FREDONIA – The Fredonia School of Music will offer a two-week Level I Orff Teacher Education Course from July 27 to Aug. 7, with classes Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. American Orff-Schulwerk Association-endorsed teacher trainers Deborah Imiolo and Dr. Patrick Ware will lead the course, which will include opportunities to develop musicianship, creativity and pedagogy. Each day, participants will focus on Orff theory, pitch and rhythm development, movement, recorder and special topics.

Conceived by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman, the Orff approach involves building musicianship in every learner through the integration of music, movement, speech and drama, with the aim of releasing creativity that extends far beyond the music classroom. An optimal teaching model for the 21st-century classroom, children begin with what they do instinctively: play, imitation, experimentation and personal expression. These elements occur naturally in the Orff classroom while students become confident, lifelong musicians and creative problem solvers.

“These instructors will provide an in-depth understanding and application of Orff-Schulwerk that daylong workshops can only begin to introduce,” commented Dr. Jill Reese, music education professor.

Registered participants who successfully complete the course can earn a certificate of completion from AOSA and will have the skills necessary to implement Orff-Schulwerk in their classrooms.

Dr. Patrick Ware holds degrees from Westfield State University, Radford University and Shenandoah Conservatory. He has been an instructor for movement and recorder for various Orff certification programs. Patrick teaches K-5 elementary music in Prince William County, Virginia. Works by Ware are published through Beatin’ Path Publications.

Deborah A. Imiolo has a Bachelor of Music in music education, applied percussion, as well as a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Her Master of Arts degree is from the University of St. Thomas. She won the Classroom Music Teacher of the Year Award from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Erie County Council for Music Educators. She teaches preschool through sixth-grade general/vocal music, adaptive music, dance, drama, puppetry, and percussion at Heritage Heights Elementary School in Amherst. She is also a teacher-trainer in Orff-Schulwerk and has presented numerous workshops throughout the United States.

For questions about the workshop, contact Professor Jill Reese: Jill.Reese@fredonia.edu.