Music Fundamentals, Methods, and Materials for the Elementary Classroom Teacher” by Michon
Rozmajzl and Rene Boyer-Alexander- this book will serve to guide, enhance, and replenish the classroom
teachers’ understanding and appreciation of how music can be creatively taught so that it becomes am
integral part of our children’s lives. I will be using this book in my Music classes because it contains
comprehensive music theory ,hands-on activities on how to develop musical skills, and ideas for
integrating music across the curriculum.
One area that I will definitely be using with my grade 5 or 6 students is “Playing the Orff Barred
Instruments”. Before introducing the Orff instruments to students, I will have a little introductory
discussion about Carl Orff. Orff believed that speech, music, and movement were inseparable. Orff
teachers provide experiences for students to develop their creative potential, which manifests itself in a
child’s ability to improvise. Children explore space, sound, and form through special instruments called
instrumentarium. Primary among the melody instruments devised by Carl Orff as part of his
instrumentarium are glockenspiels, metallophones, and xylophones-known collectively as Orff
instruments.
Speech Activities: speech is the most basic elements of the Orff-Schulwerk or “school work” process.
Orff believed that speech should be used to reinforce the inner feelings of rhythm. Once a rhythmic
pattern is internalized through the use of language, it is then transferred to a rhythmic or barred
instrument.
As an example, I will teach students a Spanish game song “Pito, Pito”. They will perform an ostinato
accompaniment using rhythmic instruments. They will be using the following rhythm instruments: agogo
bell, guiro, vibra-slap, small drum.
Procedure: Students will speak the words to “Pito, Pito” while using body percussions (playing the basic
beat on their laps), then they will speak the rhyme again and clap the rhythm of the words.
-The class will be divided into two groups: one group will clap the rhythm of the words while the second
will pat the beat.
-Ask students to look and listen to the last line as the teacher recites it.
--Ask students to suggest ways in which the words in the last line can be placed on different parts of the
body.
-One suggestion might be:
-Tell the class that the pattern they just learned can be used as a rhythmic ostinato. A rhythmic ostianto
constists of a rhythmic pattern that is repeated again and again and used as an accompaniament.
-Divide the class into two groups. Have group one say the speech and group two perform the ostinato.
-Ask students to suggest an instrument that can play the rhythm that is in the feet. Have another that
can play the rhythm on the thighs and another that can take the place of the finger snap. A final transfer
from the body to instruments may look like this:
-Assign students to each of the accompanying instruments and have them play while the rest of the
class performs the speech activity.
At the end of the activity, students will be able to identify body percussions with elements of music: For
instance, they will be able to name the continuous pattern played on their laps (beat/pulse), varied
lengths of sounds and silences (rhythm), the pattern that repeats and is used as an accompaniment
(ostinato), and name the instruments used in the ostinato pattern (agogo bell, guiro, vibra-slap).
