Leveling Up with Joe Berarducci, Sonja Karlson & Curtis Mathewson

January 24th, 2026 – 9am to 3:00pm

Location: Queen Elizabeth Elementary, 921 Salter St. New Westminster, BC. 

$70 for members, $95 for non-members // $35 for travelling members, students and retired teachers

Register here:
Member
Non-Member
Travelling Member*
    Retired Teacher/Student

*Travelling Member rate is available to BC chapter members who are coming to the workshop from areas outside Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

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Feeling inspired? Found a great poem, but not sure how it can work for both your beginner and advanced classes? Joe Berarducci, Curtis Mathewson and Sonja Karlson will show participants three different ways to take the same source material and adjust it to different developmental levels, sets of instruments, and Orff media.

Joe, Curtis and Sonja will use varieties of the elements of speech, body percussion, singing, improvisation, movement and composition in arrangements designed for 3 different levels – primary, intermediate, and advanced. 

Participants will come away from the workshop with ideas for how they can compose and adapt their own arrangements that are age appropriate, challenging, yet engaging for their students, while engaging in the Orff process along the way!

 

Joe Berarducci resides in sunny Kelowna B.C. where he teaches piano and co-directs the children’s choir at the Community Music School. He has been involved with Carl Orff Canada for over twenty years having served as president of the B.C. Chapter as well as Carl Orff Canada. He presents workshops throughout Canada and the U. S. as well as sessions at National Orff Conferences in both countries. He has taught Level courses for many years in the U.S. and Canada. He has worked for the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University, Seattle Pacific University, Chapman University, University of Victoria, University of Lethbridge, Capilano College, Douglas College, Vancouver Community College, and School District #44 in North Vancouver B.C. In 2006, Joe received the award of Honorary Life Member to Music for Children, Carl Orff Canada, musique pour enfants.

Sonja Karlson teaches Elementary Music in the Burnaby School District where she has worked for a total of 21 years. She has taught for 37 years with experience in private piano, Elementary and Middle schools. She is an Orff Specialist and has a Master’s degree in Arts Education from SFU. Sonja was on the BC Orff board of directors for 13 years as treasurer, vice president and president. She was chairperson of the 2024 national Orff conference, Constellation, which took place in North Vancouver. She is currently on the national Orff mentorship committee. Sonja lives in East Vancouver with her daughter, husband and pets

Curtis Mathewson is a percussionist, composer, and educator. He is currently a vice-principal with the Vancouver School Board and taught music, band and choir in elementary schools for over 15 years. He has given workshops on using marimbas in music education and is a Level III certified Orff specialist and a past president of the BC Orff Chapter.