In: Blair, D.V. and McCord, K.A.

(Ed) : Exceptional Pedagogy for Children with Exceptionalities:

International Perspectives. Oxford University Press 2016

How the Orff Approach Can Support Inclusive Music Teaching

Shirley Salmon

The Orff approach to music learning and teaching can provide models of differentiated

instruction and can support inclusive teaching in a multitude of ways. In this chapter, I will

present thoughts on Orff-Schulwerk, inclusive pedagogy and play-songs, and illustrate some

of the possibilities based on a particular song and examples from work with three children. I

will include descriptions of how the Orff-Approach enables one topic—here, The Owl Song—

to be developed through many activities and on different levels thereby realizing the aspects

of inner differentiation and cooperation on a joint theme that are essential in inclusive

teaching.

Eight children between the ages of 4 and 10 form a “train” that, with their teacher,

enters the classroom at the Carl Orff-Institute, Mozarteum University in Salzburg for a

weekly music and movement lesson. Each child is an individual with his or her own

background, experiences, interests, needs, and potential. The constellation of the group

changes each school year with some children staying for just one year while others remain for

several years. In the last school year, there were eight children between the ages of 4 and 10.

Katie, Simon, and Maria1 are three children who take part in this lesson and who have been

attending the class for different lengths of time.

Katie has been coming to the weekly sessions for four years and is now 10 years old.

Katie is a joyful child with learning difficulties, has a small active vocabulary but a large

passive vocabulary. She has an exceptional ability to look after and help younger children.

Her progress in understanding, participating, and learning has improved continuously as have

1
Pseudonyms used for children’s names.

1
her speech and singing. At the beginning she was unable to stay within group activities for

any length of time. Now she rarely leaves the circle or group activity, is keenly interested, and

participates in nearly all activities. Movement or dancing in a circle is sometimes still a

problem. In her first year she rarely used her voice at all but gradually she is able to recognize

a number of songs, to sing or say keywords, and can now usually sing the whole song.

Simon is now 9 and first attended the group with his mother five years ago when it

was a group for parents and their children. After two years it was appropriate that the children

attended alone. Simon, who has Down Syndrome, needed one more year with his mother

before it was possible for him to attend with the other children and a few student teachers.

Simon has a good feeling for pulse and rhythm, is interested in many instruments and

especially keen on drumming, but also on experimenting with a variety of materials such as

scarves, feathers, or sticks in connection with music and movement. He speaks very little

during the lessons and sometimes sings parts of songs. He is not particularly interested in

learning a dance with the group but has great ability for his own spontaneous expressive

movements to music.

Maria is 5 and has been in the group for one year. She has a twin brother who also

attended; sometimes their mother or aunt attended with them. Because of her motor

difficulties, Maria cannot walk far on her own. It is necessary for someone (a parent, or

student of the institute) to hold her hand. Maria is exceptional in her quick learning and

memory for songs, her singing on pitch, and her feeling for pulse and rhythm. Because she

has limited mobility she can walk with support but not yet run, skip, or jump. She cannot yet

move freely in the room using her whole body but she enjoys activities with movement and

finds ways of joining in.

The challenge of teaching this group is to support diverse interests, experiences and

abilities, to choose appropriate contents and methods so that each child can not only

understand the tasks, take part and learn at his or her own level but be emotionally involved,

2
use their imagination and creativity, enjoy the activities, and increase in self-confidence. The

planning of the sessions and the specific activities must meet the needs, interests, and levels of

all the children.

In the last decades, Europeans have seen significant steps in the rights of people with

disabilities to education, participation, and access to all areas of social and cultural life (see

endnote 1 for further information). These include:

1. UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs

Education Statement (adopted by the World Conference on Special Needs Education:

Access and Quality) in 1994.

2. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (of the World

Health Organisation) 2005 put the notions of ‘health’ and ‘disability’ in a new light.

3. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international

human rights instrument of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and

dignity of persons with disabilities came into force in Austria in 2008.

4. In Austria the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

developed the National Action Plan on Disability 2012 – 2020 (NAP) which views

inclusion as a human right and mandate.

The Carl Orff Institute

The children’s group that Katie, Simon, and Maria take part in is held once a week. I

serve as the teacher and it is one of the many practice teaching groups available for students

studying at the institute taught by faculty members. In 1961, Carl Orff established the Orff

Institute as a centre for elemental education in music and dance at the University Mozarteum

in Salzburg. The Orff Institute (www.orffinstitut.at) is devoted to the training of teachers for

‘Elemental Music and Dance/Movement Education’ in schools and as freelance teachers on

all educational levels and with all age groups. It offers bachelor and master study programs in

3
‘Elemental Music and Dance Pedagogy’ as well as further development courses, international

summer courses, and symposia. The main characteristics of its study programs are:

 Integration of music and dance within artistic areas and pedagogical transmission

 Combining experiential “hands-on” oriented teaching with theoretical support in

reflection and analysis

 Practical orientation by observing and participating in groups which have been set up

at the Orff Institute for people of different age groups and of differing abilities, as well

as working together in social and special pedagogical establishments and general

training schools.

 Individual arrangement of studies with diverse optional choices and possibilities for

concentrated studies in one area.

During the full term of their studies, all students at the Carl Orff Institute first observe

and later plan, teach, and reflect in various practice teaching groups. Most of the classes are

taught in the institute but some are held in other institutions in Salzburg. The practice teaching

classes enable students of the institute to work during the course of studies as closely as

possible with a variety of age groups and abilities and, secondly, it enables children, teens,

adults and seniors from the Salzburg area to participate in qualified Elemental Music and

Dance classes.

The Orff Approach

Elemental Music and Movement Education was conceived by Carl Orff and Gunild

Keetmann and is also referred to as Orff-Schulwerk. (These are not to be confused with the

printed volumes Music for Children by Orff/Keetmann that were written as models for

teachers at that time, 1950-1954). The word “Schulwerk” does not in fact refer to “school”

(German: Schule) but to “learning” (Schulwerk) and was originally conceived for work with

children (Orff, 1978). Its significance and implementation in areas such as pre-school, special

and inclusive education, therapy, community work, and with the elderly was recognized early

4
on. From the 1960s, the use of Orff-Schulwerk in these areas was developed and documented

by colleagues who took the fundamental ideas of Orff-Schulwerk and adapted them for their

particular target groups. These developments were and are still a logical progression because

of the humanistic orientation and because the idea of working with people of all ages and

abilities is inherent in Orff’s and Keetman’s concept. Wilhelm Keller, the pioneer of music

and movement in inclusive education and community work in German speaking countries

recognized that for Orff, the development of the whole person was central and referred to this

as “musica humana” (Salmon, 2012).

Gertrud Orff (1914-2000) was involved in developing Orff-Schulwerk during the time

she was married to Carl Orff and worked as a music teacher with children with and without

disabilities in Germany and later in the USA. From 1970 she developed the “Orff Music

Therapy” at the Children’s Centre in Munich, an active multi-sensory therapy based on the

elements of Orff-Schulwerk (using many senses, creative spontaneous music-making, play,

and specific instruments). Gertrud Orff established a training course in Orff Music Therapy in

Munich and her work is documented in two books (1980, 1989) and numerous articles by

both her and her students.2

A Humanistic Approach

In Orff-Schulwerk, each individual—whether an infant, young child, an adolescent or

adult with his or her own development, background, culture, interests, abilities, and needs—is

to be the centre of our attention. The human being is the touchstone of Orff-Schulwerk

pedagogy which contributes to experiencing and furthering our humanity and our being

human through the bringing forth of original music and dance contributions (cf. Widmer,

2011). The humanistic orientation recognizes the creative potential that each human being has

and considers it to be one of the tasks of the teacher to foster this potential. Or, as Ulrike

2
See: http://www.orff-musiktherapie-gesellschaft.de/
5
Jungmair has written: “the central focus of teaching is first to sense individual potential, to put

this into action, to realize it. The whole person is the focus of our attention” (2008, p. 13).

From a humanistic point of view, Elemental Music and Dance Education is an

anthropocentric approach in that the human being with his or her human attributes and

individual characteristics is the starting point—not musical works, dance choreographies, or

music and dance as subjects to be learned. The person is the centre of the music making and

dancing and is the reference point for the goals, contents, methods and media including, for

example, the use of special instruments or musical scales (cf. Cubasch, 1999). It is a concept

of active and creative music practice for everybody—“the realization of an original, central

musical potency anchored in each individual” (Keller, 1984). It exists independently from any

determined age or from special talents or disabilities. It is, rather, the musical interactivity of

persons with their individual capabilities. As each player of the ensemble receives an

individual suitable role or assignment, he or she can take part as a full-fledged member of the

group. It enables people of all abilities to play together in one group without any participant

being under or over-challenged. Tasks and roles can be adapted to suit the capabilities of the

individuals instead of the group having to adapt to a fixed form (Keller, 1996). Carl Orff

stressed the importance of developing the whole personality,

It is at the primary school age that the imagination must be stimulated; and

opportunities for emotional development, which contains experience of the ability to

feel, and the power to control the expression of that feeling, must also be provided.

Everything that a child of this age experiences, everything in him that has been

awakened and nurtured, is a determining factor for the whole of his life. Much can be

destroyed at this age that can never be regained. (Orff, 1964, cited in Haselbach, 2011,

p. 154)

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 Schumacher (1999) notes that our feeling for self and the opportunities for being

creative are, in today’s world, more relevant than ever. The influence of too many technical

media for too much of the time and the perfection of recordings can mean that students are

shy of producing and expressing themselves through music and movement. Over-stimulation

from the (technical) environment may also produce difficulties in stimulus-processing and the

ability to select or dampen self-activity. It is important that at least one other person in the

learning environment shows appropriate joy and recognition when students are active and

productive, otherwise there is the danger that self-activity is lost and forgotten. Orff-

Schulwerk emphasizes the value of self-activity and the necessary motivation and space for

playing (Salmon, 2012).

Principles of Orff-Schulwerk

Orff-Schulwerk can be described as an open system in relation to working with the

printed models, in relation to the target group as well as new sound sources, and in relation to

music and dance, to inter-disciplinarity, and to contemporary music and art (Haselbach, 2013).

Orff-Schulwerk has a number of principles that play an important role in its music educational

concept (Haselbach, 2011, Haselbach & Hartmann, 2013; Jungmair, 1992; Keller, 1974, 1996;

Widmer, 2011). For example,

 The child is at the center: Orff-Schulwerk is not primarily a specialist music or dance

training, but the enrichment of the whole person through experience and expression

with music and dance.

 The social dimension: The processes of learning, working and creating are primarily

experienced in the group and demand and develop appropriate behavior and attitudes.

 Music as an integral concept: In ancient Greek "Musiké" means singing, dancing,

playing instruments, language but also includes the integrating proximity to other

artistic forms. Orff saw this as the basis of the Schulwerk.

7
  The instruments: By providing instruments that can be experienced playfully, that do

not have technical obstacles, and are body-aligned (do not position the players too far

away from the instrument or from each other), the possibility of playing at many

different levels is possible. These instruments are suitable for solo as well as group

work—not only for interpreting pieces but also for experimentation, improvisation,

and composition. Carl Orff encouraged the constant search for new sound possibilities

and suitable material for elemental, physically related music making.

 The form of teaching as a process: The students are creatively involved in the work

process and thereby also determine the direction and the result. In Orff-Schulwerk the

work process and the artistic results have the same importance.

 Creativity in improvisation and composition (including dance composition): The

teaching creates opportunities for students to experience themselves as creator and co-

creator.

 Adaptability of Orff-Schulwerk: Orff-Schulwerk sees itself as an “open pedagogy”

that is applicable in its principles in all educational fields of work, and can also be

assimilated in different cultures.

Inclusive Pedagogy

Excellent pedagogy is by nature inclusive. Fundamental, child-centered inclusive

education involves teaching children and adolescents who are at different developmental

levels and have different degrees of competencies in perception, cognition, and behavior. It

recognizes the individuality of each person (in the sense of his or her unique past experiences)

and thus the heterogeneity of every human group (Feuser, 1997, 2001).

Teaching the group in which Katie, Simon, and Maria take part involves, as in

teaching any other group, being aware of factors such as individual learning styles and modes,

speed of learning, level of learning as well as motivation and concentration (IQSH 2011).

8
Teaching should be concerned with identifying the achievements of each child and from there,

identify the next steps in learning for each individual child. It should include all learners in the

group as well as appropriate strategies to support learning and teaching (Feuser, 1997;

Goodkin, 2012). The aim should be to activate each child’s abilities in every learning process

in the best possible way. By extending and enhancing the learning environment—and the

other students with their diverse competences contribute to this—a positive development is

more likely to be achieved than with teaching methods that aim to speed up the learning

process based on the deficits diagnosed (Athey, 1990, p. 76).

Building up of self-confidence and self-awareness can also be supported in group

work and are important requisites for learning and living. Self-confidence can be seen as “a

necessary but still not adequate precondition for the maintenance and revival of the joy of

discovery and desire to create and thereby for the search for creative and innovative solutions”

(Hüther, 2008). Katie has been able to build up her confidence by being given specific

musical tasks that she can accomplish—for example, playing a drone accompaniment or

singing the song with the teacher or peer. She has also learned to be more aware of her body

by joining in activities that call for free improvised movements, moving with a partner, and

joining in simple dance forms. Simon has been able to become more aware of the musical

form and his role in a piece. This works especially well when Simon improvises an interlude

between verses of a song. His awareness and confidence have been supported by the use of

materials such as scarves or paintbrushes within movement activities. These give him support

and motivate him to develop new and imaginative movements. Maria has gradually gained

more confidence in movement activities. She works with a student teacher who gives her

support by holding one hand but allowing Maria to join in as much of the activities as she can

in her own way. Maria’s confidence in playing instruments has increased with practice in eye-

hand coordination—playing a frame drum with one hand, or holding a mallet to play one or

two resonator bars.

9
 It has been necessary in this children’s group to build up security and trust as well as

self-awareness and self-confidence. Neurobiologist Gerald Hüther (2008) emphasizes the

importance of security and trust explaining that that children and adults try to connect every

new perception and every new experience to something that is familiar. The readiness to try

out something new depends on how secure one is and how much confidence one has to

confront the world. Hüther stresses that every kind of insecurity, fear, and pressure produces a

spreading excitation and agitation in the brain. It is under these conditions that the incoming

perceptual patterns cannot be collated with the memories already stored there from the sense

channels. The result is that nothing new can be learned and lodged in the brain. Brain research

has shown that trust is the only antidote to insecurity and fear. Those who want to be creative

need to trust in themselves, in their own capabilities, knowledge, and skills (cf. Hüther, 2008).

As the teacher for Katie, Simon, and Maria, this has meant first finding activities and

methods where they feel secure and where their contribution is valued so that they then trust

themselves to try something new. The repetition of activities, finding extensions and

variations is very important as well as the teacher’s ability to notice children’s spontaneous,

unplanned responses (with the voice, an instrument, or movement) and to include these within

the form. Research supports the observations and experiences we make as teachers when we

see how much trust, repetition and support individual students need in order to join in, try out

and learn new things, play and dance together, or invent their own ostinati, drones, melodies,

accompaniments, or movement sequences (Salmon, 2012).

In this group, social learning can be seen in two ways: firstly, learning to become

more social, where the content of our teaching and learning is social development. And,

secondly, learning socially when learning a subject, song, dance, rhyme in a social way, with

the help of others. The range of abilities in a group can be seen not as something difficult but

as an important means of motivation, stimulation, and support for each individual.

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 One of the most important contributions of Orff-Schulwerk can be seen in the social

learning made possible by working in different social constellations. Here, encounters on

different levels and of many kinds can be made possible. With skilled teaching social

resonance and social sensibility can be encouraged and supported in every participant

whatever their skills or needs. Different social constellations form an important part in Orff-

Schulwerk teaching. Singing, playing dancing, or reciting with the whole group are

complemented by working alone, with a partner or in small groups and are usually a natural

part of every class or session. Group work—whether this be practising given parts or creating

one’s own—includes everyone in the small group, guards against isolation, separation, and

exclusion while fostering togetherness. The wider the range of abilities in the group, which of

course calls for differentiated teaching, the more possibilities there may be for social learning.

Vygotsky’s (1978) "zone of proximal development” (ZPD) is particularly relevant in

groups of mixed ability. The ZPD is “the distance between the actual developmental level as

determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as

determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more

capable peers” (p. 86). The “zone of actual development” refers to tasks that the learner can

do on his or her own. The “zone of proximal development” refers to functions and abilities

that have not yet matured. These tasks may be strenuous or challenging but can be achieved—

first with help and then independently (ISQH 2011).

When learners of different abilities are in a group together, the proximity of others

who are at a slightly higher level of development creates possibilities for imitation, support,

and cooperation. This enables learners to successfully complete tasks and gain confidence

while furthering intrinsic motivation. Elemental Music and Dance Education can give

children and adults experiences within their zones of proximal development, thereby

encouraging their individual learning.

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 Inclusive teaching is not a matter of analyzing every disability as a disability. It is

primarily a question of using the appropriate didactics and not a question of any particular

child’s abilities or challenges (Feuser, 2008). According to Feuser’s principles of inclusive

education, lessons should include all students in a class or group while taking into account

their individual abilities, interests, and needs. From a pedagogical point of view, this means

that

all participants (including those who have a disability or complex learning difficulties)

play, learn, and work together at their respective developmental levels (taking into

consideration their present levels of competence in perception, cognition and

behaviour), in cooperation with one another on a theme, activity or task within a

shared curriculum (project/subject matter/topic). (Feuser, 2001, p. 27)

In the realization of inclusive teaching, the two factors individualization and cooperation on a

joint topic are essential.

Elemental Music and Dance Education as offered in this children’s group provides

teaching that is centred on each individual child. A wealth of activities can be offered which

enable all students to encounter and work on a joint topic. Nobody is excluded and the subject,

task or theme is made available to all students at their own developmental level.

Differentiated tasks appropriate for each child are planned which are part of the cooperation

within one theme and includes working in different social constellations. Inner differentiation

(Feuser, 1997) is made possible when the teacher enables each student to experience and

understand the topic on his/her own level and where individual tasks can be set that play a

part within the common topic, theme, or project.

Play-songs

Play-songs offer pre-school and primary school aged children many possibilities and

can be particularly useful in inclusive groups. In a multi-sensory approach such as in Orff-

12
Schulwerk, play-songs can motivate, encourage, and inspire a variety of activities that involve

music, movement, language, play materials, and objects. Several objectives can be the aim

within these activities in order to focus on different needs, interests, and abilities. Playing,

moving, speaking, singing, and creating can be experienced in a variety of ways. This multi-

sensory approach offers a broad spectrum of experience and expression that supports the

children’s general development (Salmon, 2008).

In the play-song, the music, movement, and certain elements of drama are combined

and integrated. Music, movement, language, and play(ing) are closely related and mutually

supportive. Play-songs have been sung and played by children for centuries and have a long

tradition in musical education. Carl Orff considered the traditional repertoire of children’s

songs as the basis for Orff-Schulwerk and also emphasized the importance of play: “The drive

to play initiates the satisfying activity, and following from this the practice, and out of these

the achievement” (Orff, 1932/2011, p. 74). Orff stressed that it is important that the child be

allowed to play “undisturbed, expressing the internal externally. Word and sound must arise

simultaneously from improvisatory, rhythmic play” (p. 68). Playing and experimenting are an

important part of the creative process and should be part of every lesson.

Play-songs are especially valuable and can link to and sometimes support and develop

earlier games played with a parent. Schumacher (2003) notes,

All early mother-child games are elemental music, movement and language games that

connect to prenatal experiences. They represent a multi-sensory option, which has an

effect on the child through the mother’s emotional participation. The lullaby, the

cradle- and rocking song, the clapping game and knee rides all offer sensory-emotional

stimulation. They support the child’s emotional and cognitive abilities that are a basic

necessity for establishing a relationship to the environment. The senses of balance,

touch, of hearing and seeing (but surely also the olfactory sense) are simultaneously

13
 stimulated and in play lead to the establishment of contact and the development of a

relationship between mother and child. (p. 14)

The use of play-songs in both family and educational contexts supports the child’s emotional

and cognitive abilities.

Songs that inspire movement, dance, role-play, playing with language, use of

emotional expression, and imagination can be an important part of the curriculum. The

teacher may consider a variety of focal elements contained in the individual play-song that

may be effective alone but may be especially useful when combined, especially in groups of

mixed ability.

In addition, the focus on one or more elements can be useful when planning single

lessons as well as when working on more long-term, interdisciplinary projects. The song and

its various aspects can be stimulating and motivating, with possible extensions for each

element (see Figure 1). The final choice of activities corresponds with the content of the song

as well as with the current abilities and needs of the children and the group (Salmon, 2008).

Sensory awareness
(auditory, tactile, visual, kinaesthetic, vestibular)

Movement Listening

Dance Play Materials

The
Play Song
(Body) Voice/Language
Instruments

Visualization Social Forms

Elemental music drama Related subjects/arts

14
 Figure 1. Focal Points of Play-songs

Play-songs can be the starting point for activities that will focus on the needs and

levels of each individual child, and can inspire teachers to extend the specific theme in many

directions (Salmon, 2007).

Sensory awareness may involve activities concentrating on sight, touch, vibration,

taste, smell, kinesthetic experience and balance.

Movement could include playful warm up, movement experiment, Rudolf von

Laban’s basic body activities: (locomotion, rotation, elevation, gesture,

position) (Preston-Dunlop, 1990), movement sequences, formations and paths,

parameters: tempo, dynamics, form, space; accompaniment.

Dance may use preparatory exercises, traditional dance forms, popular dance forms,

narrative dance, improvisation, and composition.

Voice and Language can focus on breathing, posture, physical exercises, sounds,

syllables, words, phrases, chants, rhymes, poems, storybooks.

Play materials such natural objects, toys, scarves, balls, spinning tops, household

objects, sounding objects and instruments can be useful.

Instruments may include body instruments, voice, sounding objects, found and

elemental instruments, Orff instruments, homemade instruments, classical

instruments.

Listening could focus on sounds, noises, sounds of nature, live sounds, recorded

sounds, sounds of voices, instruments, songs related to the topic, pieces of

music related to the topic, poems or stories, different styles of music related to

the theme.

15
 Visualizing could involve using movement, on one’s own body or with a partner—

drawing, painting, using signs or symbols, forms of graphic notation and

traditional notation.

Social Forms are particularly relevant in groups of mixed ability. They may include

relationship play, playing individually, working next to or with a partner,

and working in a small group, working with the whole class, leading—

following, communicating, cooperating.

Elemental Music Drama incorporates music, movement and language as well as

reciting, pantomime, acting out the song, making props and costumes, using

poems, pictures and storybooks.

Providing time and space for playing, experimenting, and creating is important in

Elemental Music and Dance Education especially when working with play-songs. A certain

amount of freedom is necessary so that children can (re-)discover and develop their delight

and passion for spontaneous play. It is not enough to offer a secure place. The room, the space,

and the lesson must all have a playful atmosphere, and must be familiar and inviting.

Providing space for play does not mean giving total freedom—accepting the general set-up

and the rules is important (Jungmair, 1992). The feeling for time is very individual especially

in groups of mixed ability. Children need time to develop their activity, be completely

absorbed, time where they can experiment (alone or with a partner or in small group) and

allow time for flow experiences (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

Play-songs provide a particularly well-suited basis for a diversity of activities

involving music and movement in groups of mixed ability focusing on different objectives.

This work can be interdisciplinary in its concept and inclusive in its realization providing the

topics in question are prepared with the appropriate level of differentiation.

“The Owl Song”

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 Gerda Bächli, a Swiss music teacher and composer of songs for children of all ages

and abilities. The image of The Owl Song (Figure 2) is that every night when it was dark and

everyone was asleep an owl flew through the town with its enormous wings. When he

touched a church tower, then the bells started to play (Bächli, 1977). For the activities during

the song, the children stand around the room. In the middle there is a glockenspiel with two

mallets. One child accompanies the song on a low xylophone or two chime bars. Another

child plays the time of day and speaks quietly: 1, 2, 3 (practice in counting). During the

counting, the children close their eyes and the owl flies through the room. It touches one child

who opens her eyes and goes quietly to the glockenspiel in the middle. She is allowed to

improvise freely while the others listen with their eyes closed. The child who played becomes

the new owl.

Bächli (1977) described the goals for the play-song: The secret nighttime atmosphere

attracts and calms many children and encourages them to listen to the child who is

improvising. Because of the stillness while waiting for the owl with their eyes closed, the

children are often more receptive than usual.

Figure 2. The Owl Song (Music: Gerda Bächli, English Text: Shirley Salmon)

Planning activities

17
 Planning activities for this group would include a series of lessons looking at many

aspects. The Owl Song was a good starting point for these children and involved considering

the following:

 The musical material (melody, rhythm, harmony, form, key)

 The words

 Non-musical themes, contents (the story, drama, setting, atmosphere, pictures,

materials)

 The types of intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-

kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist) that may be involved

 Different media (movement, dance, voice, instruments, visual arts)

 Different types of participation: perceiving, exploring, experimenting, playing,

recognizing, remembering, imitating, varying, depicting, differentiating, inventing,

deciding, practicing, communicating, creating

 Social aspects and possibilities for cooperation and interaction

 The experience and levels of the children and individual objectives.

The concept of didactic reduction (Jungmair, 2013) enables the teacher to

concentrate on the elements of a song which is useful in planning. Didactic Reduction may be

one of the strategies that may lead us not only to creative and lively teaching but also shows a

way to discover hidden movement in a score. Didactic reduction distinguishes between

quantitative and qualitative reduction: Quantitative Reduction, meaning to make less, to

decrease, to diminish, is also used in the sense to simplify. For Katie or Simon this means

simplifying rhythmical accompaniments; for Maria in means to simplify the melody, playing

at first just the first four bars. Qualitative Reduction goes back to the original meaning of the

word reduce (Latin: re-ducere) meaning “to lead back” in that very product is a result of a

process and can be pursued to a suspected beginning (Jungmair, 2013). In this case it is the

18
idea of a bell and game (inspired by Gertrud Orff), a song and a different activity (Bächli)

which is background to the use of The Owl Song with my particular group of children and

which inspired me to develop these ideas further.

Divergent thinking (Siegenthaler & Zihlmann, 1988) is especially important in groups

where the abilities are very different. One task may be set for the whole group where there are

many different possible solutions. The teacher does not tell the children which solution to find

although they may need help in understanding the task. Each child finds his/her solution with

the capabilities they have at their disposal at that time. The different solutions are not

compared against each other and each contribution is considered of value.

For Wilhelm Keller (1996) up-grading ‘minor roles’ is important in groups of mixed

ability: a simple action or task is given a pivotal part; for example, Simon-who often cannot

accompany in time, can master playing three strokes on a gong to introduce the piece or song.

Other children, who cannot play or accompany rhythmically but can create the effect of the

wind blowing through the trees on their instruments, are given the task of improvising parts of

a rondo while other students sing and play different accompaniments. In improvising, students

produce that which is momentarily possible at their moment of individual development. While

some students may be able to invent, remember, and notate a melody using a five-note scale,

others may spontaneously play ‘their’ melody on the given notes while others accompany

perhaps playing a drone (Salmon, 2007, 2008).

Activities

The following examples of activities are a collection for Katie, Simon, and Maria’s

group and could be thought of as a mind-map for these and other students. They are listed

according to their central focus; the list is not hierarchical and should best be thought of as a

circle (Figure 1). Work on this song and its extensions extended over many lessons with

activities being chosen from this pool of ideas according to specific objectives for each child

without aiming to include all the activities. With many of these activities, the song needs to be

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sung more than once. If the melody is too high for some of the children it could also be sung

well in E minor. In some activities other music would be used and some activities are without

music.

In practice, activities usually combine one or more of these focal points, placing an

emphasis on one or more intelligences. Within one activity—for example, working with the

voice, individual tasks on different levels can be set. Katie and Maria can sing the whole song

and Maria can make suggestions for new verses on different animals. Simon does not often

sing in the class but often sings the songs to his mother when he is at home. He enjoys using

his voice to make sounds and can be encouraged to be part of an introduction or intermezzo

using voices to imitate the call of the owl, the sounds in the wood at night, etc. Another child

who already learns an instrument was given a task on her level: playing the melody or

improvising to it, playing or inventing a second part. Other children may play different

accompaniments on small percussion or barred instruments. Simon enjoys playing

instruments but cannot yet imitate or remember ostinati. He can play certain effects (the wind

or the sound of the owl’s wings) that can be used as an introduction or intermezzo.

There are many ways of introducing songs: with something hidden, with a game, with

an unusual instrument, with movement, with a story, by listening with closed eyes, with

gestures, lyrics, the melody, the harmony, with a strange sound, or by humming. Here, we

started with an owl hand-puppet, who greeted all the children musically, allowed itself to be

stroked and who showed the children various movements and other ideas. The pool of

activities included:

Sensory awareness

 Close your eyes and listen to the owl’s sounds (played by the teacher moving around

the room) and point to the owl.

 Listen to other sounds of the wood at night time (rustling, wind, animals moving)

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 One child shows the flight of the owl with a coloured scarf – the others follow the

movement with their eyes and then also their fingers

 Paint the flight of the owl on the floor with your fingers or hand

 Paint the flight of the owl on your partner’s back.

 Use your arms to fly with the melody? Fly on the spot with your eyes closed.

 Imagine you are tree (sitting, kneeling or standing). Sway gently with the wind while

keeping your balance

 Show the flight of the melody with one hand/both hands

Movement

 Fly away from your nest while the melody is being played or sung (with one repeat)

and return at the end.

 Use the movements of different types of birds using your hands and arms, to this

melody or to different music.

 Which routes can you use when flying: straight line, curve, circle, spiral, triangle,

zigzag.

 Try to fly a route that takes a lot of space or a little space.

 Fly behind your partner following the same route. Change roles and fly a new route.

 Space many objects to represent trees in the room. Fly around the room to the music

without bumping into any trees.

Dance

 Learn different steps going forwards, sideways and backwards. Experiment with

fitting them to the melody.

 Learn different ways of holding hands and doing steps with a partner or in a small

group.

 Experiment with the steps that different birds might make.

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 Invent a dance just with arms and hands.

 Invent and learn a simple group dance to the melody.

 Learn a folk dance related to the theme of birds, night-time, forests.

Voice and Language

 Experiment with sounds the owl might make. Listen and try other children’s sounds.

 Make a pattern by combining two sounds. Teach your pattern to a partner.

 Sing the melody using different syllables.

 Use words about sounds in the wood. For example: In the wood are many sounds. And

the owl flies round and round. Come to me, let me play when it’s (4) o’clock.

 Chose a different animal and think of ways of changing the words. Invent your own

text.

 Learn and work with a poem about owls

e.g. The Owl and the Pussycat (Edward Lear)

e.g. A wise old owl lived in an oak

The more he saw the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard.

Why can't we all be like that wise old bird? (English nursery rhyme)

Instruments

 Use instruments to create different effects (the wind, night-time, bells, the flight of the

owl).

 Choose an instrument to represent the church bell (triangle, cymbal, bell). Experiment

with playing different times 8 o’clock, 5 o’clock, etc.

 Get to know and play various simple wind instruments (top of the recorder, slide

whistle, ocarina).

 Accompany the song with A minor drone (A - E) on barred instruments.

22
 Accompany with the moving drone A minor, G Major (A - E, G - D).

 Learn or invent rhythmic ostinati using words from song e.g.

Church bells sound ●●● –

Round the houses ●●●●

Owls fly ●– ● –

 Learn the first 2 bars of the melody on a barred instrument.

 Play 2 bar phrases from the melody as melodic ostinato.

 Accompany on the guitar, alternating A minor with G major and/or E7.

Figure 3. Examples of Ostinati

Listening

 Close your eyes and listen to where the owl is in the room (teacher or child plays a

slide whistle or the head piece of a recorder). Point in the direction of the owl.

 Listen to where the church bell is with your eyes closed. Can you count the chimes?

 Try to follow the pitches of the melody with your hand. Show when the owl is flying

high or low.

 With your partner, chose one instrument (small percussion or resonator bell). One of

you closes their eyes and listens to where the partner is playing. When the sounds stop,

point to your partner. Try this many times and then swap roles.

23
 Place a collection of instruments (small percussion or resonator bells and mallets) far

apart all over the room to represent the houses in the town. Let a few children at a time

fly to the instruments, trying them all out. When everyone has had a turn, each child

chooses and sits or stands with one instrument (as the “house”). One child is the owl

and flies to the houses. When the child is very near a house, the house “sounds.”

 When the children have the instruments for the houses, let one child lead another,

whose eyes are closed, through the town. When the two children pass nearby, the

houses “sound.”

 Listen to pieces of music (or parts of them) related to the topics of ‘birds’ or ‘night’ or

“bells.” For example: Blackbird (The Beatles), The Firebird (Stravinsky), Dies Irae

from Symphonie Fantastique (Berlioz), La cathédrale engloutie (Debussy), Night on

Bare Mountain (Mussorgsky).

Visualization

 Show the flight of the owl with one hand, painting in the air.

 Paint the journey on a large piece of paper with a brush (without colour).

 Paint using chalk, crayons or pens. Swap papers with someone and see if you can

follow their flight.

 Listen to different church chimes and find a way of notating them.

 Notate your own number of chimes to be played by you or others in your own way.

 Look at different ways of notating the melody.

 Look at a picture of a scene with an owl. How could this be played?

Social forms

 Take over different roles for the music and/or movement: the owl, the clock bell, the

“night music.”

 Lead your partner (whose eyes are closed) holding hands.

24
  Lead your partner (whose eyes are closed) playing an instrument to guide him/her

making sure he/she does not bump into anything.

 Improvise spontaneously with the other children playing the “night music.”

 With a partner or in a small group, choose instruments and decide and practice your

own “night music” or “flying music.”

Elemental Music Drama

 Create a story around the song.

 Using the elements of reciting, speaking, singing, moving, and dancing create a piece

on the story.

 Choose a children’s book and create an elemental music drama piece:

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

The Littlest Owl by Caroline Pitcher and Tina MacNaughton

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson and Paul Howard

Concluding Thoughts

While important for all teaching, it is essential to include everyone in any group to

foster participation and for children to be able to learn at their own levels. The Orff Approach

focuses on the individual and provides options for differentiated instruction while working on

a common topic and in this way supports inclusive teaching of all age groups and abilities. It

is an exciting, open, and flexible way to guide learning that calls for the teacher’s own

imagination, flexibility, and creative abilities. It means that we, as teachers, work in a wide

scope of media, understand each child’s learning style, simplify or extend parts, compose and

choreograph on many levels, allow children to create at their own level of skill and

understanding, and that we recognize the dignity of each contribution, create opportunities for

talent, and create challenges for discovery (Goodkin, 2012). Teaching Katie, Simon and

Maria means providing possibilities for them and us to discover their talents, to develop their

25
individual ideas and solutions, to practice their parts, to encourage their individual expression

and creativity, to provide ways for them to develop socially, and especially for them to

experience the joy of being totally involved in music and dance.

Endnotes

1. UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education

Statement (adopted in 1994 by the World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access

and Quality) states that every child has a basic right to education and every child has unique

characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs.

http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF

2. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (of the World Health

Organisation, 2005) put the notions of “health” and “disability” in a new light. It

acknowledges that every human being can experience a decrement in health and thereby

experience some degree of disability (http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/). Disability is

not something that only happens to a minority of humanity. The ICF “mainstreams” the

experience of disability and recognises it as a universal human experience. Furthermore, ICF

takes into account the social aspects of disability and does not see disability only as a medical

or biological dysfunction. It also recognizes the impact of the environment on the person's

functioning.

3. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml) is an international human

rights instrument of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons

with disabilities came into force in Austria in 2008. Its purpose is to promote, protect, and

ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all

persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. It states, "all

human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated." It emphasises the

26
right to participation in political and public life, and cultural life, recreation and sport

(Articles 29 and 30) and the right to inclusive education at all levels, regardless of age,

without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity. It intends to enable persons with

disabilities to have the opportunity to develop and utilize their creative, artistic and

intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but also for the enrichment of society.

In Austria, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection developed

the National Action Plan on Disability 2012 – 2020 (NAP) which views inclusion as a human

right and mandate.

(http://www.bmask.gv.at/cms/site/attachments/7/4/9/CH2092/CMS1359980335644/nap_behi

nderung-web_2013-01-30_eng.pdf)

It is a strategy of the Austrian Federal Government for the implementation of the UN

Disability rights convention and to also support the objectives and contents of the EU

Disability Strategy 2010-2020. The National Action Plan describes the current situation in

each special field, formulates policy objectives and contains 250 measures with corresponding

timelines and responsibilities. In line with disability mainstreaming, the measures have to be

applied by the individual federal ministries according to their responsibilities, because the

rights of people with disabilities are human rights, and they cover all areas of life. Its key

principles include: Inclusion and participation, Accessibility, Disability mainstreaming, Equal

opportunities and equal treatment, Financial security, Self-determination, Self-advocacy,

Involvement and Awareness-raising.

27
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