NNJOSA is proud to announce we will be hosting Levels I, II, and III at William Paterson University this summer! For more information and to register, visit the LEVELS page.

**NOTE: PLEASE BRING A UKULELE AND/OR A RECORDER IF TO THE WORKSHOP IF YOU ARE ABLE!**
Join us on the campus of William Paterson University on Saturday, March 8th for a workshop with Kris Olson! In this workshop, we’ll discover ways to strengthen musical skills and create avenues for creativity and growth by getting children moving.  For our youngest students we’ll explore age-appropriate activities that utilize adapted folk dance, fanciful finger plays, and the world of pretend.  For our  older students, we’ll explore how limiting choices and developing clear structures can benefit the creative process.  Most importantly we’ll experience the beautiful connection of music to movement and the vitality it can add to our teaching.
​WHEN: Saturday, March 8th from 9:00am-1:00pm
WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
PARKING & FINDING OUR WORKSHOP: Click here to view details about where to park and how to find our workshops!
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.
Kris Olson has been a music and movement teacher for over 30 years in private, public, rural, and urban settings.  She teaches workshops across the country and has offered summer courses at various universities.  Kris has her master’s degree in Orff Schulwerk from the University of St. Thomas.  She currently teaches music and dance as a private contractor with a special focus in early childhood.  Kris studied dance at Zenon Dance Company while living in Minneapolis and now lives in Lubbock, TX where along with teaching music, she choreographs and dances with Flatlands Dance Theatre and adjuncts in dance at Texas Tech University.  

Join us on the campus of William Paterson University on Saturday, February 1st for our annual chapter share session, as well as our Garage Sale! Chapter members will be sharing kid and teacher tested lessons and materials. We will also be holding a Garage Sale! We will be selling books, instruments, music teaching supplies and more! Feel free to bring any items you'd like to donate to the garage sale, and bring a ukulele if you have one.
WHEN: Saturday, February 1st  from 9:00am-1:00pm
​WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson Univ., Wayne, NJ
​PARKING & FINDING OUR WORKSHOP: Click here to view details about where to park and how to find our workshops!
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.

Did you wish you were able to attend the AOSA National Conference in Des Moines but you were unable to go? We've got the next best thing! Join us on the campus of William Paterson University on Saturday, November 23rd where chapter members will share exemplary lessons they learned at this year's conference.
WHEN: Saturday, November 18th from 9:00am-1:00pm
​WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson Univ., Wayne, NJ
​PARKING & FINDING OUR WORKSHOP: Click here to view details about where to park and how to find our workshops!
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.

Join us on the campus of William Paterson University on Saturday, October 19th for a workshop with Christine Ballenger! Our jobs as general music educators can be complex– typically teaching five or six different grade levels during the course of a week, each with its own content and skills. But with this challenge comes the opportunity to teach students multiple years in a row where we can build on their skills and sequence our instruction. Here’s where I invite you to consider doing MORE with LESS– how can one song or experience apply to multiple areas of learning? How can a piece grow from a song and game in first grade into an arrangement of barred instruments and recorder improvisation in third or fourth grade? Experience several activities that can work with multiple grade levels, depending on the focus YOU want to have in your instruction!
WHEN: Saturday, October 19th from 9:00am-1:00pm
WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
PARKING & FINDING OUR WORKSHOP: Click here to view details about where to park and how to find our workshops!
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.
Christine Ballenger currently teaches general music (PK-5) in Gaithersburg, MD. She holds degrees in music education from the University of New Mexico (M.M.) and the University of Puget Sound (B.M.). Christine teaches basic pedagogy, recorder, and movement in several different AOSA-approved teacher education courses and has served as a member of the editorial board of The Orff Echo since 2017. She has presented at AOSA National Professional Development Conferences, as well as for workshops for AOSA chapters and school districts across the country and has been published in The Orff Echo. Christine has also had training in Kodaly and World Music Drumming, and completed the “International Summer Course” in 2018 at the Orff Institute, in Salzburg, Austria. She enjoys reading, spending time outside, and a good cup of coffee.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Kevin Brady is under the weather and unable to present on Saturday. We will be rescheduling his workshop. In the meantime, the wonderful Ardith Collins has graciously offered to present this weekend! This workshop will explore possibilities of play, wonder, and creativity through Orff Schulwerk process weaved together with children's literature, movement, art, and instruments. All are welcome!
WHEN: Saturday, September 21st from 9am-1pm
WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
PARKING: The closest parking lot to Hunziker Hall is Lot 3. However, the gate at Entrance 3 is typically closed for workshops. To access this lot, enter at Entrance 4. Make the fifth right (where it says Lot 4 Row E) and follow until the road curves. Turn left after the Do Not Enter sign and this will lead you to Lot 3. For a map on how to access this lot, click here.
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.
Ardith Collins teaches general music and string ensemble at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City and is adjunct faculty at Montclair State University. Ardith completed Orff Levels at Villanova/University of the Arts, Kodály Levels at Westminster Choir College, and Beginner Level Dalcroze Eurhythmics at Anderson University and is a doctoral candidate at Rowan University. She is an avid folk dancer, performer, and rounds enthusiast. Ardith is past president of the Northern New Jersey Orff chapter and serves AOSA on CORS and the Reverberations Board. 

BIG NEWS! NJPAC is offering a FULL-RIDE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY for this summer's levels at William Paterson University! Applications are due July 3rd, so don't delay, apply today!
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LEVELS AT NNJOSA

Join us on the campus of William Paterson University for a workshop with Allison Croskey and Christina Reardon! Create quality programs using music standards through children’s literature. Explore movement, ostinati, modes and more to create meaningful program pieces. Every color of the rainbow will help us to explore movement, vocal expression, word chains, and drumming sequences. These programming ideas can be used as stand-alone lessons or combined into a concert, all without compromising your curriculum goals. 
IMPORTANT NOTE! Please bring a cardboard box and a soprano recorder​ to the workshop!
WHEN: Saturday April 20th from 9:00am-1:00pm
WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
PARKING: The closest parking lot to Hunziker Hall is Lot 3. However, the gate at Entrance 3 is typically closed for workshops. To access this lot, enter at Entrance 4. Make the fifth right (where it says Lot 4 Row E) and follow until the road curves. Turn left after the Do Not Enter sign and this will lead you to Lot 3. For a map on how to access this lot, click here.
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.
Allison Croskey is a General Music Teacher in Cincinnati, OH. There she teaches Kindergarten
through 5th-grade music. She has her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Masters of
Music degrees from Miami University. She has completed all three levels of Orff-Schulwerk
certification, as well as the Orff Curriculum through the University of Cincinnati. She has served
on the Greater Cincinnati Orff Schulwerk Chapter’s executive board since 2014. Allison has
presented at various workshops locally, in numerous states, and at the AOSA national
conference.
Christina Reardon is a K-8 Movement and Music Specialist in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has her
Bachelors of Music in Music Education and Masters of Music degrees from Miami University
and received her Orff Schulwerk certification at the University of Cincinnati in 2017. She is
currently serving as president for the Greater Cincinnati AOSA chapter. Christina has presented
various workshops at the local, state, and national level on a variety of topics including programming of children’s literature, active middle school lessons, and meaningful movement experiences. 

Join us on the campus of William Paterson University for a workshop with Liban Gómez! One of the many ways to learn about students’ culture is though music. Music always brings people together. Participants will explore popular music from Latin America, in particular from the Dominican Republic, as we make cultural connections through movement, songs, and stories. We will be using children's literature as a vehicle to learn, explore, and promote/bring awareness in the music classroom in a playful manner: (composing, improvise, etc), that touch upon different themes: respect, individuality, diversity, equity, and more.
WHEN: Saturday, March 16th from 9:00am-1:00pm
WHERE: Hunziker Hall, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
PARKING: The closest parking lot to Hunziker Hall is Lot 3. However, the gate at Entrance 3 is typically closed for workshops. To access this lot, enter at Entrance 4. Make the fifth right (where it says Lot 4 Row E) and follow until the road curves. Turn left after the Do Not Enter sign and this will lead you to Lot 3. For a map on how to access this lot, click here.
REGISTRATION: To register for the single workshop or the season visit our registration page.
 Liban O. Gómez ☺ was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has been teaching for 15 years at The School of Higher Expectations P.S. 66 in the Bronx, New York City. Liban previously taught grades 2 and 5 working particularly with the English Language Learners. He has been teaching General Music. At The City College of New York, he received his Bachelors’ Degrees in Childhood Education & Italian Literature and Language, followed by a Master’s in Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL). He is certified in Orff-Schulwerk. He is the past president of the New York City Chapter of American Orff-Schulwerk Association. He is on the Board of Directors at ACEMM (American Center for Elemental Music and Movement). Liban frequently and actively attended numerous workshops offered in person or virtually. Liban is a polyglot and has traveled around the world to learn and explore other cultures. He loves and enjoys teaching, movement, sports, traveling, and photography.