Grade Schoolers Can Make Beautiful Music Together at CMC Orff Summer Camp

First through fourth graders are invited to sing, say, dance and play at an upcoming summer camp hosted by the City Music Center (CMC).

The Orff Summer Camp, featuring Associate Music Education Professor Dr. Rachel Whitcomb, provides a group class that focuses on creative music-making inspired by the “Orff-Schulwerk” (school work) approach to musicianship.

Scheduled from Monday, July 10, through Friday, July 14, the summer camp is offered to children who will be entering grades one through four this fall. Sessions for first and second graders will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, and sessions for third and fourth graders will be from 1 to 3 p.m.

Participants in both sessions will have the opportunity to sing, move, play instruments and improvise. As a small ensemble, third and fourth graders will learn songs and rhymes that they will present along with their own original music.

“Teachers using the Orff-Schulwerk approach provide opportunities for children to be actively engaged in music making through singing, chanting rhymes, playing instruments—often including drums and child-sized xylophones—and moving expressively to music,” said Whitcomb. “One aspect of this approach that I believe sets it apart from some other methods is the importance that improvisation holds, both on the part of the teacher and students.”

The children are invited to come up with their own musical ideas spontaneously and the teacher then honors those ideas, according to Whitcomb, not always knowing where they will lead, but trusting that the music and the creativity of all involved will come through. “The process of learning is vital in Orff-Schulwerk and is truly the goal—active and engaging musical experience and shared understanding by all musicians in the room,” Whitcomb explained.

According to Whitcomb, the musical product (or performance) is usually quite remarkable because there are simple lines of music that are layered on top of one another to create a complex and pleasing sound. “It actually is a lot like hip-hop or pop music when analyzed in that way, because there are many musical ideas happening simultaneously,” she said.

Parents of all students are invited to attend an end-of-camp “informance” on July 14 to learn and hear the songs and games the children have learned.

Registration for the Orff Summer Camp is $65, and scholarships are available. Online registration is available. For more information, visit the event website or call the CMC at 412.396.6080.