Music Ed Mentor Podcast #042: The Orff Approach

Today we’re talking about the methodology of Orff.

If you’re like me, heavily trained in band/instrumental/secondary, then Orff means one of two things to you: some guy with a theory of education (though you probably can’t remember the exact details) and the person who wrote Carmina Burana. Am I right?

And yet there is something in the Orff method of pedagogy that even we staunchly instrumental folks can get behind and leverage to make our lives easier. In fact, if you’re like many of the elementary teachers I know, then you were trained for secondary but now teach elementary because that’s where the jobs are. This episode is perfect for you.

We’re going to answer some of your questions, like:

• How is Orff different from all the other pedagogy and curriculum options?

• How can Orff help us be more effective music educators?

• What type of teacher (and at what level) is best suited for Orff?

• What can we do with no resources to buy instruments?

Joining me to help me answer these questions and more, is Aimee Pfitzner, author of the O Fortuna Orff blog. Check it out; you will thank me as it is full of free and useful goodies and links.

Now, let’s learn more about what Orff has to offer us!