Let's grow the Schulwerk! Let's share our enthusiasm and passion for Orff Schulwerk! Let's get the word out about how we teach our classes and how we seek to help children grow and learn. I think the AOSA does a great job with the public relations, advertising, and the recent hire of a new executive director continues the excellence we've come to expect in the administration of the AOSA. The main area of improvement regarding the growth of Orff Schulwerk lies within the area of professional growth.
This post is for the purpose of initiating discussion concerning the role of the AOSA in encouraging and enabling professional growth among music teachers interested in learning about the Orff approach. Let's make sure we have the procedures in place as an organization that HELP new teachers, university professors, graduate students, and university Orff course coordinators learn more about the Orff Schulwerk certification process. Readers are encouraged to comment on this blog as the discussion ensues.
I'll share my own experience to serve as a discussion starter. The course at James Madison University was cancelled in 2005 because of poor enrollment in 2004, and because of the difficulty in meeting recommended numbers in previous years. The problem, however, was that in 2005 we had plenty of numbers to hold the class. We had expected a probationary year before outright decertification would occur. The Professional Growth committee at that time felt that they could not in good faith certify the JMU course because of the historically low numbers. Because the course was decertified, the course coordinator would not hold the course and cancelled it. More than 20 music teachers from all over Virginia had to be told to try and find a class somewhere else. In talking to them, most simply stayed home, not wanting to travel out of state to find a certified class.
This and situations like this are happening all around the country. In 2006, a local teacher contacted me about a possible course at JMU. Because we hadn't held a course since 2004 and because of the bitter taste leftover from out cancellation in 2005 made recruiting difficult, the JMU course was cancelled again in 06. This teacher contacted Western Carolina University, a course that had been held for 23 consecutive years...cancelled. Then she contacted a course director in Wilmington, North Carolina.... also cancelled. She finally gave up after trying one of the larger more successful regional courses and finding out that it was full.
This is working very strongly AGAINST the spread of Orff Schulwerk in areas like the Shenandoah Valley and in smaller more rural settings around the country. Lots of folks in my area are turning to other courses, often with a bad feeling about what we do and who we are. The whole area of professional growth and development should be revised, reworked, and recreated to better reflect the goals, philosophy, and ideals of Orff Schulwerk. What can be done to better encourage teachers to find out about us? How can the AOSA better fill it's obligation to help teachers learn about this teaching process? How can the AOSA help course coordinators at universities around the country build their courses and help local teachers?
Thoughts anyone?
