Eastern Illinois University

The Keep

Undergraduate Honors Theses Honors College

Fall 2012

Involve Me: Using the Orff Approach within the Elementary

Classroom
Amanda Long

Follow this and additional works at: https://thekeep.eiu.edu/honors_theses

Part of the Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Music Education
Commons, and the Music Pedagogy Commons
 Involve Me 1

Involve Me: Using the Orff Approach within the Elementary Classroom

Music Departmental Honors Thesis

Amanda Long

Fall 2012
 Involve Me 2

Table of Contents

Section Page N u m ber

I. Abstract 3
II. I ntrod uction 4
Ill. Biogra phy a n d Background 4
IV. The Appro ach 7
V. Educatio n a l Phi losophy 15
VI. Revi ew of Literatu re 16
i. Biogra phy 16
ii. The Approach and Incorporation i nto the Classroom 17
iii. I m p rovisation 19
VII. I n corporation into the M usic Classroom 23
i. O n e Bottle O' Pop Lesson Plan 24
ii. Rhythm ic I m p rovisation Lesson Plan 27
iii. Black Bats Orff Lesson Plan 30
iv. Antici patory Set Handout 32
v. Classroom Participation Ru bric 34
VI I I . Action Research 36
IX. Conclusion 38
x. Bi b l i ogra phy 40
 Involve Me 3

Abstract

M u sical i n d ependen ce, i m provisation, and com position a re i m porta nt ski l ls that teachers
sho u l d i nclude within a n elem enta ry music cu rric u l u m . The m usical concepts that accom pany
these s ki l ls ca n be difficult for teache rs to convey a n d for stu dents to u n dersta n d d u e to the
d ifficu lty a n d com p lexity of teachi ng m usical independence. This study consists of a l iterature
review perta i n i ng to the history and development of the Orff Approach, a pp l ication of Orff
concepts to the creation of lesson plans and classroom activities, action resea rch with
e l e m e nta ry stu dents, and conclusions. Three d ifferent lesson plans were created i m plementing
O rff techniques specific to the following grade ranges : two-fo u r, fou r-six, five-eight. Two
lessons were ta ught to stu dents in a local pu blic school a n d were video-ta ped for later
reflection a n d a n a lysis. Partici pa nts consisted of st ud ents in two elementary gen eral m usic
classes, grades fo u r and six. The stud ents and the classroom teacher responded positively to
the a ctivities d esigned using the Orff Approach. Every stu dent successfu lly partici pated in the
rhythm ic a n d melodic m usical opportunities, learning and demonstrating m usical
i nd e pen dence. Being d i rectly i nvolved with the creative m usical process at a n elementary level
helps foster the m usical learning process. When d eveloped at a young age, creativity a n d
m usical i n dependen ce a re very hel pfu l ski l ls t o uti lize d u ri n g m usical perfo rm i ng in later m usical
tra i n i ng. The Orff Approach natura l ly fosters m usical creativity and independence and highl ights
i n d ivid u a l stu dent success. The Orff Approach is a beneficial teaching m ethodology that helps
to s uccessfu lly i m p l e m ent i m p rovisation and better teach com positio n . It a lso promotes active
p a rticipation in m usica l activities that will a i d students in a pplying the skills in later m usical
experiences.
 Involve Me 4

Introduction

Carl O rff's philosophy of m usic education focuses o n provid ing the opport u n ity for a l l

students to b e s u ccessfu l . The Orff Approach conta i n s a series of steps that may be completed

in a ny o rder. Accord i n g to many teachers a n d resea rchers of m usic ed ucation, lessons using

O rff tech n iques a n d m ethods provide early creative experiences a n d activities i nvolvi ng active

m usic m a ki ng. The i ncorporation of these experiences into the elem entary m usic classroom is

i m po rtant a n d necessary for the developm ent of creative skills in the student as an i n d ivid ual.

M u sical i ndependence and improvisation a re a n i m portant part of a young chi ld's m usical

experi ence a n d learn i ng process, and the use of the O rff Approach can be a successfu l way of

a l lowi ng stu d e nts to d evelop these techniques.

Biography and Background

Carl O rff was a German com poser, teacher, a n d m usic phi losopher. H e was born in

M u n i ch J u ly 10, 1895 a n d d ied M a rch 29, 1982. H e was a com poser known i nternationally for

his opera s a n d d ra m atic works, but he was most known for his i n novations i n m usic education

in his hom e l a n d of Germa ny.

Carl O rff's ed ucation a n d career was a lways centered on the i m portance of m usic. Orff

stud ied with Germ a n composer Heinrich Kam i nski at the M u n ich Aca demy of M usic. It was in

M u n ich i n 1924, with the hel p of gym nast Dorothee Gu nther that he founded the Gunther

School of fo r Gym n a stics, Dance, and M usic. Orff was a lso known fo r his cond u cting a b i l ities,

a n d he cond u cted e nsembles in M u n ich, Da rmstadt, a n d M a n nhei m . His Schu!werk, a manual

descr i b i n g his m ethod of cond ucti ng, was first p u b lished i n 1930. As a com poser, he is best
 Involve Me 5

known for his p o p u l a r secu lar oratorio Carm i n a Bu ran a, written i n 1937. His other com positions

were m a i n ly i n s p i red by Greek theater and medieva l mystery p lays ( Brita n n ica, 2011).

Carl O rff's system for m usic ed ucation for children is l a rgely based on the goal of

d eveloping a sense of rhythm a n d musical indepen dence through movement, d a n ce,

exp loration, i m p rovisation, com position, and performa nce. Many of these a re done with

percussion instru ments and Orff instru ments . The m ethod has been widely adopted, especi a l ly

i n his hom e country of Germany and in the U n ites States of America. His methodology, known

most com mo n ly as the Orff-Schu lwerk Approach, is broad ly a ccepted as a way of teachi ng

m usic, especially gen e ral m usic at the elementary level. It a l lows students to explore m usical

experiences in a way where the stu dent is not i nhi bited by the fea r of fai l ing. In order to create

a less stressfu l atmosphere, teachers use what a re known as Orff I nstruments (Orff

lnstru m entari u m ) . These instrum ents, developed by Orff himself, include m i n iature xylophones,

m a r i m bas, glocke nspiels, and m eta llophon es; a l l instru ments have remova ble b a rs. Below is a

d iagra m fro m a H o lt M usic resou rce identifyi ng va rious Orff i n struments.

 Involve Me 6

Orff Chart 10: Orff Instruments

Alto Glockenspiel Soprano Glockenspiel

Soprano
Xylophone

Bass
Xylophone

///
Alto Xylophone
Alto Metallophone

Bass Metallophone

013
Use with Lesson 31,Teacher's Editlon. page 64

1 Holt music teacher's edition: Gradel (pp.13-16). New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston Publishers.
 Involve Me 7

Below is a n exa m p l e pictu re of a n Orff i nstru m ent, ta ken from a com mo n ly used m usic

e d u cation website with labels a n d explanation of each of the main parts of the i nstrument.

O rff's m ethodology seeks to develop a p rocess which encou rages m usicality a n d

creativity i n you n g chi ldre n .

The Approach

The O rff Ap proach is a progression of experi e n ces that do n ot fol l ow a particu l a r order,

b ut may be i m p l em ented i n an order if desired. Thi s order can be fu l ly or partially developed

withi n a lesson, u n it, or even a fu ll term . Although there i s no prescribed repertoire of pieces

that teachers m ust fol low, the process is very specific in the steps of teachi ng.

•
Observati o n : The student m u st observe the teacher, m usic, videos, other stu d ents, or

a ny other form of watching someone actively "do" somethi ng.

2 Orff 101 (2012). In Classics for Kids. Retrieved March 15, 2012 from http://ww w.classicsforkids.com.
 Involve Me 8

•
I m itatio n : "Stu d ents work on developing basic skills i n rhythm ic speech, singing, body

percussion, p laying instruments, and m ovement by fol lowi ng the teacher's exa mple.

You ca n fi n d i m itation happening simu ltan eously, delayed (echo), or

overla p p i n g/contin uously delayed (canon)" (South Florida).

•
Exploration/Experi mentation : "Students can discover and explore the possi bilities

a va i l a b l e to them in both sound and m ovement. This helps students feel their own

p e rso n a l m us i cia nshi p rather than copy a teacher's m usicia nship" (South Florida).

•
I m p rovisation/Creation : "Extending the skill as to the point where the chi l d ren can

i n itiate thei r own patterns spontaneous ly" (South Florida).

•
I n d ependence: Students fi nd the abil ity to i m p rovise, analyze, a n d com m u n icate on

thei r own .

•
Literacy: "Lea r n i ng to read and write what they have created" (South F lorida).

In a tra d itional O rff Classroom, students begin with observation, learn how to i mitate, and

then begin to explore m usical opportun ities. Students will begi n by using body percussion,

cha nting, si ngi ng, a n d dancing. The key to this approach i s active participation by the student

withi n the d ifferent stages of learning process, as "chi l d ren n eed to be cha llenged to thi nk i n

d ifferent ways" (South Florid a ) . After the first few stages a re com plete a n d the stu dents have

m a stered the techniqu es, introduction of the p itched or non-pitched i nstru m e nts occurs and

students can sta rt exploration a n d creation withi n the m usica l process . Ga ry J ensen (2010)

states in his lectu re handout reviewing Orff App roach,

 Involve Me 9

Pentatonic sca les are used a n d bars (notes) removed from the instru ments so

i m provisation is always satisfactory sou n d i ng a n d encou rages freedom from the

fea r of m a king mistakes. With this method, c h i l d ren are invo lved i n exploration

of space, sou nd, a nd form a n d progress from i m itation to creation . The goal is

for c h i l d ren to experience success and a p p reciate the aesthetic in m usic almost

i m m ed i ately, rather tha n having to lea rn notes a n d rhythms before a nything

satisfying is accomplished. Notes will com e later, after they have developed a

love for m usic.

The idea is for m usic to co me natura lly rather than being forced with specific rules a n d

m usical tra d itions o r conventions that are forced a m o n g m u sicians. A s stated before, Orff

a ctivities can be i n corporated i nto entire lessons, u n its, or p a rt of lessons. I n the exa m p le

a ctivity below, the term "bordun" is used. A bord u n is a n open 5th, genera l ly p layed on Orff

i nstru m e nts o n the first and fifth degree of the sca le of the piece. Th i s p a rticular activity is from

a Holt M usic p u b l ication, and is a lesson about acco m p a n i m ents. The stu de nts would learn and

sing the m e lody to t h e song "Ring Aro u nd the Rosy," and then i m p rovise other m elody

possi b i l ities w h i l e oth e r stud ents and the teacher play the accom p a n i m ent. Th e activity is

exp l a i n ed in the figure below.

 Involve Me 10

Orff Activity 15: Accompaniments ������

Teacher's Edition: Procedure

o Less:in 1. "Ring Arou�d a
Ros�"" page 1 1. Use the tollowi ng ideas when arranging accompaniment parts for familiar
Materials: songs. These ideas include introductory patterns which are appropriate tor
o Barred in srrume nts young chi ldren having Initial experiences with barre d instruments.
• Begin witti a s im p le bordun, a drone or two notes so nded in fifths.
Borduns are most effective on low-sounding instruments.

• Add an alterna fng pattern as shown. This moving bordun is appropriate

for songs that need light, movi g parts.

• An o stin ato may be formed by beginning on the dominant and alternating

so, la.

4f D D J J I W • J t =II
• Keep pitched instrumental parts simple and to ally uncluttered for t e
beginning performer. Use a maximum o1 two pitched Instruments with
addition al layers of unpitched percussion parts. An easy example follows.

,, J J IF J :II
• Plan each pitched instrumental pattern to be a minimum of two measures
in length. The pattem may also be designed to match the phrase length of
the song being accompanied.

2. Experiment using any or all of these ideas as you prepare an Instrumental

ensemble tor "Rlng Around a Rosy," page 1.

016
Orff Activlthls, Grade 1, HOLT MUSIC

3 Holt music teacher's edition: Gradel ( pp.13-16). New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston Publishers.
 Involve Me 11

I n cl u d ed i n this section are exa mples of two Orff songs, "Li'I Liza J a n e" a n d "Mother

G oose is on the Loose." Both are from the Orff Resources It's Elemental: Lessons that Engage by

D u pont a n d Hi l l er. Each song has parts for various Orff i nstruments, both pitched a n d non­

p itched and i s m e a nt to be performed as a fu l l ense m b l e d uring class time. "Mother Goose on

the Loose" a lso i n c l ud es a chant to be i m plemented i nto the lesson if the teacher believes it

wou l d be beneficia l .
 Involve Me 12

Li' f Liza Jane

Traditional
Hiller/D"1pont
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,
. ' �
v .. c' - �
-
t-lf' - � _, - -
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f I've got a house in Bal - ti - more. li'l Li - zo Jane.

" '. ,J�

� -
SG - - - --- -+----
AG '·
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"
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�
She i�.'

cabasa
n ?. h j .� I lo. -
u 4 {"
Li - �a·s mv gal

A i--...
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Lit 1/e za. >nil ou be my "

ga,?

I\
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v - '
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- - • .... •
.,; * •
S rreet - car runs right by my door. li'J Li - za Jane.

,., ' ,..,..

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AG '" -
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sx � � .. �
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cabasa
ffi---- �
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t-
- -

!\ i--.
BX ... -- .
� �
- �
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-�- ... • • •

4 Dupont, D., & Hiller, B. (2002). It's elemental: Lessons that engage (pp.1-6). Lakeland, TN: Memphis Musicraft Publications.
 Involve Me 13

I .
\I
c-..G -. �
�.
-+-
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'
....
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�:a - __L_ - . -
- -
� '----l
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E - Ii - li'I Li - ;-..a Jane.
Oh, 7�,

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SG .
AG
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"
-. - ..,
sx I ' -, -,
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cabasa
n
LI
� )J h .1 �
\,
- -

wash - '1 I . r-1 r-J .r 11 ii n=; .n .rJ9 n

b re u -
Scratch - ing the wash board.

BX
"
·�
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-
--
�
'
'
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_J
..
__J
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,..
� ' -r .
·� �
v .;;
- l -+- - ' .
- •
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*
E - li - z.a. Ii'! Li - za J::ne.
Oh.

.. �·
SG 1--;,· . - .
AG -
� • •"' I

sx .
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n h .1 .h I �
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u

,., I n .r I n n �
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BX
-0
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• * • •

-5-

5 Dupont, D., & Hiller, B. (2002). It's elemental: Lessons that engage (pp.1-6). Lakeland, TN: Memphis Musicraft Publications.
 Involve Me 14

Mother Goose is on the Loose

Dupont I Hiller
11- � � � I II
� ..
v � - -
.. _, - - - -
' .... - - - '
�
Mo • ther Goose is 011 the loo�e. Hey did-die did-d!e. i - ay.
(Final) Mo - ther Goo�e was did-die did-dle - i .
Oil the loose. Hey ay.

I\ .II r: ,,..,
01 - .
SG ,,, � - -
AG '. ... - -
� I I

temµre
l>lc>c:�s
n
LI
?

-i
-
n
x x x

9u1ro I'\
u
? l>
�
.l l>
("
.J -
4
I\ � .
•1 - - -
BX -
- �
BM � -

Mo rhcr Goose IS 011 loose.

,., .ll - ,..---, -

I -
� -
- - �:
I

v � -
- � r - ....
I

'-'•' - - - - = - ::
._J 1--..J c� I I
I
Can you guess the nu!'. - ry rhyme'\ from rhc dues 1 say:
We all guessed Ll1c nu1' - ery rhymes. Hey did-die dld-dk - i -
ay.

I\ jj ,-, ,,,
.. '
SG . -
,_ ,_
- -

AG - -
t_J I I

temple
OlOC<S
n
LI
- _n
x x
J
x

guuo n
LI
}
�
.1 )
t
L_ _ .."
·------ -

" Jl
BX - ,; - ;::
BM _, I

[!]
,, LJ I J J I J n I .J
I .J I 1J .J I J I 1J J ��
We11t to the cup- board. Old Moth-er liuh - hard. Up Lhc llill. Jack: and .fill.

_JJ_fi+J
Jfo s.:1og lur his
J I :J .0 1-Ll�
�up-per. Li1-tle Tum-my Tuck-er,
�.J t-41 DJ I J -1--1
\Vatt:h-t� her steep. Lir· tie Bo Pet71.

-z-

6 Dupont, D., & Hiller, B. (2002). It's elemental: Lessons that engage (pp.1-6). Lakeland, TN: Memphis Musicraft Publications.
 Involve Me 15

Educational Philosophy

O rff's ideas a bout music ed ucation a re a reflection of h is educational philosophy. Carl

O rff's i d e a l ist views a re magn ified in the part of his approach when the "bad" or "wrong" keys

or notes a re removed from a situation so the stud ent will experience su ccess, i m mediately be

m usically successfu l, a n d play ear pleasing m e lodies from the very sta rt. Because the offending

n otes a re removed, O rff bri ngs to life the ideal m usical situation. Exploration of sound is a lso an

i m portant p a rt of the Orff process. Lois Choksy states i n The O rff Approach section of Teaching

Music in the 21st Century that children start as passive liste ners with com mon sou n d s such as "a

d og b a rki n g, a door s l a m m i ng, a plane passing overhead, a n object d ropping. It m oves then to

o rga n i zed sounds: p atterns of drumb eats, sticks tap ped together" (Choksy, 107) . By exploring

s o u n d s a s eleme nts of m usic, Orff teaches c h i l d ren that anyt h i ng ca n be m u sic if they choose to

h e a r it that way.

Carl Orff was very focused on the stu dent as an i nd ivi d ual. His educational process

e m p h asizes the stu d e nts' actual participation wit h i n the activities by using clappin g, chanting,

d a n ci n g, o r p l aying i n struments. Orff a lso believed i n the "primitive" l a ngu age of m u sic. Lois

C h oksy states in "Th e elemental style of Orff's teaching begin s with primal m usic-with the drum

and the fu n d a m e nt a l beat, ma n's earliest m u sical experiences" (Choksy 104). H e fe lt that m usic

s h o u l d b e n atural and should come from the basic h u m a n i nsti n ct. This is why many of his

teac h i n g m ethods i nvolve chanting, clappi ng, stom p i ng, and percussive elements. Choksy a lso

states "it was i m port a nt to Orff a n d Gu nther from the very sta rt that the students physically

experience beat, m eter, tempo, and rhyth m, that they exp ress these elem ents a n d th rough

i nstr u m e nts, doing rather than learning about ( 104) .

 Involve Me 16

Review of Literature

Resea rch e rs of m usic ed ucation and learning h ave p u blished m a ny resources a bout Carl

O rff a n d the O rff A p p roach. Va rious sources, i n c l u d i ng books and websites, were consu lted for

b iogra p h ic a l a n d background information a bout Carl Orff. Th e Orff App roach is highl ighted in

m a n y tea c h i n g m a n ua ls, education resources, journals, a n d even workshops, a n d m a ny of these

p u b l ications h ave been d iscussed in relation to i ncorporating the p rocess i nto the elementary

classro o m . M a n y scholars, ed ucators, researchers, a n d m usicians have focused on the

i m porta nce of m u sical independence and i m p rovisation wit h i n the music classroom a n d its

i m porta nce. As resea rch leads through the writi ngs and fi n d i ngs of these topics, exa m ples of its

va l u e a re h igh lighte d .

Biography

M a n y sou rces were consu lted withi n the resea rch process for backgro u n d a n d

b iogra p hical i nformation about Carl Orff. Teaching Music in the 21st Century ( 200 1) b y Lois

Chosky is a n ed ucation resou rce for m usic educators. The book conta i n s a l a rge c h a pter on Carl

O rff a n d t h e O rff A p p roach . Biographical and h istorica l information is given, a nd well as a

d etailed exp l a n ation of the process. The sou rce described his life, education, a n d oth e r

d e m ogra p h ic i nform ation . Th e Brita n n i ca O n l i n e Encyclopedia

\ .:..:..::-=...::L.L�:_:_:_.=-'...:..=:..:..:.:..:.;.::.:==.:::.:.:.:.L..=.="'-:_:_::_;::.:-'-.::_;:;.;.;_-=.ic::'-'-=-=::..C:..:�:.::.:_:._:=.....c...:._ 1 a n d the NAXOS Classical

M usic We bsite (http://www.naxos.com/person/Carl Orff/25615.htm) both provided the same

b iogra ph ica l i nformation. The Classics for Kids website

(http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/training/orff101.asp) is a resou rce that exp lains

 Involve Me 17

biograp hy, backgroun d, and exa mples of Orff activities. The website l ists the fa mous Carl Orff

Quote "Tel l me, I forget. Show me, I remem ber. I nvolve me, I underst a n d .

The Approach and Incorporation into the Classroom

C h a pter 8 of Integrating Music into the Elementary Classroom ( 2010} by W i l l i a m M .

And e rson d iscusses creativity a n d music. A short i ntroduction is given a t t h e begi n ni n g o f the

c h a pter to exp l a i n the content of the section . The author explains that "creating music can be

an exciting and rewarding experience for students because it's a person a l expression of their

own feeli ngs and id eas" (An derson, 272) . The Orff Approach is d iscussed i n deta i l providing

b ackgroun d i nfo rm ation and educational p h i losop hy. The m aterial foun d i n the section is based

on the m aterial with i n Teaching Music in the 21st Century (2001} by Lois Chosky. Ande rson

d efi nes i m provisation as "creating som eth ing spontan eously at a given m om ent" (An derson,

273}. Exp loration a n d experi ence are i m portant pa rts of the Orff Approach. G iving students

guid a nce a n d di rection, a teacher can assist a n d a l l ow students to d evelop ski lls for the creative

musica l experi ence. O rff instruments a re a great classroom too l to acco m plish this goa l .

Anderson explains t hese points in great deta i l givi ng exa m p les o f O rff songs a n d i d e a s a nd

suggestions for lesson plans. These are specific to movem ent, voice, i n struments. Suggestions

rega rd i n g i m itation, speech, rhythm, melody, instrume ntal, and i m p rovisation a re give n . Orff

songs i nclud ing "Swi ng Low, Sweet Cha riot" and "This La n d is your Land" a re notated a n d

explai n e d . T h e detailed ela boration a bout t h e O rff Approach, t h e ste ps wit h i n t h e p rocess, a n d

the s pecific exa m p les a re a l l very useful classroom too ls a n d i m portant i nformation for music

educators.
 Involve Me 18

The South Florida Orff Blog is a m usic ed ucation b log that is written about the Orff

Approach (http://southfloridaorff.word press.com/2010/01/26/a-brief-und erstanding-of-the­

o rff-process/) . The entry "A Brief U nderstan di n g of the Orff Process" was written i n 2010 by

J a red Fic k l i n . Each ste p of the approach is explained i n detai l, and it is stated that "it is

i m portant to experie nce and partici pate in a variety of activities where d ifferent activities

where d ifferent stages of the learn i n g process a ppear," a n d that "ch i l d ren need to be

cha l lenged to th i n k in different ways" (South F lo rida ) .

G a ry J ensen, a m usic ed ucation professor a t Eastern I l l i nois U n iversity, teaches with in

the general m usic ed u cation curricu l u m that The Orff Approach is a great philosophy to use

when encou ragi ng m usical creativity within the cl assroom . J e nsen lectu red d u ri ng M a rch of

2010 d u ri n g a General M usic M ethods course at E I U . After providing detailed background

i nformation a bout Carl Orff, Jensen gives m a ny exa m ples, notated songs, and h a n douts

perta i n i n g to the O rff Approach. Jensen exp l a i ns that the steps of the ap proach are observe,

i mitate, experi m e nt, a n d create. He says "with this method, children a re i nvolved in exploration

of space, sound, form, and progress from i m itation to creation" (Jensen, 2010). J e nsen a lso

states t h at the Orff Approach is a lso cal led a p rocess or m ethod, but he believes that the word

a p p roach gives m o re freedom to explore t h e p rocess in d ifferent ways rather than in a set step

d riven m a n ne r (Jensen, 2010) .

O n Octob e r 1 , 2011, a Music Education Special Event was held at M i l l i ki n U n iversity in

Decat u r, I l l i nois. Dr. Wendy Va lero was the g u est expert at the event; she is a nationally known

c l i n icia n that h as m a n y ideas to offer a bout ea rly chi ldhood and elementary m usic experien ces.

She is an associ ate p rofessor of m usic education a n d Di rector of the C h i l d ren's M usic
 Involve Me 19

Development Center (CMDC) at U niversity of South Carol ina. Va lero teaches m u sic m ethods

courses and cond ucts resea rch at the u n iversity, and she holds a Level Ill O rff Certificate. During

the workshop, Va lero taught about movement for m u sicianship, which i nvolved movi ng,

d a n ci n g, a n d body percussion as an essentia l part of the m usica l learning experience. A session

a bout a sequential series of tonal and rhyt h m activities for singing, chanting, a n d i m p rovising

with ease accu racy for pre-school through grade five was held i n which the attendees were able

to p a rtici pate in a ctivities. Valero also taught a session a bout Orff instrume nts used to teach

theory. This session was very helpfu l and informative because the participa nts were a ble to use

O rff instrume nts as a group i m itating an elementary classroom setting. A packet of inform ation

inc l uding Valera's biography, notated cha nts a n d songs, ideas for future lesson pla ns, a n d

exp l a n ation o f h er theories was handed out t o e a c h person a t the workshop. Every person i n

atten d a nce w a s given permission t o u s e t h e ideas, cha nts, songs, and lesso ns t o better their

own classrooms. Wendy Valero has a lso publ ished other works pertai n i ng to ea rly child hood

m u sic ed ucation .

Improvisation

Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art ( 1990) is a book by Ste p h a n N a ch m a novitch that

d iscusses improvisation in everyday l ife. Nachma novitch gives a very u nique view about natural

i m provisation without parameters, and com p a res the act of i m p rovisation to creativity i n all

types of a rt and general l ife activities. He describes i m p rovisation as "spo nta neous, c h i l d ish,

and d isarm i ng" (p. 1). Discu ssi ng the power of m i sta kes in chapter eight, Nachma novich quotes

Miles Davis sayi n g "Do not fear mistakes. There are none" ( p . 88). M a ki n g m i stakes is a l l a part

of the learning p rocess, a n d it is better to n ot i d entify the mista kes as a pro b lem, but instead to
 Involve Me 20

h ig h l ight them a s special parts of the improvisatio n . On page 90 h e states "th e redi rection of

attention i nvolved i n incorporating the acci dent into the flow of o u r work." Nach m a novitch

highl ights the i n n e r sources of spontaneous creation, a n d the joy of m a king a rt in a ny form;

why we create a n d what we learn when we do.

The a rticle "Teaching a n d Learning Music Com position i n Primary School Settings"

(2011) by J o n H elge Saetre discusses the creative side of m usic education a n d the i m porta nce

of i m provisation a n d com position with i n the classroom . Data is presented wit h i n the article

accord i ng to observation of three teachers and their stud ents. Saetre discusses "th e

ed u cation a l p ractice and orientation of the teacher" a n d how "the teach ers' i nterpretations o n

cu rricu l u m a n d s u bject matter affects the ways students work with music i m p rovisation a n d

com position" ( p . 30) .

J a n i n e Rivei re's article "Using Im provisation as a Teaching Strategy," ( 2006) p u blished in

the M usic Ed ucators J ournal, explores the "use of i m p rovisation as a n i m portant teaching tool"

( p . 4 1 ) . Rive i re d iscusses the many ways that i m p rovisation activities can be used to rei nforce

learni ng, a n d that m a ny different types of activities can be im plem ented. Riveire states "Da ily

participation in i m p rovisational activities ca n help everyone learn a n d enjoy i m p rovisation.

Many m usicians and students fear i m p rovisation for d ifferent reasons, but it is i m porta nt to

remove the e l e m e nt of fea r a n d a l low the m usica l m i n d to play; "using i m p rovisation activities,

stu d e nts a re l e a r n i n g to i m p rovise in a low-stress setting" (p. 41).

The a rticle "Si nging the P raises of Ea rly M usical Tra i n i ng" ( 1997) by Karen Ca m p b e l l

d iscusses the r o l e o f m usic in t h e ed ucation o f children i n general. W h e n a rgu i ng why

i ntrod ucing m usic at an ea rly age is im porta nt, Campbell a lso gives reasons for the i m portance
 Involve Me 21

of choosing the right m ethodology a nd phi losophy of i nstruction . With i n the l ist of instructional

m ethods described i n this article l ies the Orff M ethod and its m ajor i m portance i n gen era l

music education for e a rly musical tra i n ing i n c h i ldren.

Doug G oodki n , a m usic teacher and co l lege professor i n San Fra ncisco, California,

discusses Carl O rff's p h iloso phy of educatio n within his article "Orff-Schu lwerk in the N ew

M i l l e n n i u m" (2001 ) . He descri bes the shared characteristics between m usic pedagogies such as

Orff, Koda ly, a n d Dalcroze, stati ng that they "a l l three s hare a bel ief i n each person's i n nate

musical ity" ( p . 19). They also "em ph asize active m usic m a ki ng, being with the ear rather than

the eye, i ncorporate some form of movement, and see m usic as essential to the total education

of the chi ld" (Goodki n , 19). Further expla i n i n g the Orff M ethod wit h i n the classroom, Goodkin

states t h at i m aginati o n is the key to making m u sic and it m u st be tra i n ed, and "th e invitation to

i m provise i s a means of awakening [the imagi n ation] and o nce awa kened, the work of aiming

the fi rst i m p u lse of t h e imagi n ation toward com position a nd performa nce is the trai n i ng" (p.

19).

"Orff Ensem b l es: Benefits, Chal lenges, and Solutions" (2012) by Donald M. Taylor

considers Orff ensem b les, Orff i nstruments, and the m a ny op portun ities these classroom

activities create fo r students to become excellent musicians. One of the m ajor and obvious

ben efits i s that "students usually enjoy p laying classroom i nstrume nts;" therefore, these can

"serve a s m otivatio n for conti n u ed learn i ng" i n m usic (p. 3 1). Taylor a lso tal ks a bout how "Orff

instru m e nts ca n b e u sed to help chi ldren explore other N atio n a l Sta ndards, i n cl uding

i m provisation, com position, listeni ng, and a n a lysis" (p. 31). Lending students to m usical success

by rem oving b ars a l l ows stude nts to focus on other aspects of m usic besides note accu racy.
 Involve Me 22

Cha pter 1 1 i n The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning ( 2002) is

titled I m p rovisation. M usic researchers explain that i m p rovisation is d efi ned by oth e r resea rch

as being a b l e to m ake m u sic sponta n eously. The Orff Approach is a n a lyzed on pages 177-179

of the hand book u n d e r the heading P reschool/Classroom I m provisati o n Research. It states that

O rff-Schu lwerk e m phasizes i m p rovisation in m u si c learning a n d i nform atio n m u sic i n st ruction

(Azza ra ) . The entry a lso states that "Orff Schuwerk activities i nvolve singing, the use of borduns,

i m provised rhyt h m s, i m p rovised movement, a n d i m p rovised pitches from the pentatonic sca le.

More advanced Orff Schu lwerk i m p rovisation activities i ncorporate the ch u rch modes, diatonic

sca l es with fu n cti o n a l harmony, a n d more chromatic m ateria l s" (Azzara, 177) .
 Involve Me 23

Incorporation into the Music Classroom

Educators ca n incorporate the Orff Approach into the elementary classroom through

i n d ivi d u a l lessons, p a rts of lessons, or even entire u n its. I nclu ded in this research a re three

exa m ples of origi n a l l esson plans, written specifica l ly for this research project, that i ncorporate

the O rff A p p roach of teaching. Exam p les of extensions to these lesson plans a re given within

the a ct u a l lesson . All three classroom activities cou ld serve as a centra l a n d effective part within

a n i m p rovisation u n it.

The step s of the lesso ns high lighted i n red are steps that may not be reached i n one 40

m i n ute class period. Thus, the fol lowi ng class period review of the m aterial would ta ke place,

a n d the rest of t h e lesson may be taught. Depen d i n g on the m usical level a n d a bi l ity of the

class, the lesson m a y need to be shortened. Teachers should always ensure that the students

u n d erst a n d the m aterial com pl etely and are able to actually partici pate before m ovi ng on and

adding m o re i nformation.
 Involve Me 24

Orff Lesson Plans

One Bottle O' Pop Orff Lesson Plan
Created by Amanda Long
Age : 4-6 G rades

Topic: Rhyt h m s, si nging in parts within a rou n d, encouraging m u sical independence

M aterials: Words for round displayed on the board

Lea rning Objective :

a . The stu d e nts will sing in a three part round while keeping the beat accu rate by clapping,

ta ppi n g, a n d patti ng.

Anticipatory Set: C h a nt and clap rhythms "my turn you r turn" using names of fru it. The teacher

will poi nt to n a m es a n d pictu res of fru it on the board and the students wi l l say the words while

clapping the correct beats usi ng% time signature. An exa m p l e h a n dout to be displayed on the

board i s attached .

Qu a rter n ote: Ora nge

Eighth N otes: Apple

Sixteenth N otes: Watermelon

Proced u re :

•
I n pa i rs, students will perform the simple triple m eter beat patterns a n d cou nt

the beats.

•
Lead students in performing com bi n ations of the tri p le m eter patterns .

•
Use claps a nd/or stomps to demonstrate strong beats and weak beats .

•
Play combi nations of the patterns as stu dents l i sten to the teacher spea k the

words to One Bottle O' Pop . The words will be disp layed o n the board.
 Involve Me 25

One Bottle O' Pop 3-Part Round Lyrics

One bottle o' pop.

Two bottle o' pop.
Three bottle o' pop.
Four bottle o' pop.
Five bottle o' pop.
Six bottle o' pop.
Seven bottle o' pop.
POP!

Don't throw your trash in my backyard.

My backyard.
My backyard.
Don't throw your trash in my backyard.
My backyard's full.

Fish, and chips and vinegar, vinegar, vinegar.

Fish, and chips and vinegar.
Pepper, pepper, pepper salt

•
Sing "One Bottle O' Pop." Teach each verse, echoi ng by p h rases. Play piano with

the students while si nging if needed .

•
Sing the song as a round with three groups of students.

•
Once fa miliar with the song, students m ay sing it while perform i n g the three

b eat patterns wit h partners.

Closing: Tell the stude nts they were great and if they keep practicing, they will be able to

i m provise their own rhyth ms. Explain they will conti nue to cha nt, si ng, a n d use i nstruments;

a n d t h ey will be a b l e to com pose thei r own rhythms a n d music in the upco m i ng unit.

Poss i b l e Lesson Extensio n : I m p rovisation a n d Composition Unit. To further reinforce duple

m ete r use rhyt h m i c exercises. Students perform the rhythms first usi ng body percussion, then
 Involve Me 26

transfe r to u n-pitched percussion a nd finally to ba rred instru m ent improvisatio n . After students

a re secu re, they wil l co m pose their own du ple meter rhyth m pieces.

Assessm e nt : An in-class participation/performance rubric wil l be used t o eva l u ate the students

during class. M ost im portant question to ask: Can each student perform the rhyt h m s

successfu l ly?
 Involve Me 27

Rhythmic Improvisation Orff Lesson Plan

Created by Amanda Long
Age : 2-4 G rades

Topic: Bei ng d iffe re nt-encou raging creativity/i mprovisation

M aterials: C h a nt d i s p l ayed on the board, hand drums, sticks

Lea r n i ng O bjectives:

a . The stu dents wil l repeat basic rhythms after heari ng the teacher chant them.

b . T h e students wi l l memorize a chant a n d chant t h e i r own i m p rovised rhythms

i nto certa in measures with i n the cha nt.

c. The students will use hand d ru m s a n d sticks to extract th e i r i m provised rhythms

wit h i n the chant.

Anticipatory Set: C h a nt and clap rhythms "my turn you r tu rn" using names of fruit. The teacher

w i l l point to n a m es a n d pictu res of fru it on the board and the stu dents will say those words

w h i l e c l a p p i n g the co rrect beats using 2/4 time signatu re. An exa m p l e h a n do ut to be disp layed

on t h e board is attached.

Qu arter n ote : Orange

Eighth N otes: Apple

Sixteenth N otes: Watermelon

Proced ure :

•
Demon strate the chant for the students. Students will learn the c h a nt through m a ny

repetitions th roughout the entire l esso n .

 Involve Me 28

My Mother, Your Mother Chant:

My mother, your mother live across the way

Ev'ry night they have a chat and this is what they say ......

("Fruit" or "Ba, ba" improvisation)

•
Variatio n 1 : Students imitate the teacher's rhythmic patte rns. The teacher will chant and

i m provise the rhythms d u ring the chant. The stud ents wi l l repeat rhythms i n my turn,

you r turn form at.

•
Variatio n 2 : Stu dents imitate a student's rhyt h m patterns. The stud ents wi ll have

p a rtn ers a n d will declare partners A and B. D u ring the i m p rovisation part of the cha nt,

p a rtner B w i l l repeat partner A's rhyth ms. Then the students wi l l switch a n d partner A

will repeat p a rtner B's rhythms.

•
Variation 3 : Stu dents converse with rhythm patterns of their own . Stu dents will chant

toget h e r a n d i nstead of repeating each other's rhythms, they will m a ke u p their own

a n d j u st "ta l k" back and fo rth .

•
Stu de nts will walk around the room a n d choose d ifferent p a rtn ers to converse with.

Stu dents wil l chant a n d "converse" just as in Variation 3, but with movement, walking

while ste p p i n g on the correct down beats, is added to the classroom performance.

•
Ask stu d ents if they want to "perform" their rhythms i n front of the class. Have the

stu d ents' converse with the teacher using the c h a nt. Th e teacher will ask for vol u nteers

a n d they may go one or two at a ti m e .

 Involve Me 29

•
The stu d e nts will use percussion instrum ents d u ring the rhyth m ic co nversation part of

the chant. Ask for vol u nteers to use the ha nd drums, sticks, or other rhyt h m ic

i nstru m ents. If su ppl ies are available, every student wi l l have a p a i r of sticks to use for

the i m p rovisation. The percussion instruments wi l l take the place of the "Fru it" or "Ba,

b a" cha nti ng.

Closi ng: The stu d e nts will clean up and the teacher will tell them they d i d a fa ntastic job. By

i m provising the i r own rhythms d u ring the chant they are taking the first steps to com posing

m usic! Relate to the n ext lesson by expla i n i ng we wi l l be tryi ng these techn iqu es with other

c h a nts a n d songs.

Possi b l e Extension: I m p rovisation and Composition Un it. Conti n u e to a llow the students to

i m provise through cha nting, singi ng, and using instruments. I nclude a fi n a l classroom

com position p roject in wh ich the students ca n p ut their i m p rovisations onto paper and have a

fin a l p e rfo r m a nce of their work.

Assessm ent: I will assess students in class by l istening a n d watching. I wi l l eva l u ate this by using

a n I n -class p e rforma nce rubric. Can the stud ents perform the rhythms correctly? Can the

stu de nts p e rform the rhythms correctly during the chant?

 Involve Me 30

Black Bats Orff Lesson Plan

Created by Amanda Long

Age : 5-8 G ra d es

Topic: Rhyt h m s, cha nting, audiating, sepa rati ng rhythms from text wh ile u n d ersta nding how

they fit together.

M aterial s : C h a nt d isplayed on board, rhythmic instruments s u c h as shakers or sticks

Lea rning O bjective: The students will chant a poem while using body percussion. The stude nts

will c h a nt a poem w h i l e using rhythmic instruments. The stu dents will a u d iate the chant while

sti l l p layi ng the rhyth ms.

Anticipatory Set: C h a nt and clap rhythms "my turn your turn" using n a m es of fru it. The teacher

will point to n a m es a n d pictu res of fruit on the board and the stu dents will say those words

w h ile c l a p p i n g the correct beats using 4/4 ti m e signat u re. An example h a n dout to be d isplayed

on the board is attached.

Qu a rter n ote: O ra nge

Eighth N otes: Apple

Sixteenth N otes: Watermelon

P roce d u re :

•
The teacher will model the poem for the students.

Black Bats Poem/Chant

Black bats in the air (snap)

Flying under bridges flapping over ridges (pat)
Eating insects on their way (stamp)
Heading home at the break of day (clap)
 Involve Me 3 1

Rhythm for poem:

Ta Ta Ta-de Ta
Tika Tika Ta-de, Tika Tika Ta-de
Ta-de Ta-de Ta-de Ta
Ta-de Ta-Tika Ta-de Ta (Ta=quarter, Ta-de= 2 eighths,
Tika-Tika= 4 sixteenths, Ta-Tika= 8th followed by 2 16ths}

•
The teacher w i l l model the poem while using body percussion. The rhyt h m s should

m atch the words.

•
Teac h the poem by rote. Fi rst use my turn, yo ur turn with j ust the ch ant, then add the

body percussion.

•
Divide c l ass i nto 4 groups .

•
Assign o n e l i n e to each gro u p .

•
The stu d ents will practice their chant a n d rhythms together .

•
Perform the chant with speech a n d body percussion as a class, while each gro u p

com p l etes o n e line t o equa l the entire cha nt.

•
The teacher will model aud iation while sti l l using rhythm s for the stu dents .

•
The stu de nts wi l l aud iate the text a n d perform body percussion only .

•
After the gro u ps can perform the rhythms with body percussion, add contrasting non-

p itch ed percussion to the chant as wel l .

•
Perform cha nt and rhythms together as a class with percu ssion i nstru m e nts .

Closing: Clean u p a l l of the instrum ents. The teacher will tell the students they can practice

the i r rhythm s at ho m e with body percussion. The next class will consist of more rhythms a n d

i nstru m e nts using the s a m e cha nt.

 Involve Me 32

Possi ble Lesson Exte nsion: I m p rovisation and Composition Unit. Add pitched O rff instru ments,

such as m eta l l a p h o n es, to the chant. As a cl ass, set the cha nt/poem to m usic. Try a few

d ifferent melodies. Put the class into groups and have each of them practice a n d perform the

n ew origi n a l com positions using voices, body percussion, pitched a n d non-pitched O rff

instru m ents.

Assessm e nt : An i n-class performa n ce rubric w i l l be used for each stu d ent's eval u ation. C a n the

students d e m o n strate the rhythms alone and d u ring the chant?

 Involve Me 33

Anticipatory Set

O RAN G E

AP P LE

WAT E R M E LO N
 Involve Me 34

Classroo m Participation Rubric

Grades: Ki n dergarten-6th
This ru bric wil l eval u ate the participation of a student in Orff based classroom activities
a d dressing a ctive i n volvem ent, preparation, a b i l ity, content, and attitude. Each category has
two expectations, a n d each expectation receives poi nts.
Class: �������-

Stu dent N a m e : �������

Category Needs Improvement Satisfa ctory Excellent

1 Point 2 Points 3 Points
Active Involvement • Student is not • Student is mostly • Student is
involved with the engaged in the constantly
class activity. activity. engaged in the
• Student needs • Student needs activity .
constant few reminders to • Student does not
reminders to get get back on task need reminders
back on task or or stop talking. to get back on
stop talking. task or stop
talking.
P re p a ration • Student did not • Student had + Student is ready
bring any some but not all with req uired
materials to class. materials for m aterials for
• Student did not class . class.
com plete work • Student practiced + Student has
outside of and is mostly practiced and is
classroom and is ready for class. ready for class.
not ready for
class.
Ability • Student does not • Student puts + Student is always
attem pt to forth effort. p utting forth
com plete the • Student does not their best effort.
activities. always com plete • Student can clap
• Student does not the rhythms and vocalize
use body (vocally or with rhythm s
percussion or body percussion) correctly.
vocalize rhythms. correctly.
Content + Student does not • Student counts, • Student counts,
count, clap, claps, vocalizes, claps, vocalizes,
vocalize, or use and uses and uses
instruments in a instruments in a instruments in a
correct manner correct manner correct manner
or on the correct on the correct on the correct
beats. beats most of the beats all of the
time. time.
 Involve Me 35

Content • Student cannot • Student

complete the completes the
activities and • Student activities and
shows no completes shows much
evidence of the activities evidence of
understanding and shows understanding
the key terms of some the key terms of
the day. evidence of the day.
understandin
g the key
terms of the
day.
Attit ude • Student has a • Student has a • Student has a
negative attitude neutral attitude positive attitude
• Student is about the about the
disrespectful to activities. activities.
the students, • Student is mostly • Student is very
teacher, or respectful to the respectful to the
classroom students, students,
materials. teacher, and teacher, and
classroom classroom
materials. materials.

Com m e nts:

Tota l Poi nts /30

 Involve Me 36

Action Research

The action research of this project inclu des the teaching of two different lesson plans

using the Orff Approach within a third grade a n d sixth grade classroom at M a rsha l l North

Elementary School in Marshall, I l l i n ois. Th is was done to test the Orff Approach with in a

classroom setting to observe how the students learn d u ring Orff based activities.

Th e lesson "One Bottle O' Pop" was ta ught to a t h i rd grade classroom that consisted of

21 stud ents. During the antici patory set, the students clapped on every beat, stom ped on beat

one, and voca lized the fruit nam es as rhythms. I expl a i n ed that the beat of a song is "a nytime

you want to nod you r head." After just a few m i n utes of p racticing as a fu l l class, every student

was a b le to complete the fol lowi ng activities: clap i n beat, sto m p on the strong beat, clap and

voca lize the na mes of the fruit with correct rhythms including qu a rter note, eighth note, and

sixteenth note, a n d complete a l l activiti es together i n ti m e a n d on beat.

After lea rni ng "One Bottle O' Pop," the class split i nto three gro u ps and rotated si nging each

verse within the rou n d . By the end of the 40 m i n ute class period every student was able to: sing

each verse of "One Bottle O' Pop," clap on a l l beats in the correct time signatu re, stomp on the

strong beats (beat one), and display m usical i n dependence.

When asked "Why is this so hard ?" the stu dents gave many a nswers incl u d i n g "because you

have to concentrate," "beca use there are so many thi ngs goi n g on at one ti m e," a n d "because

you can't listen to a nyone else or you'll mess up." The students were able to exp l a i n m usical
 Involve Me 37

i n d epend ence a n d other key terms fro m the lesson (strong beat, weak beat) a n d u n d ersta nd

that since they cou l d com plete the m usical activities a n d sing the song correctly they were each

s u ccessfu l at p a rticipating i n m usical i n dependent a ctivities. Every stud ent participated in the

O rff a ctivities, a n d every student thrived d u ri n g the lesson .

T h e lesson "Black Bats" w a s taught to a sixth grade classroom consisting o f 2 5 stu de nts.

D u ri ng the a nticipatory set, j ust as with the 3 rd gra d e class, the stu dents clapped on every beat,

sto m ped on beat o ne, a n d voca lized the fru it n a m es as rhyth m s . I exp l a i n ed strong beat a n d

weak beat, a n d t h a t i n a 4/4 time signatu re, beats 1 a n d 3 a re the strong beats, w h i l e 2 a n d 4

a re the weak beats. After a few m i n utes of practice, a l l stu d e nts were a b l e to : clap o n a l l beats,

sto m p on the stro ng beats (1 a n d 3," clap a n d voca l ize the n a m es of the fru it with correct

rhyt h m s i n c l u d i n g qu a rter note, eighth note, a n d sixtee nth n ote, a n d com plete a l l act ivities

together in t i m e a n d on beat.

After learn i n g the Black Bats cha nt, the stu d e nts were split i nto fou r gro u ps and performed

each l i n e chanting with body percussion, a u d i ating with body percussion, c h a nting with

percussion i n stru m e nts, and a ud i ating with percussion i nstru ments . Every grou p was a b le to

p ractice each l i n e of the chant with the related rhythms. At the end of the l esson, all stu dents

we a ble to: c h a nt each verse of " Black Bats," perform body percussion on the correct rhythms

with the chant, perfo rm percussion i n stru m e nts o n the correct rhythms with the cha nt, and

a u d iate t h e ch a nt and perform body percussion a n d percussio n i n stru ments.

The stu d e nts were a b l e to expla i n strong beat and weak beat and i d entify what beats they

were i n 4/4 time sign atu re. The students also i n d e ntified the term a ud i ate, a n d were a bl e to

exp l a i n its defi n itio n . Every student d i s played m usic i n d epend ence.
 Involve Me 38

Concl usion

I ncorporati ng m u sical independence and i m p rovisation within the m usic classroom is an

i m portant p a rt of t h e elementary musical experience. I n order to teach i m p rovisation, teach ers

m ust first begin with lessons that focus on active i nvolvement, i n divi d u a l ity, m usical

i ndepen de nce, rhyth m, a n d melody. I m p rovisation fosters creativity and m usical i n dependence

along with teach ing va lid m usic techn iq ues and asp ects of m usic theory. Usi n g the Orff

Approach created by Carl Orff is an easy and effective way to i ncorporate more creativity and

i m p rovisation wit h i n a n elementa ry general m usic classroom . The m ethodology h e created is

an i nteresti ng a n d effective way to teach m usic.

The a ction research for this project supports the claims made i n the books and articles

a bout the O rff Approach. The learn ing objectives for the lesson p lans were m et for every

i n d ivid u a l stu d e nt wit h i n the cl asses. In both of the lessons, the stu dents were each able to

a ctively p a rticipate i n the activities designed using the Orff Approach. They were a lso able to

demonstrate stro ng beat, weak beat, and simple rhythms. The students u n d erstood a n d were

a ble to l ist reasons for the d ifficu lty of expressing m usical i n d ependence.

The sou rces written about the Orff Approach give m a ny benefits of i ncorporating it into

the m usic classroom . Teachers may fi n d m a ny reso u rces with exa m p l es of lesson pla ns,

activities, and songs m u ch l i ke the ones fou n d wit h i n this research p a per. Using the Orff

Approach wit h i n the classrooms, tea ch ers can teach m usical i ndepend ence a n d i m p rovisation

with i nte ractive lessons.

 Involve Me 39

The O rff Approach is a process of teach ing m u sic that can be done in parts o r as a

whole wit h i n any given amount of time. Incorporati ng the Orff process i nto the elementary

m usic classroom is a great way for a teacher to al low students to explore m u sical creativity a l l

the w h i l e being s u ccessfu l . Carl Orff stated "Tel l m e , I forget. Show m e, I remem ber. I nvolve

m e, I u n d ersta n d . "
 Involve Me 40

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