What is Orff Schulrwerk?

Also known as the Orff Method, Orff Approach or Music for Children; it is a way of introducing and teaching children about music on a level that they can easily comprehend. Musical concepts are learned through singing, chanting, dance, movement, drama and the playing of percussion instruments. Improvisation, composition and a child’s natural sense of play are encouraged.

Who created the Orff Approach?

This approach to music education was developed by Carl Orff, a German composer, conductor and educator whose most famous composition is the oratorio “Carmina Burana.” It was conceived during the 1920s and 1930s while he served as music director of the Günther-Schule; a school of music, dance and gymnastics that he co-founded in Munich. His ideas were based on his belief in the importance of rhythm and movement. Orff shared these ideas in a book titled Orff-Schulwerk which was later revised and then adapted into English as Music for Children.

Carl Orff Quotes

Here are some quotes by Carl Orff to give you a better understanding of his philosophy:

“Experience first, then intellectualize.”

“Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.”

“Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart, you will let them learn while they play; they will find that what they have mastered is child’s play.

” Elemental music is never just music. It’s bound up with movement, dance and speech, and so it is a form of music in which one must participate, in which one is involved not as a listener bust as a co-performer.”