Elem.+Orff+Ensemble

Orff Ensemble Concert, TBD, featuring all students in the 5th and 6th Grade. 1:30 PM in the Elementary Gymatorium. The Orff Ensemble is named after Carl Orff. Carl Orff was a music composer/educator in Germany in the 1920’s through several decades of the 20th century. He died in 1982. Orff's ideas were developed, together with Gunild Keetman, into a very innovative approach to music education for children, known as the Orff Schulwerk. The term //Schulwerk// is German for "school work". The music is elemental and combines movement, singing, playing, and improvisation.
 * Orff Ensemble **
 * History **

Jefferson-Morgan Elementary School has a large collection of Orff instruments. Many of the instruments were purchased when Mrs. Janice Tekavec was the music teacher at J-M Elementary. All of those instruments plus several more recently purchased are used by our students today. The ensemble is made up of xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels and rhythm/percussion instruments. Students are instructed in the proper technique in holding the mallets and playing the instruments. Often, individual bars are removed from the xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels to enable students to play in pentatonic keys. Students learn simple accompaniment patterns to play while singing songs. Also, improvisation is introduced and students freely improvise their own melodies. ** Present Day ** Students in Grades 1-6 play the Orff instruments beginning the second week of school. In late October/early November, Grades 5-6 will present a concert that demonstrates the unique sound of the Orff instruments. Each homeroom class will work together to learn a song and present it to an audience. All students are actively engaged by performing on a barred instrument or a percussion instrument. The Fifth/Sixth Grade Chorus students contribute by singing and adding movement/choreography to the pieces.