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Community, Cooperation, and Collaboration through Orff Schulwerk in Middle School Ensembles

Conclusion Schulwerk approach.
If we are working to uphold teaching philosophies 9 Carol Krueger, “Conversations with Carol: Music Litera-
that express a desire to develop the whole child, em- cy —Tonal” (Virtual Workshop, Dudley Foundation for
brace individuality and creativity, and foster lifelong the Arts, May 22, 2020).
musicianship, consider the inclusion of Orff Schul- 10 Ibid.
werk-spirited play and collaboration. Especially in en- 11 Ibid.
semble spaces, we tend to always be looking forward 12 Ibid.
to the next thing—maybe a performance, competition, 13 Gunild Keetman, Elementaria, trans. Margaret Murray (Lon-
auditions, high school, and beyond. Parker reminds us, don: Schott & Co. Ltd., 1974).
“One moment of musicking is not solely preparation 14 Ibid., 11.
for another; it is also a legitimate interaction in itself, 15 Ibid., 12.
33
filled with experiences, individuals, and memories.” 16 Ibid., 29.
Avoid the constant push to the performance by 17 Ibid., 56.
committing to making space for creative exploration of 18 This suggested progression was learned through Orff
structures in the repertoire. Encourage your teacher- Schulwerk Teacher Education Courses and can gener-
brain to settle into middle school pace by working to ally be seen throughout Orff Schulwerk materials and
observe and participate in the present moment. Fa- publications.
cilitate the positive peer interaction that middle-level 19 Colleen M. Conway, Teaching Music in Higher Education (New
students so desperately crave and enjoy having more York: Oxford University Press, 2020), 175.
opportunities for musical play as a part of the day-to- 20 Ibid.
day rehearsal flow. 21 Albert Bandura, Self-Efficacy (New York, NY: Freeman,
1997), 174.
Author’s Acknowledgements: Thank you to Dr. 22 Ibid., 178.
Glenn Nierman, Dr. Bob Woody, and Karen Benson, 23 Bridget Sweet, Growing Musicians, 8.
who provided invaluable recommendations in the cre- 24 Ibid., 11.
ation of this article. 25 Albert Bandura, Self-Efficacy, 213.
26 Elizabeth Cassidy Parker, Adolescents on Music: Why Music
NOTES Matters to Young People in Our Lives (Oxford University
Press, 2020), 2.
1 Jane Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today (Schott, 2006), 22. 27 Ibid., 1.
2 Robert H. Woody, Psychology for Musicians (New York, NY: 28 Ibid., 11.
Oxford University Press, 2022), 55. 29 Jane Frazee, Orff Schulwerk Today, 23.
3 Bridget Sweet, Growing Musicians: Teaching Music in Middle 30 Ibid.
School and Beyond (New York: Oxford University Press, 31 Andreas C. Lehmann, John A. Sloboda, and Robert H.
2015), 8. Woody, Psychology for Musicians (Oxford Univ. Press,
4 Wolfgang Hartmann, Looking at the Roots a Guide to Under- 2007), 156.
standing Orff Schulwerk (San Francisco, CA: Pentatonic 32 For additional suggestions for addressing performance
Press, 2021), 3. anxiety, see Mikayla Feldman, “Performance Anxiety:
5 Ibid., 31. 5 Strategies that Worked for Choir Students,” ChorTeach
6 Wolfgang Hartmann, Looking at the Roots, 42. 14 no 2 (Winter 2022): 19-23.
7 Robert A. Duke, Intelligent Music Teaching (Austin, Texas: 33 Elizabeth Cassidy Parker, Adolescents on Music, 12.
Learning and Behavior Resources, 2011), 141.
8 The Music for Children volumes are literature materials de-
veloped by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman and trans-
lated across language and culture for use in the Orff

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