ORFF: THE DIFFERENT DRUMMER

Next week, the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri is introducing children to Orff Schulwerk.

Orff Schulwerk is not a modern painter or sculptor, but a method for learning music.

"Orff" comes from the last name of the method's creator, Carl Orff. The German music teacher first began to develop his ideas about how to teach children music in the mid-1920s at a school in Munich. The basic tenet of his teaching theory involved using the most simple, easily mastered instruments to make repeated rhythms. Xylophones, drums, glockenspiels and vocals are the basis of the Orff movement.

"He went around the world and found instruments that would be easy for kids to play," said Pam Dumey, a music teacher at Clippard Elementary and vocal instructor for the Arts Council's two-week introduction to Orff music starting July 17.

Stephanie Fridley will be teaching children 6 to 12 years old how to play the Orff instruments at the Arts Council.

"Even a 3- or 4-year-old can learn to do this," said Fridley, who will start her first year as an elementary school music teacher in Jackson this fall after six years teaching at Southeast University's Music Academy.

Using mallet instruments and dance, which is considered fundamental to developing rhythm by Orff educators, children are generally able to achieve instant success, Dumey said.

"There are no half steps, so kids can play at will," she said.

Orff is easily adjusted to different age levels, said Dumey, who teaches fifth and sixth graders the method during the school year as an elective class. It's a matter of variations. The bars on instruments such as xylophones can be removed, simplifying the choice of what bar to strike, she said. Bars can be added, moved or removed at will, and hand placement can be changed, too.

"It's instant success for children," Dumey said.

Even though her daughter only got a year of Orff as a sixth grader last year at Clippard, Laura Green said both she and her daughter were happy with the results.

"At first it was very challenging, and even a bit overwhelming because it's such a different idea," Green said. "But now she absolutely loves it."

Being able to create musical patterns from nothing was a key to her daughter's enjoyment, Green said.

Green has gotten a wider perspective on Orff because she is a teacher at Clippard, where she has been able to observe many children's' reactions to the 7:30 a.m. elective. How Dumey's instruction has impacted boys is interesting, Green said.

"It's amazing that she can get sixth grade boys to dance," Green said. "They are attracted to it because it's not just standing and singing."

Fridley has chosen songs from Japanese, African and Native American cultures to be used in the Arts Council classes. Limited costumes and props will also be part of the experience, she said.

The class, which is still accepting applicants, will conclude with a performance on July 30 so parents can see Orff in action.

Fridley emphasizes that children learn something much bigger than Orff.

"We are not teaching them to simply play Orff instruments," she said. "They are learning overall music skills. The instruments are just tools to get there."

For more information about the Arts Council's Orff classes, call 334-9233.