The Orff Approach
Carl Orff
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Carl Orff (1895-1982) was a German composer. In addition to his career as a composer, he developed an influential approach toward music education for children. The Orff Approach is a "child-centered way of learning" music education that treats music as a basic system like language. It is often called "Elemental Music making" because the materials needed to teach students are "basic, natural, and close to a child’s world of thought and fantasy". Orff said：Playing with the Elements of Music,“Elemental music is never music alone,but combines with movement,dance and speech”. |
Orff's approach principles
- Start at the development level of the child
- Always integrate movement speech rhythm and melody in every activities
- Use material from the child’s own world（folk songs nursery rhymes poems chants and story）
- Always encourage the children to create their own rhythms melodies speech patterns and dances.Creativity is the central core of the Orff approach to music education
- Using native nursery rhymes, children's songs, musical instruments and folk tales as materials to promote native music.