Orff arrangements
Lately, I have dabbled in writing Orff arrangements for my classroom. My latest and favorite is “Fairy Hunt”. I must admit the poem is not mine. I found it in a book called Fun with ABC and 123 by Hal Dareff, written in 1965. I found this little gem of a poetry book at an antique store in Boone, NC.
When doing this song with kids I suggest the following form:
A) Play song as written – with singing
B) Play song as students think the words
A)Play song as written – with singing- adding “Gotcha” as the ending.
Suggested dance:
Circle formation. Students walk in for 8 beats and out for 8 beats pretending to look for a fairy (remember fairies are very small). When students sing the world friend they should pair up with someone and wonder around the room searching for a fairy. By the end of the song they should be somewhere in the circle ready for to do the dance again. At the end they do not have to return to the circle, but should say “Gotcha” and freeze.
This dance looks nice when using scarves (fairy nets).
Please feel free to use this song with your class! Make any changes you need to, I hope you and your kiddos enjoy Fairy Hunt.
Summer lovin’….Had me a blast
So, Summer is going much to quickly! A lot has happened in the past few months, my husband and I bought our first home and we have been super busy fixing it up! It’s a 90 year old house!
Meanwhile, I have also taken Orff Level 1. WOW! I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it sure blew my expectations out of the water! I am so pumped to try some new stuff next year. It amazes me what children can do if we will sit back and let them.
The question during the Orff classes that resonated most with me is, “What are your beliefs of children?” This really got me thinking. In the traditional model, we as a society believe children should, sit down, be quiet and listen and some how we will pour all this knowledge into them. Well, I believe that is wrong, we need to provide pathways of getting the knowledge out of them and pathways where the children are discovering new knowledge! If children discover it for themselves it sticks! I remember when I was a kid learning about the judicial system, we actually acted out a crime case. I got to be a lawyer (bad move, I’m way to honest, haha), but I remember what every ones parts were and how they acted together, in the end my client was convicted (she did it, I couldn’t convince anyone she didn’t!) If students are given situations in which they have to be creative and they have to find the answer, it will stick with them. This is what the Orff approach is truly about, having students be the creators.
I’m lucky to be at a school where we are moving toward this model of being student centered! We as a faculty, try to make sure the students are engaging with each other as much as possible. My hope is this is what most schools in America are trying to do this!
If you have any advice for someone who just finished taking Orff Level 1, please leave a comment!
Start the Music! 