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?
4 comments:
I think there is a sense that certification is unnecessary to many music teachers. They are content to go about taking generic staff development courses, maybe go to a state music convention. There is some interest in learning about technology(e.g.,creating powerpoint presentations), but not a lot of interest in taking on Kodaly or Orff certification. There is not a commitment to something that would take several years to complete, or that would cost the kind of money that certification can require.
Even when local courses have been very reasonably priced, and scholarships are available through the local arts councils, we have problems meeting required numbers. There was a music teacher in our district who wanted those of us who went through the training to "show the rest what to do"!! Also, many of the music teachers in our district do not belong to, nor participate in any kind of music education organization.
There is a certain amount of apathy that must be addressed on the part of our colleagues, before anything the national organization can do will make a difference.
This is very close to the issue raised in this thread. Orff courses, in many places are an extremely hard sell, especially to "experienced teachers" who already have their style and substance. For 17 years I promoted and talked and presented in my local county before we finally had enough teachers to do a full fledged Level course!
The greater tragedy is that we're losing the new kids, the rookies, fresh out of school with the energy and freshness of view to really take on something as exciting and creative as Orff Schulwerk. I"ve had much greater success with student teachers, and new teachers just a year or two out of school. This is what caused my concern when my JMU course was cancelled. We turned the kids away.
Actually, I see the opposite. Our local chapter is made up of mostly older, experienced teachers. New teachers (especially those fresh, young faces right out of college) seem to be more interested in the bells and whistles of technology. Not to say that technology doesn't have its place, but it isn't always appropriate to teach an art form via computer. (How many 20 year-old computers are sitting in storage rooms or have long been tossed away, due to obsolescense. While my Orff instruments, that are 20 years old, are still being used everyday in my music classroom. Such a bargain in the long run!)
When I was in college, my music ed professor made it sound like every music teacher was a member of MENC. I just assumed that everyone was. So, naturally, I joined MENC and was always a member. When I took my Orff levels, I joined AOSA. I can honestly say my AOSA membership has become invaluable to me. I would never think of dropping it.
I think, then, the key is to try to encourage music education professors to become our advocates and promote membership and certification.
How do we do that? I'm not quite certain.
"...try to encourage music education professors to become our advocates and promote membership and certification.
How do we do that? I'm not quite certain."
I've heard about proposals that would establish a Higher Education Clearing House for Orff Courses. This would be a function of the AOSA and would be staffed by full time employees. Their job would be to facilitate and administer the AOSA Course certification process. Better communication, better information, and better results! Could this be a start?
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