2017 - 2018 Professional Development Workshop Series

**All workshops take place on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted**
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September 16, 2017
David Thaxton
SEEDS AND SCAFFOLDS: GROWING IMPROVISATION IN THE ORFF SCHULWERK CLASSROOM

David Thaxton
Improvisation is at the heart of what makes the Schulwerk the vibrant and child-centered approach that it is. Yet, the practice in the classroom is often overlooked, under-utilized or ignored altogether. It’s understandable - improvisation involves a measure of risk for both the students and the teacher. Attempts at improvisation are often forays into terror, with results that are less than appealing. However, by using scaffolds, parameters, seeds, props and prompts, a safe environment is created with pathways towards satisfying results. Workshop participants will explore these techniques through song, instruments, recorder and movement activities that turn this daunting realm into a playground of possibilities.

David Thaxton is from Sparks, Nevada where is currently in his 22nd year teaching Elementary music to pre-K through 6th grade. David has presented workshops and clinics at local, state and national levels and presents to Orff chapters throughout the country and is a Certified Level I instructor, teaching courses at the University of Nevada and San Diego, CA. He has also served as President of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of AOSA where he was co-founder of the Sierra Nevada Orff Festival. At the national level, he has served on the Editorial Board of The Echo Journal of the American Orff Schulwerk Association and is currently on the Editorial Board of Reverberations. For the past two years, he has been the Creative Director and Lead Clinician for the Four Corners Young Musicians Summer Camp in Durango, Colorado. David was also recently awarded the “Spotlight Educator Award” for the Winter of 2017 from the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement (ACEMM).

October  14, 2017
​Drue Bullington
Simply Schulwerk: Growing All Year - A Workshop in Elemental Music and Movement

Drue Bullington
Our work together in this workshop begins with a canon which is inspired by a model found in the Orff Schulwerk Volumes by Gunild Keetman and Carl Orff. We explore movement and form in the "Tanz" from Carmina Burana by Orff next. This leads us to anthropomorphize (to assign human characteristics to a character or like an animal or other living thing) a seasonal aspect of nature in a speech piece which we will create together in the same way that it can be done with students. The day continues with a folk dance, and an Orff ensemble piece that is processed through movement and student creativity given heavy emphasis. An original canon written in the elemental style will be shared as an example of how we can create materials needed to suit our students' needs. We will use seasonal objects, poetry and stories where the presenter and participants will take a risk and work in the evocative mode of engaging students where the content comes from the student creativity in the learning environment. This can be very exciting!

A short visit with how assessment can be hidden inside fun activities will be explored and a look inside how the teacher evaluation system based around Student Growth Outcomes can be useful and not so scary. Check out the presenters recent blog post on Teaching With Orff on this subject for more information.

The workshop will conclude with a piece inspired by the major meteorological phenomenon known as a hurricane! Body percussion and speech, spiral into a drumming and movement experience with high energy and excitement as the storm builds strength and power!

Drue M. Bullington teaches elemental music and movement at Brownstown and J.E. Fritz Elementary Schools at Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster, PA. Drue has a rich and varied background in choral music as a conductor of children’s choral music, private studio instructor and professional choral singer. He is twice a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania having received a B.S. in Music Education and a M.M. in Music Education with a certification in Orff Schulwerk. He has done extensive post graduate study as well through masterclasses and an apprenticeship program at George Mason University. Currently, he's pursuing a second masters degree in Online Teaching and Learning through Wilkes University. Drue has taught Level I most recently in Des Moines, Iowa at Drake University, and for the teachers of Charleston County School District, in Charleston, South Carolina, and at Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Drue has offered numerous professional development and workshop sessions on elemental music and movement through the Orff Schulwerk approach, incorporating technology, and integrating the soprano ukulele into the K-12 music classroom.

November 18, 2017
​AOSA Conference Sharing (Fort Worth, TX - Nov. 8-11, 2017)

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Highlights from the 2017 AOSA Professional Development Conference 
to be held November 8-11, 2017 in Fort Worth, TX.

January  27, 2018 
​Chapter Sharing Session (snow date February 3)

NNJOSA Logo
NNJOSA is celebrating its 40th year! Join us on Saturday, January 27, 2018 for a Chapter Sharing Workshop featuring teacher-tested and kid-approved lessons presented by our membership. In the case of inclement weather, the workshop will be held on the following weekend (February 3, 2018).

march 10, 2018
Matthew Stensrud
Responsive Classroom in the Schulwerk: A Natural Fit  

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With the implementation of Responsive Classroom in elementary schools across the country, music educators can be an influential voice in the successful use of this process based, community driven and exploration centered approach. Come and learn more about the basics of Responsive Classroom, how it looks in the elementary classroom, and why Responsive Classroom is a natural fit in the Schulwerk. Join us for a morning full of playing, speaking, singing, moving and creating!

Matthew Stensrud currently teaches kindergarten through fifth grade general music at Annandale Terrace Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia. He received his Master of Music Education from George Mason University and Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He completed his Orff Schulwerk certification at the San Francisco International Orff Course in 2013 and is an Orff Schulwerk approved Teacher Educator of Movement. Matthew frequently writes about and presents workshops on the unique combination of Responsive Classroom and Orff Schulwerk in the elementary music classroom, served on the Board of the Middle Atlantic Chapter of the American Orff Schulwerk Association and was a key content contributor for the book Responsive Classroom for Music, Art, PE and Other Special Areas. Beyond the classroom, he serves as Lead Mentor at his school, is on the Advocacy Leadership Force of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and is an Influence Leader with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). He lives in Alexandria, VA.

April  14, 2018
Erika Bridge
Keeping the P.L.A.Y. in the Schulwerk

Erika Bridge
Keeping the P.L.A.Y. in the Schulwerk, incorporating games, literature and movement into the Orff process in an authentic way! Come prepared to sing, say, dance and P.L.A.Y.!
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Erika Bridge teaches K-6 in Okemos, MI, and has been teaching for 10 years. She has her Masters in Choral Conducting from Central Michigan University, and has completed Level I, II, III, and Masterclass in Orff Schulwerk. She is a regular local, state and national presenter for  AOSA, and will be publishing an article in the Michigan Music Educators state journal on Authentic Assessments in the Orff Process later in 2017. She recently completed her Teacher Training through AOSA and will be teaching Level I pedagogy in the summer of 2017.