emotion and humanism through music.
Karen Epp, Recorder
(B.Mus., B.Ed. UBC, Grad. Dip. Ed. SFU) Karen has played recorder for as long as she can remember. When she was 18, she left England to come to Canada, and began studying music at UBC. At that time UBC did not allow students to study recorder so she majored in Oboe and Piano. Eventually she was allowed to switch to recorder, and became the first graduate with a major in recorder! After graduating, Karen played professionally with Early Music Vancouver, the CBC Orchestra, and the baroque group Ciacona. Karen is also a highly regarded and experienced teacher, working with students from 4 to 94. In 1981 Karen discovered the world of Orff and has never looked back. The Orff approach has influenced her teaching in both regular and music classrooms, as well as her work with adults. For many years she taught children’s music programmes at the Langley Music School, the Dunbar Community Centre and the Birthe Kulich Orff studio. She has since moved to the Surrey school district. As a recorder specialist Karen has conducted Orff workshops across the country and taught Orff levels courses in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Karen continues to teach privately both to individuals and groups. She believes that everyone can learn to play well and is passionate about sharing her love of the recorder.
Bethany Elsworth, Movement
(previously known as Rowe) is an experienced Orff-Schulwerk teacher from Australia. She completed her Level 4 Orff training in New Zealand and is a graduate of the 2014/15 Special Course from the Carl Orff Institute in Salzburg. Bethany has been a levels presenter for the Australian National Orff-Schulwerk Association since 2011. Over the years she has been invited to deliver professional development experiences for the Australian Girls Choir, Australian Society of Music Education, Education Queensland, MusicaViva, Music Therapy Association and PanArts. In 2019 she published her first book “As simple as you make it” in Australia and has recently launched a new resource in Canada called, “Hey you, make that sound!” Bethany enjoys sharing her love of this creative approach and has enjoyed presenting sessions in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Japan and Singapore.
❋ Need more information?Course information: levels@bcorff.ca
Registration information: vicepresident@bcorff.ca❋ PrerequisitesSuccessful completion of an approved Level II course with a mark of at least 80% as well as fluency on soprano and alto recorder is required. Please send a copy of your Level II grade to Pam Hetrick if you did not take Level II at VCC.