LEVELS WITH NNJOSA
SUMMER LEVELS COURSES I, II, & III
AUGUST 4-15, 2025
WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY, WAYNE, NJ
For registration, please click here

ABOUT THE COURSES

The Orff Schulwerk approach, developed by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman, builds musicianship through active music-making including singing, playing instruments, speech, moving and improvising.
 
Level I is open to senior-level undergraduate music majors or those with earned bachelor's degrees. In this hands-on, two week course, training will focus on the following elemental skills:
  • Rhythm
  • Singing and melody
  • Movement
  • Orff instrument technique
  • Improvisation and composition
  • Soprano and/or alto recorders
  • Pedagogy
  • Orff ensemble orchestration
Levels courses will take place for two weeks, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm from August 4 to 15, 2025. In-person attendance and active participation is required to receive completion for each Level. Homework will be assigned each night during the two weeks. Participants should have functional knowledge of music notation in order to successfully complete composition assignments, either by pencil and paper, or via a music software notation system. 
A culminating sharing session will conclude Day 10 of the course. 
 
Orff Schulwerk is for learners of all ages. Orff Schulwerk Levels courses take participants through a full spectrum of the Orff Schulwerk approach, with each Level building on foundational content and concepts learned in the previous. Additionally, there is an emphasis on pedagogy and strategies direct application to student instruction, no matter what ages or grade levels you teach.
 
Special topics during the course may include:
  • Choral singing
  • Various world musics
  • Folk dancing
This is an American Orff-Schulwerk Association approved course.
 
AOSA approves courses that meet its criteria and follow the AOSA Teacher Education Curriculum. This comprehensive three-level curriculum, comprised of pedagogy, recorder, and movement, is designed to develop the musicianship, creativity, and teaching strategies of the adult learner. A Certificate of Completion is awarded to those who have successfully completed an AOSA approved Level III course.
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LOCATION, DATES, TIMES, & SCHEDULE

  • Levels with NNJOSA will be held in Hunziker Hall at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.
  • Classes will run from August 4th-August 15th (Monday-Friday) from 8:30am-4:30pm. Please arrive at 8:00am on the first day for the check-in process.
  • There is no dormitory/residency option available. If you are unable to commute please look into nearby hotels or AirBnB
  • There will be nightly homework assigned.
  • There will be a one hour daily lunch break. Bringing lunch is encouraged, but there are dining options off-campus.
  • Please wear comfortable, supportive shoes, loose clothing that allows for movement, and do not wear fragrances.
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​INSTRUCTORS

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Ardith Collins (Basic Pedagogy II) teaches orchestra and general music at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City and is adjunct professor at Montclair State University Cali School of Music. Ardith completed Orff Schulwerk and Kodály certifications, beginner level Dalcroze training, and is past president of the Northern New Jersey Orff Schulwerk Association. Ardith is an active writer, presenter, and AOSA teacher trainer and serves on the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) Reverberations Editorial Board and the Curriculum Oversight and Review Subcommittee. Ardith is a doctoral candidate at Rowan University and is an enthusiast of folk dance, Balkan music, rounds singing, and ping pong.
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Deb Navin (Basic Pedagogy I) teaches General Music in Birmingham Public Schools in Michigan.  Deb holds a BM in Music Education from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and a MS in Elementary Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is a certified Orff-Schulwerk teacher educator and has trained in Music Learning Theory and World Music Drumming. She has taught General Music, Choir, and Band in public and private schools in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. She is a frequent national presenter for music teacher workshops and has served on the National Board of Trustees for the American Orff Schulwerk Association. She currently serves on the editorial board for the online publication, Reverberations. Deb plays the Piano, Harp, Flute, Guitar, and Handbells. She lives with her three children and husband in Royal Oak, Michigan.
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Rob Amchin (Basic Pedagogy III) is the recently retired Emeritus Professor of Music Education at the University of Louisville (KY). He studied Orff pedagogy at New England Conservatory of Music, Hofstra University, Memphis State, Hamline University, University of Michigan, and as part of the Special Course for English Speaking Students at the Orff Institute (Salzburg). He has presented Orff-based workshops nationally and around the world, for nearly 40 years including presentations in throughout the United States, China, Canada, Russia, Hong Kong, Poland, Austria, Israel, Finland and Singapore all focusing on Orff-based general music pedagogy music and movement pedagogy.  He is the author of books related to Orff Schulwerk and general music. He is the level I, II and III pedagogy and Master Class teacher at many summer programs throughout the country and was the recipient of the 2023 AOSA Distinguished Service Award.

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Russell Nadel (Recorder) is a music educator and an award-winning composer based in Virginia. Some of his vocal and choral works are published by Hal Leonard and Transcontinental Music Publications, and recordings of his compositions can be found on four commercial albums. Mr. Nadel is a certified teacher educator in the Orff Schulwerk approach to music education, and is in demand as a workshop clinician and teacher trainer around the United States.  He is the Middle School Music Specialist at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia.  
See his website for more information, upcoming events, sound and score excerpts, and original music and resources for classroom music teachers: www.russellnadel.com.

Matthew Stensrud (Movement) (MM, George Mason University; BM, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music) teaches pre-kindergarten through fourth grade general music and movement at Sidwell Friends Lower School in Washington, DC. He completed his Orff Schulwerk certification at the San Francisco International Orff Course in 2013 and is an Orff Schulwerk Certified Teacher Educator of Movement, currently teaching at the Portland Orff Course in Portland, OR and here in Wayne, NJ. Matthew serves as President of the Middle Atlantic Chapter of AOSA and serves
on the Editorial Board of The Orff Echo, the quarterly publication of AOSA. He was also a Key Content Contributor to the book, Responsive Classroom for Music, Art, PE, and Other Special Areas. He was Teacher of the Year in 2017 and recognized with the Spotlight Award by the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement in Summer 2017. He lives with his husband in Washington, DC. You can find Matthew on social media @MisterSOrff on Facebook and Instagram, as well as on his YouTube page, or at www.mistersorff.com.

​REQUIRED MATERIALS

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Please check back at a later date for ordering materials.

​COST, REGISTRATION, AND CREDITS

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CONTACT THE COURSE DIRECTOR

For more information about the course or for any questions you may have, please contact Casey Goryeb, course director, at [email protected].