MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Orff Defended
Author(s): Ruth Pollock Hamm
Source: Music Educators Journal, Vol. 50, No. 5 (Apr. - May, 1964), pp. 90-92
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of MENC: The National Association for
Music Education
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3390141
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 Orff Defended
by Ruth Pollock Hamm

* I am concerned about some after graduation. Many teachers form a program with the proper
misconceptions my colleagues
enter graduate school after joining sequence. Nor need the teacher
might receive from an article
the teaching profession. Certain slavishly start on page 1 and fol-
states
printed in the January issue of the require credits beyond the low along in numerical order.
Music Educators Journal, pagesbachelor
43 degree to validate the Nowhere in my Orff training was
teaching certificate. Many school I given the impression that one
through 48, entitled "The Contribu-
tions of Carl Orff to Elementary
systems insist upon a series of in- continues with the pentatonic for
Music Education" by Janice M. training for new mathe- one year' or any specific time
service
Thresher. matics programs. Science receives period. One uses the pentatonic un-
As a faculty member of the this sort of attention. This argu- til it has served its purpose with
Cleveland Music School Settle- ment seems to say-avoid learning the children. The teacher must be
ment, teaching classes in the anything
Carl new because it might cost the guide. I recall the following
Orff approach to music education,something in terms of time and statement made in an address by
and, as a vocal music specialist money.3
in All we need are oppor- Dr. Orff in Toronto in 1962, "Those
tunities
the Shaker Heights School District for the work to be seen, who look for a method or a ready-
conducting a pilot study in Orffmore demonstrations at conven- made system are rather uncom-
techniques as they apply to tions,
the and then the interest from fortable with the Schulwerk; peo-
public school, my first reaction the profession will create programs ple with artistic temperament and a
upon reading the article wasofone instruction at the college level. flair for improvisation are fasci-
of disappointment. Nowhere did "When one takes into account nated by it."7 He further states,
Miss Thresher mention observing an 'average' class of children with "Anyone wishing to advance on
children in a qualified Orff pro-'average' musical abilities and his own needs a thorough profes-
gram, nor did she state that shewith,
has perhaps, two thirty-minute sional training and, in addition, an
periods a week for music, one won-
participated in any class instruction intimate knowledge of the style of
ders when, if at all, they will
demonstrating the proper presenta- thebeSchulwerk, a grasp of its aim
tion of the Orff techniques. I ready
feel for anything beyond page 12potential. Unfortunately it has
and
she has criticized and misjudgedin Book I."4 Orff tells us that when been misinterpreted, exploited, and
the approach because of limited he began shaping the Schulwerk falsified to the point of caricature."s
acquaintance. One can appreciatehe "wasn't thinking of especially Teaching in the public school
the Orff Schulwerk when one giftedhas, ones [children]. What I had has shown me that children who
in mind was education in the
first, experienced it as a student have had Orff experience up to the
and learned how it all unfolds;broadest
sec- terms, applicable tothird mod- grade level, can, later in the
ondly, proceeded to use it with estly gifted children and even intermediate
those grades, find ways to
with very little talent."5 My set
children. Then the teacher is ready Settle-
certain songs from their music
ment classes meet for one hour a
to give Schulwerk its proper trial. texts in the Orff manner. Once the
week and my public school classes
I am not sure if quotes with foot- Orff program has been experienced,
note numbers 20, 21, and 221 are the children continually ask for
meet two half-hour periods a week.
mentioned to substantiate or refute From experience I can state themore. The challenge is upon the
teacher to continue the interest and
the Orff approach. The statements teacher who is thoroughly familiar
of Dr. Arnold Walter, cited earlywith the techniques has no problem
broaden the scope. Orff states that
in the article, would suggest thegetting beyond page 12. Hereinitiated teachers are "stimulated
Orff concept of music education asagain, the teacher with a firm basisby the possibilities inherent in a
the logical one to meet these aims in the Orff philosophy, with the work which is never quite finished,
and goals. in flux, constantly developing."9
understanding of the essential spirit
Let us accept that "the teacher of the work can, with the aid of An objection was made by Miss
training program necessary to pre- materials in print and his own Thresher that "if not handled prop-
pare teachers in the Orff method is creative and adaptive abilities, erly, it could develop into meaning-
staggering in terms of time, money, less drill, rather than creative ex-
and personnel",2 though this is 3Malvern School, Shaker Heights, Ohio, perience."10 Any instruction, from
relative. Most teachers are ex- spent approximately $400.00 to purchase
the following instruments: 2 soprano learning to read in first grade to
pected to continue college courses glockenspiels, 3 alto glockenspiels, 1 so- courses at college level, can be
prano metallophone, 1 alto metallophone,
1 soprano xylophone, 2 alto xylophones, 1
'Janice M. Thresher, "The Contributions
bass xylophone and 2 timpani. 'Thresher, loc. cit.
of Carl Orff to Elementary Music Edu- 4Thresher, loc. cit. 70rff, loc. cit., page 69
cation," Music Educators Journal, January 5Carl Orff, "The Schulwerk-Its Origin slbid.
1964, page 47 and Aims," trans. Arnold Walter, Music 9Ibid.
2Ibid. Educators Journal, April-May 1963, p. 72 '?Thresher, loc. cit.

90 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL

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taught in a misunderstood fashion,
giving the student a dull time.
The Orff program does not sug- The Author Answers
gest that children be isolated from
hearing music of the masters"l or First, I am pleased that my paper has created some interest, and
delighted to know that Mrs. Hamm is using the Orff method successfully.
any type of music for that matter,
while participating in the Schul- Second, I appreciate the invitation to write a rebuttal to Mrs. Hamm's
werk. Polyxene Matey, on the staff rebuttal, but, since my Orff paper was written over three years ago, it is
at the 1963 Orff Summer Session difficult for me to re-think some of the problems which concerned me then,
at the University of Toronto, con- especially since a very busy schedule here in London limits my time con-
cludes: "Orff Schulwerk is a won- siderably. Actually, I hardly think a rebuttal is necessary. When dis-
derful preparation for any later cussing Orff's method, I attempted to show its theoretical advantages and
disadvantages. If the disadvantages have not appeared, at least in Mrs.
musical activity. If children intend
Hamm's experiences, so much the better. As I wrote in my last paragraph,
to become professional musicians many varying methods of music education can be used effectively to enrich
they have an excellent basis, if not, children's musical experiences.
then they have an experience for
their whole life of how beautiful If there are errors, I apologize: final revisions and corrections of my
it is to have real contact with music, manuscript were made two days before I sailed for England. Under these
circumstances, I am frankly surprised that there are not many more mis-
not only hearing radio and records, takes!
[Italics mine] but by doing it them-
selves."'2 The more a child can The reference to Orff's limiting the children to the pentatonic scale for
express himself through body move- one year occurs somewhere in his writings listed in my bibliography. Again,
ment, singing, and playing instru- since I do not have my papers with me, I am unable to find this reference
ments, the better he likes it. Thisfor Mrs. Hamm. It may be possible, of course, for Orff's views on this to
have changed since his original writing, or in the past three years since
is one of the strengths of the Orff
my paper was written.
approach-it is one of active rather
than passive participation. So manyMay I also take this opportunity to correct the final footnote. I was not
people miss the very important a music teacher at the Walter E. Fernald State School, but rather a class-
point that with the Orff Schulwerk room teacher, though I did, of course, use music a great deal with my
severely mentally retarded boys. I am currently studying special education
a child can express himself freely,
at the University of London under a Fulbright Grant. Incidentally, after
with his own creations, beginningseeing several music classes in English elementary and secondary schools,
with rhythms, and continuing with I think American children are extremely fortunate that so many of their
the pentatonic scale, because he
music classes are now informal, exciting, stimulating experiences, enriched
can create over an accompanimentby a variety of music education techniques-including, of course, the
of various ostinati patterns, without
Orff method.
frustrations or need for the knowl- -Janice M. Thresher
edge of harmony. This freedom
from harmonic complexities is iillllillllllllill1111)111111111111111
one
of the ingenius qualities of this
work. Again, from Mrs. Matey's
address: "The art of improvisation
formed by Cleveland Orchestra ment, believes the two most im-
was known everywhere, where
music was practiced, up to personnel
the portant aspects of the Orff ap-
once a year in each ele-
mentary
Baroque and Classic periods, but building. With this proach
won- are "a creative sponta-
was completely forgotten in derful
the opportunity for children atneity, and an intuitive ensemble
hand, I, too, believe firmly "in
19th century. Orff Schulwerk gives experience." Instrumental teachers
exposing children at an early age should visit Orff classes and see
the child opportunity to createto bytraditional classical musical
himself little musical pieces and to what tremendous gains can be
forms."'4 But let's start at the be- made in ensemble playing before a
develop his creative abilities. It
has to be pointed out these pieces ginning-or perhaps we should refer child begins his elementary school
must not be understood as real to it as the "bottom"-song form, orchestral experience.
canons, and rondos. Children can The young six-year-old child
compositions. They give the chil-
dren the joy of creating and form- easily follow the last movement of mentioned at the end of the article
ing."l3 the Mozart String Quartet in Bb is just the sort of musical sophisti-
Children in my classes, at the K.159, recently performed for them, cate I enjoy so much in my classes.
completion of sixth grade, have at- since they themselves had created This is the child who wants to
tended five symphony concerts by and performed rondos in the Orff "stretch" his tonal and rhythmic
manner. -
the Cleveland Orchestra especially memory, to create his own ostinati
planned for them. We also hear a Howard Whittaker, Director ofto improvise over the
patterns,
the Cleveland Music School Settle- ostinati of his fellow classmates, to
live chamber music program per-
'4Thresher, loc. cit., page 47 "answer" my opening rhythmic or
"See "Music For Children" Teacher's
"Ibid. Manual by Doreen Hall, published by B.
melodic phrase with his own crea-
"Polyxene Matey, Address given at The Schott's Sohne, Mainz, West Germany tion, to "talk" in rhythmic or
Orff Summer Session, University of To- (Associated Music Publishers, Inc., New melodic phrases with his neigh-
ronto, July, 1963. York, N.Y.) Edition 4898 for further in-
lIbid. formation. bor, each creating spontaneously as
APRIL-MAY, NINETEEN SIXTY-FOUR 91

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 they
theygo goalong.
along. (This
(This
technique
technique
is also
is instructed
also instructedtoto
improvise
improvise
vocally
vocally
beautifully
beautifully illustrated
illustrated
in the
in second in
in the
the second thephrygian
phrygian mode
mode
andand
continue
continue
Orff
Orfffilm,
film,notnotyetyet
available
available
for dis- my
my rhythmic
for dis- rhythmicimprovisation
improvisationon the
on the
tribution
tributioninin thethe
United
United States). hand drum with awareness of the
States).

DeituuUt This
Thisbrings
Orff
brings
Orfffilm.
film.
to to
Here
mind
Here
mind
the the
we we
find
original
find
original
"rope-
"rope-
form as well. The class also im-
provised in rhythms of 5, 7, and 13
skipping,
skipping,ball
ball
playing"
playing"
kinds of ac-of metre.
kinds ac- This provided many a chal-
tivities. The critic of the Orff re- lenge. Often we sang, moved in a
cordings, Mr. Mitgang of the New certain rhythmic step, and impro-

-Ie York Times,l might well profit vised against this activity with hand
from viewing this film. drums. Needless to say this is not
asked of children beginning Orff
With a training program such as instruction. With experience in im-
one finds at the University of To- provisation, beginning with
ronto in Orff Schulwerk, one is well
rhythmic, continuing with melodic
aware of the opportunities afforded in pentatonic, major, aeolian,
children to improvise and create, dorian, phrygian, and then minor
and within a framework of musical
in a variety of exercises, one de-
form. As a part of my training lastvelops the ability to create spon-
summer at the University of To-taneously.
ronto, I was asked in Mrs. Matev's
"Anyone who has worked with
class- to improvise rhythmicallychildren in the spirit of the Schul-
over ostinati patterns in the phryg-werk will have discovered that it
ian mode played on the instru-has a humanizing influence which
ments by my classmates. Thistranscends its musical function."17
seemed simple enough until I was
"Carl Orff quoted by Harris Danziger
"Thresher, op. cit. in the New York Times, August 12, 1962.

The Orff Schulwerk in the Classroom

ALBERT g by Grace C. Nash
* "Good afternoon, Middlefork or within reach for for everyone.
everyone.
School . . . Just a minute, please." Therefore, may II share
share some
some of
of my
my
The principal, Miss Osborne, experiences in teaching
teaching the
the Schul-
Schul-
picked up the phone. werk (Orff Music
Music for
for Children)
Children) for
for
It wasn't about the PTA meet-
13EEDS four years, my own
upon actual classroom
ing, but another curious parent;
own opinions
classroom work,
opinions based
work, and
and
based

for the fourth call that day. comments of visiting

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visiting teachers,
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directors, and parents
"What does Jimmy do in music parents who
who have
have
seen and
period, Miss Osborne? He keeps heard Schulwerk in ac-
talking about his orphan music,
tion.
The Orff Music for Children was
playing orphan instruments." "Oh,
he means Carl Orff-Music for introduced in the Middlefork
School, Northfield, Illinois, in 1960
Children ... No, not orphan music,
Mrs. Jones, Carl Orff, the German
on an experimental basis; elective
composer. after school classes for two or
"What is an Orff? How do you three groups of children. Then in
play it?" . . 1962 it was adopted as the regular
These were some of the strange music curriculum for first, second,
questions that came from parents and third grades in the pilot pro-
and teachers when the Schulwerk gram of music education being
(Carl Orff, Music for Children) was
carried on in conjunction with the
Music Center of the North Shore,
first taught in our Northfield, Illi-
Winnetka, Illinois, schools where
nois, public schools four years ago.
To try to answer "What is it?" or Herbert Zipper is director.
"How do you do it?" is seldom sat- The enthusiasm of the children
is
isfactory with relation to any music, heart-warming as they come
rushing into the classroom (eight
and especially so with Orff music.
classes in all). They concentrate
It is better to experience it first
hand or at least to come and see hard and are reluctant to make way
and hear it for yourself. for the next class to enter. But-
Yet, I know this is not available
what do music teachers have to say

92 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL

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