Sarah Joncas (Tuesday, 19 December 2017 06:31)

There's no "one true way" with Orff-Schulwerk, which makes teaching in this approach both successful and challenging. However, knowing how and when to adapt instruction can be a challenge, but can also be what students need to create and enjoy satisfying musical experiences. Sometimes adapting is forced upon us, such as gaining or losing instruments or having to have "quiet music class" during testing. Other times, it can be a result of conscious planning and reflection. As a newer teacher, it has been challenging for me to know if I'm "doing Orff right" at times because there isn't a prescribed sequence or scripted lessons to follow... but when I see students succeeding in creating or performing independently, it shows that something must be working.

Megann Sala (Monday, 18 December 2017 23:45)

Having just finished Level I a year or so ago, my main challenge is exactly what Patrick has quoted. "How do I do what we just did in my own classroom?" For me, having taken notes from previous classes as well as buying "Purposeful Pathways" is what brings me back to the Orff Schulwerk approach. Most of the time, the success is when I don't realize I'm using it until I look in my books or go into my notes afterwards. I forget how easy it is to help students learn their music concepts with this approach!

Lisa Leach (Monday, 20 November 2017 09:16)

Agreeing with Patrick, as I usually do. How do you become comfortable in an approach but remain open to new ideas? When your school changes, or students, or levels, how do you adapt? What parts of the Schulwerk resonate with which groups of kids? times of the year? climate, classroom environment?
This fall, I began working with a new group of students and the relationships are slowly building. They are not kids who have been celebrated for making choices, experimenting or sharing who they are and what they believe. I try to exercise patience and support and it will happen one day, by being consistent, supportive and willing to fail in front of them.

Patrick Ware (Monday, 20 November 2017 06:27)

I feel as though this a difficult question to answer because teaching in general is filled with successes and challenges. Initially success and failure (the challenges) came in the same lesson and sometimes the same activity.

"I've completed level I!" Personal success. "Now, how do I do what we just did in my classroom?" Challenge. "Oh wow! We're up and moving, the chairs are gone from my room, we're being super creative." Success. "I have no idea how to end this". Challenge. "Students are being creative (success), or am I being creative and their still just living in my teacher centered world? Damn." Challenge.

"Level II! So many cool new ideas; modes, uncommon meters, alto recorder." Success. "So, when and how am I going to use this?" Challenge. "Hey, 3rd grader let's do this cool dance I learned that just happens to be in 7." Challenge (failure).

Fast forward - level III, chapter workshops, national conference and a level of maturity and understanding of the orff approach to process teaching coupled with the knowledge of my students, and now the successes out number the challenges only to give way to new challenges.

"What do you mean you're bored?!, No, there isn't a video on Youtube where you can watch this instead of doing it." Challenge. "How can you be tired? You're 6. Don't you go out and run and play at home? Oh, right, you play on your mom's phone." Challenge. "You don't know how to imagine what that might look like?" Challenge. "I've taught you, your brother, your sister and the twins and so you (and your parents) trust that through trial and error (both yours and mine) I will help you discover music and movement
possibilities inside you that you never knew existed?" Success!