What is Orff Schulwerk?

Orff Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. It uses songs, dances, rhymes clapping games and other activities that children like to do. This is the basis for constructing their own music and learning to read and write music.

Music happens in a non-competitive environment and takes account of all children's musical skill whether advanced or basic, often in the same piece of music!

Special Orff instruments exist to facilitate teaching and learning using this approach. These include wooden xylophones and marimbas, metal glockenspiels and metallophones and untuned percussion instruments. These are combined to create small orchestras.

Orff arrangements and music making uses simple elemental features such as pentatonic scales and repetitive accompaniments (borduns and ostinati) to enable children to quickly achieve musical success.

Improvisation and composition are encouraged as an important part of the Orff classroom.

German composer Carl Orff and his associate Gunild Keetman developed this approach to music education. It has proven to be highly successful and is used in many countries throughout the world.