Individual Essay
“Music is more than just music.”
Discuss with reference to the above statement, as well as the past 5-6 weeks of experiential student-centric learning, how speech, music and movement are integrated within an Orff-Schulwerk class. Elaborate how each influences the other especially with reference to the music component.
An African proverb says, "if you can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance." I like to think that they were talking about the full embodiment of the spirit of music. It does not matter how well you sing or dance, as long as you do – using the abilities bestowed upon us to their fullest and to their best. Without full embodiment to your best ability, the spirit of music will not be complete, or we simply do not possess the spirit of music. Hence, music cannot exist in solitude, but comprises of other components of speech (singing) and movement (dance) too. One group of people who demonstrates this full embodiment of the spirit of music very naturally is children. This also means that we were born musical creatures possessing an innate musical instinct in us, because we were all once children.
The Orff approach is one such method that makes us see music through the eyes of a child once again. It is the making of elemental music – music as a basic system, which integrates the elements of speech, movement and dance. Rhythm is the basic element characteristic in music, dance and speech, all combined and fused into one language. Improvisation and creation are the centers of its teaching. Body sounds and gestures were used for rhythm, with the voice as the first and most natural of instruments. The drum in all its variations of size, shape and sound is given much significance. Ostinato – rhythmic, spoken or sung – is also built into all improvisations. As such, the xylophone crudely fashioned after African models is a simple pitched percussion instrument adequate for such elemental music making and improvisation.
The title Schulwerk
Discuss with reference to the above statement, as well as the past 5-6 weeks of experiential student-centric learning, how speech, music and movement are integrated within an Orff-Schulwerk class. Elaborate how each influences the other especially with reference to the music component.
An African proverb says, "if you can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance." I like to think that they were talking about the full embodiment of the spirit of music. It does not matter how well you sing or dance, as long as you do – using the abilities bestowed upon us to their fullest and to their best. Without full embodiment to your best ability, the spirit of music will not be complete, or we simply do not possess the spirit of music. Hence, music cannot exist in solitude, but comprises of other components of speech (singing) and movement (dance) too. One group of people who demonstrates this full embodiment of the spirit of music very naturally is children. This also means that we were born musical creatures possessing an innate musical instinct in us, because we were all once children.
The Orff approach is one such method that makes us see music through the eyes of a child once again. It is the making of elemental music – music as a basic system, which integrates the elements of speech, movement and dance. Rhythm is the basic element characteristic in music, dance and speech, all combined and fused into one language. Improvisation and creation are the centers of its teaching. Body sounds and gestures were used for rhythm, with the voice as the first and most natural of instruments. The drum in all its variations of size, shape and sound is given much significance. Ostinato – rhythmic, spoken or sung – is also built into all improvisations. As such, the xylophone crudely fashioned after African models is a simple pitched percussion instrument adequate for such elemental music making and improvisation.
The title Schulwerk