“We know all types of music are

not for everyone, but everyone has

a type of music they can connect

with— we're just trying to help

students find it.”

CONTACT :

By: Janell Mergan and Diana Smoltz

NEW INSTRUMENTS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Bringing Orff-Schulwerk Pedagogy to the Grandville Elementary Music

ProgramWhat is Our Philosophy?

Through music learning, we hope to foster the principles and skills of kindness,

collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking in all our students. It is our

ultimate aspiration that by the end of a student’s elementary career he or she has

the skills and desire to pursue a lifelong appreciation, enjoyment, and

participation in music.

How are we working to better achieve these aspirations? When reflecting upon our program, we realized that there are a couple areas where we could improve instruction, namely:

• Provide more creative opportunities • Increase the mediums from which students

create music. The inherent nature of the Orff-Schulwerk method of teaching addresses these shortcomings.

What is the Grandville Elementary Music Program?

The Grandville Public Schools Elementary Music Program teaches general music to students ranging from ages 4-11. Due to this timeframe, our program reaches every student who will pass through the district. Some of the opportunities we currently provide, include:

• Singing

• Recorder

• Ukulele

• Musical movement activities

Janell Mergan at jmergan@gpsbulldogs.org

or Diana Smoltz at

dsmoltz@gpsbulldogs.org

with questions!

What is the Orff-Schulwerk Pedagogy? A method for teaching that focuses on the student’s participation in music through a variety of mediums, including:

• Playing instruments

• Moving

• Singing

• Composition/Improvisation

How will this method bring us closer to our goals? We have defined our program’s shortcomings as a lack of creative opportunities, and limited mediums for music making. The potential for composition, and improvisation within an Orff-based program is far greater than without. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, these instruments give students, who may not connect with music vocally, a chance to develop in a different way. These are the students we hope to reach— those who may have otherwise remained disinterested.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?We are hoping to supply each of our seven elementary schools with a complete set of instruments. We understand this is a significant project and hope that within five years to achieve our goal. In addition to our proposal to the GEF we have

saved our own budget, contacted our school PTC organizations, and are in the process of planning a “Swing Dance” Fundraiser. However, all these efforts still aren’t enough. Below you will find the instruments and their prices.

BASS XYLOPHONE AND METALLOPHONE:

The Bass Xylophone and Metallophone are the lowest sounds in the ensemble. The xylophone gives the rich wooden sound, and the metallophone provides the proclamatory bell-like sound. When used together, they create an inspiring foundation for other instruments and voices.

ALTO XYLOPHONE AND METALLOPHONE:

The Alto Xylophone and Metallophone are the second lowest sounds in the ensemble. These instruments serve to bridge the gap in our ear from the lowest to highest pitches. Without them, the sound would likely be perceived as immature, and incomplete.

SOPRANO XYLOPHONE AND METALLOPHONE:

The Soprano Xylophone and Metallophone are some of the highest sounds in the ensemble. These instruments oftentimes carry the melody , or a distinctive part in the music. This part, combined with un-pitched percussion instruments and voices complete an ensemble.

Bass Xylophone: $985.00 Bass Metallophone: $1003.00

Alto Xylophone: $544.50 Alto Metallophone: $469.70

Soprano Xylophone: $381.80

Soprano Metallophone: $343.55