What Is Orff-Schulwerk
Nick Wild, Past-President, NEAOSA
Suggested Definitions
What is Orff Schulwerk?
The Orff Approach is a unique way of teaching children and adults of all ages to think, act, and move musically by exploring music “from the inside out” through expressive, goal-oriented creative play and group performance, including dance and drama.
What is unique about it?
• It is based on the premise that people of all ages are innately musical, and on the underlying principle that specific musical skills and concepts are best learned through the act of creating and performing original, age-appropriate music for specific expressive purposes
• It nurtures independent musicianship rather than simply teaching about music
• It employs a unique musical language called “elemental music” that is free from cultural associations and is accessible to everyone, in conjunction with a unique “elemental” instrumentarium that can be played successfully with minimal technical expertise
• It emphasizes the creative process (especially improvisation and composition) through guided discovery, rather than rote learning or polished performance
• It relies heavily on students’ imaginations for musical material
• It provides satisfying aesthetic and expressive experiences at every level
• It leads to internalization of skills and concepts through the exploration and manipulation of increasingly complex musical building blocks
• It draws on the relationships between music, movement, and drama to unlock students’ expressive potential and expand their aesthetic awareness
• It balances individual expression with community music making in a supportive, inclusive, and non-competitive context
What is “elemental music”?
Elemental music is pattern-based music built on natural speech and body rhythms, familiar melodic patterns, and simple forms that can be learned, created, understood, and performed without extensive technical or theoretical musical training.
© Nick Wild 2011
What is Orff Schulwerk?
The Orff Approach is a unique way of teaching children and adults of all ages to think, act, and move musically by exploring music “from the inside out” through expressive, goal-oriented creative play and group performance, including dance and drama.
What is unique about it?
• It is based on the premise that people of all ages are innately musical, and on the underlying principle that specific musical skills and concepts are best learned through the act of creating and performing original, age-appropriate music for specific expressive purposes
• It nurtures independent musicianship rather than simply teaching about music
• It employs a unique musical language called “elemental music” that is free from cultural associations and is accessible to everyone, in conjunction with a unique “elemental” instrumentarium that can be played successfully with minimal technical expertise
• It emphasizes the creative process (especially improvisation and composition) through guided discovery, rather than rote learning or polished performance
• It relies heavily on students’ imaginations for musical material
• It provides satisfying aesthetic and expressive experiences at every level
• It leads to internalization of skills and concepts through the exploration and manipulation of increasingly complex musical building blocks
• It draws on the relationships between music, movement, and drama to unlock students’ expressive potential and expand their aesthetic awareness
• It balances individual expression with community music making in a supportive, inclusive, and non-competitive context
What is “elemental music”?
Elemental music is pattern-based music built on natural speech and body rhythms, familiar melodic patterns, and simple forms that can be learned, created, understood, and performed without extensive technical or theoretical musical training.
© Nick Wild 2011
