Blog

Have you got something to share with others?

Please email Sarah:

sarahpowell5@bigpond.com

You might like to share a lesson idea, an activity, a song, chant, dance, game.

You are also welcome to share positive feedback about a workshop or course that you’ve attended.

Tribute to Mary Goetze

Orff-Schulwerk great, Mary Goetze, passed away on Wednesday 26th March 2025.  

 

Based in Indiana USA, she was a significant influence in the Orff-Schulwerk world, particularly in the world of choral work.

 

Written by Doug Goodman and shared with permission.

 

Walking around the Buddhist temple in Hong Kong the other day, I was struck by the sense of loss of people I have known who are no longer with us. Many of the people who came to mind— an Orff colleague, a college friend, a former neighbor, a school alum parent, all who died within the last year—were not folks I saw on a regular basis. Maybe once a year at most and some, once or twice in the past 20 years. But still I always felt warmed and comforted knowing they were still alive and walking on the same planet. And so I unexpectedly felt myself missing them knowing that I couldn’t write or call or visit them anymore.

Of course, loss of loved ones is the price of membership dues when we join the human race. And especially as my peer group has hit the late 70’s and into the 80’s, it comes as no surprise. But yet it always is a surprise. And a difficult one at that.

Facebook is the new obituary pages and I was stunned to read of the passing of Mary Goetze. Mary was a nationally renowned children’s choir director, educator, composer and arranger, truly tops in her field. I first met her around 1990 when we were teaching parallel courses in Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. We immediately clicked, appreciating each other’s expertise and enjoying each other’s wit and humor. It was Mary who invited me (and convinced me to accept her invitation) to be part of the Macmillan McGraw-Hill textbook-writing team of their Share the Music series. Every six weeks for over a year, we met in Manhattan with some 12 other authors and in-between the productive meetings were fun dinners out. One of my odd statistics is that I’ve never been flat-out drunk, but I do remember ordering a cocktail that was larger than I expected and while talking and laughing with Mary thought, “Ooh. I’m feeling a bit tipsy here!”


Mary combined the highest level of rigor with great wit and warmth when working with both children and adults. She could lecture on the physiology of vocal cords and the nuances of phonemes and equally enjoy humorous exchanges with whoever she taught. One of my favorites was her making her Australian debut with a lecture about the importance of “singing on the loo” referring to the vocal sound. One cheeky participant raised her hand and said, “Can you repeat that bit about singing on the loo again?” When she realized that loo is “toilet” in Australia, she joined in the laughter!


Her musicianship was impeccable and her children’s choir performances stunning. While at the top of her game with the Western Vienna-boys choir-style of vocal production, she got interested in other cultural expressions (and credited me a bit for this step into “World Music.”) and began a second chapter in her career working with gathering material and recording singers from diverse cultures and styles. Mary also was a person with a big heart and cared for both abandoned kittens and big issues of social justice.

After the Macmillan project, we continued to meet at various Orff Conferences (included Australia!) until she retired and we lost touch. She was on my Christmas card electronic mailing list and I was so happily surprised when she wrote to me after reading this year’s missive.


It felt so wonderful to re-establish contact, inspiring how she was continuing to do her marvellous work in various formats post-retirement and moving to read her kind words about my work. I wrote back and ended with:


“Let’s keep in touch! And maybe someday (gasp!) see each other again!”


And now that door of possibility is closed. I still don’t know precisely what happened to her— she certainly sounded healthy, vibrant, alive and well a mere three months ago. I’m taking some time today to let that sadness sink in. 


Mary’s life was contrary to the mainstream horror going on yet more forcefully today, refusing in her gentle way the shallow, the noisy, the unjust babbling of so much of our contemporary culture through her deep commitment to caring, choirs and kittens. Combatting the ugliness by cultivating her own beautiful garden. And so — imagining the “pretty maids in a row” as children in the girl’s chorus—this seems a fitting farewell rhyme for my dear friend and colleague, Mary Goetze.


Mary, Mary, quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells,

And pretty maids all in a row.

 

IOSFS CONVENTION 2025
THE VOICE: COMMUNICATING, CREATING, CONNECTING
14 - 17 JULY 2025

The IOSFS Research Committee invites proposals from researchers, including graduate students pursuing masters and doctoral work with a university supervisor/advisor, to present their current research in the areas of Orff Schulwerk and Elemental Music and Movement Pedagogy. The purpose of the roundtable research session is to enable the sharing of knowledge and expertise among music educators.
 
The Roundtable Research Session will take place Wednesday, July 16 — 4:00–6:00 PM CEST (local time in Salzburg) both IN PERSON and ONLINE via Zoom. Submissions will be peer reviewed and accepted based on the quantity of submissions. Presentation length is limited to a total duration of 15 minutes (10 min. to present followed by 5 min. for questions from attendees). The format can be either a short presentation or a short reading of a paper. 
If interested, please complete the form below: Google Form
 
Deadline for submissions 30 April, 2025. Applicants will be notified by 1 June, 2025

'Got to Go' by Rhonda Macken
Classroom Song and Activities

ASME XXV National Conference
26th - 29th September 2025

The ASME XXV National Conference 2025 will be held from 26 – 29 September 2025 at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. The theme of the conference, “Music Ahead,” emphasises the future of music education.

Music Ahead pledges to pioneer innovative pathways in music education for an inclusive and diverse future. The conference aims to inspire conversations about the purpose, ethics, and values of music education, reflecting on the past while looking towards the future, embracing new possibilities afforded by digital spaces, and celebrating inclusivity. Importantly, Music Ahead will grapple with these critical questions:

·       How will music education navigate a pathway through an increasingly crowded digital cultural space?
·       What does it mean for Australian music education to truly celebrate inclusivity?
·       What does music education advocacy look like in the 21st Century?

·       What does it mean to educate for musical thinking, doing, and being?

The ASME XXV National Conference 2025 is a premier event that brings together industry leaders, professionals, and academics to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and innovations in music education. You will have the opportunity to share your insights, showcase your latest projects, and engage with a diverse audience of peers and potential collaborators.

Abstract submissions have been extended to 14 February 2025 and Early Bird registrations are open until 22 May 2025. For further information please visit our website: (https://nectarcc.eventsair.com/asme-25th-national-conference-2025)

Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at: asmeconference@nectarcc.com.au

A Dance lesson from Katie Salisbury!

Fjäskern Dance

International Music Village 25
22nd - 27th July 2025, Catalonia

Please see details regarding the International Music Village 25 in Catalonia. It will take place from July 22nd to 27th, 2025, at the Seminari de Vic (Ronda Francesc Camprodon, 2, 08500 Vic, Catalonia). 

 

Teachers:

– Anna Bastida
Catalan traditional dance from a contemporary view.
Anna Bastida is a master of Catalan traditional dance, known for her innovative reinterpretations that bridge tradition and modernity. Her workshop will guide participants through a creative exploration of Catalan dance, making it accessible and meaningful for today’s world.

– Hastings Takunda Nyirenda
Exploring the vibrant rhythms and melodies of Southern Africa.
Hastings Nyirenda, a specialist in Southern African traditional music and Orff pedagogy, will lead a dynamic workshop on marimba and rhythmic music, demonstrating how these rich traditions can inspire and connect us all.

 

Accommodation & Costs:

The event offers full board accommodation at the Seminari de Vic:

  • Shared rooms (up to 4 people): included in base price
  • Double room upgrade: +50€
  • Single room upgrade: +80€

Course fee (includes accommodation and meals):

  • 505€ for members of JaSeSoi, HOSU, or Orff Catalunya
  • 550€ for non-members

 

Registration:

Registrations open on February 1st, 2025 and it will be on the web pages of Orff Cat, Crosa and Jasesoi.

From Katie Salisbury:
The Special Course

In 2019 I attended the Summer Course at the Orff Institut in Salzburg. By this time I had done all four teacher training levels as well as every Orff workshop and conference that had been available to me, so I thought I knew at least in part what to expect. I was excited to see my former colleague, Michele Ellis, my friend Virginia Esparraga, and my soon to be friend and fellow Aussie, Kirrabelle Lovell (SA) who had just completed “The Special Course” at the Institut. If you’re not familiar, The Special Course is the affectionate name for “Advanced Studies in Music and Dance Education”, a postgraduate year of study designed for experienced music teachers who are already using elements of the Orff approach in their teaching. It is held at the Orff Institut, which is the Elemental Music and Dance faculty of the Mozarteum University, Salzburg. In addition to being taught by the incredible teachers of the Mozarteum, we also have frequent guest teachers from all around the world.

 

What I wasn’t expecting to see in 2019 was the deep emotional connection that Virginia had developed with her peers, her teachers, and this place. I remember sitting with her and asking how she was feeling now that she was almost going home. It was clear that she had had a truly once in a lifetime experience and that the whole thing was incredibly difficult to put into words. I didn’t really understand it at the time.

 

After my first six weeks as a student of the 2024/2025 Special Course, now I understand. I am one of 13 in my class who hail from all around the world. We have five people from Iran, three from China, and one each from Colombia, Spain, Ukraine, and Slovenia (or, “just around the corner”, as Doroteja, my new Slovenian friend likes to say). We are in every class together, we eat together, we are the only people in this city that we know for the moment. It is an intense bond which formed quickly yet naturally. We are all here for the same reasons, having all left a job, a home, friends and family. We all understand what each other are feeling and are helping each other to navigate the twists and turns, not to mention the Austrian Government and their several hoops… To say that I am already dreading July and saying goodbye is an understatement. 

 

Our classes range from dance technique, to percussion, to choreography, to vocal ensemble, to improvisation and Orff history. We have the opportunity to visit practical classes for children which are taught by the teachers here, and it matters very little that they are in a language I don’t understand. In my short time I have already been to six concerts and performed in one. I am getting to know students in the other courses a little better, and the Institut is beginning to feel like home. It is not unusual for our classes to begin at 8:30am and go through until 7pm, so some days I spend more time there than in my actual home. We have classes most Saturdays too. 

 

Our teachers are, of course, world class. They are the people whose names I have read in articles and who I’ve heard spoken about excitedly at conferences for years. I was completely and unexpectedly starstruck by Barbara Haselbach in the hallway during my second week. While she no longer teaches here, she remains a strong presence in the Institut, and I mustered up the courage to introduce myself to her the second time I spied her. She was here at the beginning, and it is a great privilege to be able to hear from her. She is coming as a guest to some of our classes in the coming weeks. I feel incredibly lucky and humbled to be able to learn from all of the teachers here. The joy and grace they all bring to their teaching is outstanding. They inspire me to hone my craft, to never stop learning, to collaborate and to laugh all the time.

 

I must admit that so far the course is more movement-centred than I had anticipated. As a less than graceful mover, it has been an interesting adjustment. We have six hours of dance classes on Wednesdays, three hours on Thursdays, and sometimes a guest movement teacher on Friday and/or Saturday. You know that all over sore feeling you have when you use muscles you haven’t used in a while? That is now my permanent state of being. While movement is of course a part of any Orff course or workshop that you are likely to attend in Australia, it is much more emphasised here. It is not used as a way into the music as such, but there is a real focus on creating and developing our own artistic practice. 

 

I think my most moving class so far has been one that I am not obliged to go to. As part of the practicum lessons here, there is a class for adults with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities. The class is taught (although “taught” seems like the wrong word, it is so much more a collaborative process. Perhaps “facilitated” is better) by Erik Esterbaur, who, after spending many years as a psychologist, research assistant and music educator, now works in Inclusive Education at the Mozarteum University. Erik is one of the most calm and gentle people I have ever seen in any teaching situation. In a class of around 15 participants, he gives time and attention to every person in an individualised way that suits them perfectly. He gently leads everyone through a range of music and movement activities which are often sparked by the participants themselves. It may be a word or a sound that a participant makes which morphs into a song, or a movement which creates a dance. Each person in the room is made to feel valued, appreciated and validated during the hour together. It is truly a marvel to witness, and an absolute privilege to attend. 

 

Of course the other big adjustment is the utter ridiculousness of being here. I can see Gaisberg (the local mountain in Salzburg) from my window. I see Untersberg, (the other mountain close to Salzburg) every time I leave my unit. I ride my bike along the river towards the most picturesque mountain range at any chance I can get. I caught the bus to Germany to go for a hike at Konigsee lake, and sometimes I catch the bus to Germany just to go grocery shopping because it’s considerably cheaper. A few weeks ago I woke up in Salzburg and then was in London by lunch time to go and see some old friends. For an Australian, these novelties of mountains and lakes, and being able to travel so easily are not wearing off any time soon. At least ten times a day I have to shake myself and remember that this is all real, all beautiful, and all just beginning. 

 

As the weather has well and truly turned, with the autumn leaves mostly now returning to the earth, it is clear that this is not an experience that I will easily be able to share. Not that I don’t want to, it’s just that it is so unique, so creative, so out of the ordinary and so incredibly special that the words fall short. I guess that’s why it’s called The Special Course. 

 

Business opportunity

 
 
Hi Orffers
 
I’m excited to share some big news with you all! 
 
I am selling my Forte School of Music in Dee Why, Sydney. While this is a bittersweet step, it marks the beginning of a new chapter, but I’ll still be teaching my own students and helping a new owner over the next few years. 
I’m completing my final subjects in my Masters of Education and preparing to embark on a PhD in 2025. So, selling my Forte school will give me the time and focus to continue my passion for helping piano teachers. 
 
My future research will examine innovative approaches like Whole Body Learning and how these can help make learning more engaging, effective, and rewarding for teachers and students. I am looking forward to continuing to support our school owners and teachers across our networks so that more kids continue to learn music for life!
 
If you, or someone you know, is a piano teacher and would love to build their own music school, please pass this on to them: 
 
 
Please feel free to contact me through the above site if you have any questions.
 
Paul Myatt

For ANZAC Day

A song for Harmony Day...

Song: In the Playground
(Rhonda Macken)

‘Orff Schulwerk International’ 

The latest issue of the IOSFS journal is now published online at www.iosfsjournal.com

Song: In the Playground
(Rhonda Macken)

Short activity ideas:

In the Playground short act edit

 

Song: I'm Not Talking to You
(Rhonda Macken)

Song: George, The Fish Who Couldn't Swim
(Rhonda Macken)

Short activity ideas:

George the Fish

 

Song: Bobbing Up, Bobbing Down
(Rhonda Macken)

Audio: Vocals

Audio: Backing Track

'Advanced Studies in Music and Dance Education 
- Orff Schulwerk'

(aka the Special Course)

The 9-month postgraduate university course 
 
Advanced Studies in Music and Dance Education – Orff-Schulwerk’
 
will be offered  (in English) at the
 
Orff Institute in Salzburg 
 
from 
 
October 2024 – June 2025. 
 
Are you are an experienced music and dance teacher and want to deepen your practice?
 
We offer an intensive and concentrated course on one of the world’s most well-known integrative concepts

 

in music and dance pedagogy in a wonderful setting – the beautiful city of Salzburg!

 
All information about the Special Course can be found at:
https://www.moz.ac.at/en/advanced-studies-in-music-dance-education
 
Course directors:
Andrea Ostertag and Doris Valtiner 

Song: Boo! Spooks on the Prowl
(Rhonda Macken)

HURRY! Register Now...

Song: Get Up! Get Up!
(Rhonda Macken)

Song: My Family's Cat
(Rhonda Macken)

SAVE THE DATE!

What?      Doug Goodkin is coming to Sydney

When?     15th – 19th January 2024

Where?    Queenwood School, Sydney,NSW

Song: Round and Round and Round
(Rhonda Macken)

Song: Sit a While
(Rhonda Macken)

Meet Rhonda Macken...

Rhonda was the coordinator of the ABC Sing! Project for 21 years, giving workshops for primary teachers in Australia and New Zealand.

 

Now retired, she was also a music specialist teacher, teaching music in primary and secondary schools and in tertiary teaching degrees. 

 

She believes that music is for everyone and is an integral part of our human development.  Music needs to be enjoyed and it needs to be fun. 

 

Rhonda writes educational resources and is a children’s songwriter, choral and chamber music composer.

 

She is very happy to put her children’s songs out there for teachers to use and has generously provided these without cost through our Orff Blog.

 

In the next weeks, we will be posting songs and activities that Rhonda has created and we hope they will be of use to you. 

 

Please enjoy…!

2 Day Conference
May 5 & 6 2023

MEET THE PRESENTERS:

        Audrey Fine

Michelle Rollins

    Evan Britanico 

   Paul Myatt         

  Werner Beidinger

Katie Hull-Brown      

                  Kristie Fudge     

James Madsen             

              Bronwyn Cleworth 

REGIONAL LEVEL 1 - HURRY!!!

National Music Teacher Mentoring Program – NSW

 

 

Mentor recruitment flyer NSW DofE

 
 
 
 

 

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER COURSE

“Elemental Music and Dance Pedagogy Orff Schulwerk”

9 – 15 JULY 2023

 

Regos are now open for the Summer Course at the Orff Institut in Salzburg.

Please see the link for detailed information:

http://orff.moz.ac.at/media/Summer_Course_2023.pdf 

 

 

Summer_Course_2023

 

 

 
 

“Orff – Arts and Education”

 
New issue available:
You can find the app in the usual app stores (Apple App-StoreGoogle Play-Store) or simply directly in the browser version.
 

Early Childhood Learning Experience – ‘Twinkle Twinkle’


 

Twinkle Twinkle – EC learning experience

 

 

 
 
 

REMIX 2023... Don't miss out! Register now.

'Chicken on a Fencepost' - Danielle Abbott

Danielle has kindly offered to share the lesson notes from her presentation at the Orff Mini conference from May this year. Try it out with your class! 

Danielle Abbott OSANSW Mini Conference – Lesson Outline 2022

HURRY... Register for REMIX 2022

January 9 – 12 2023

Past. Present. Future

The 21st National ANCOS Music Education Conference

https://www.remix2022.com

 

DON'T MISS OUT

Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4
Orff Schulwerk Teacher Training Courses 2022

MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION: Click here.


Venue: St Catherine’s School (26 Albion St, Waverley NSW 2024)


Date: Monday 26th September – Friday 30th September 2022

Time: 8:15am – 5.00pm daily (Registration from 8am on Monday)


Fees Include:

  • 36 hours of active embodied learning
  • ANCOS nationally accredited courses
  • Comprehensive course notes
  • Professional Development Certificate
  • Morning teas every day (we suggest you bring your own lunch each day as the shops are not within walking distance)
  • Maps of the area, and site, will be sent once payment is received, approximately one week before the course

Editions of our Bite-sized Bulli from 2020

During 2020 we put together some small editions of the Bulli to help our members navigate their teaching during homeschooling. Here are all five issues, in case you can’t find them!



Orff Arts and Education



The latest issue of the Carl Orff Foundation’s publication, Arts and Education.

Click the picture to access.