Orff Schulwerk Teacher Education: Level 3
Date
July 7-July 18, 2025
On Campus
Course Code
MECA 7055B
Credits
4
Tuition
$1,555
Course Description
Building on the skills acquired in Level II, this course includes arranging / composition using major / minor and other diatonic modes with appropriate ostinato and harmony-based accompaniments. Recorder ensemble experience and group composition in larger forms are also covered. Texts will be provided, but you must bring your own alto recorder (or tenor or bass recorder, if you have them).
Spend two weeks in Chicago at VanderCook College of Music learning the fundamental principles of the Orff Approach. This child-centered way of learning music will encourage your students to enjoy music-making while enhancing their awareness of space, time, form, line, color, design and mood. Both individually and in groups, children must learn important concepts by doing hands-on activities that allow them to explore and create.
This course is offered in person, on campus, from July 7 – July 18 2025. Classes meet Monday through Friday, 8AM – 4PM. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Evening activities will include concerts and events in Chicago. See Summer Housing, Dining & Parking options.
Instructor
David Thaxton is from Sparks, Nevada where he is currently in his 30 th year teaching Elementary music to pre-K through 6th grade, and holds a B.M.E. Degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and an M.M. from Eastern Washington University.
As an AOSA certified teacher trainer for Orff Level I, II, and III pedagogy and Level I and II recorder, David teaches Summer Courses in Reno, San Diego, Birmingham, Chicago, and Portland. He has presented workshops and clinics at local, state, and national levels and presents to Orff chapters throughout the country.
David is also the Past President and Treasurer for the Sierra Nevada Chapter of AOSA where he was co-founder of the Sierra Nevada Orff Festival. At the national level, he has served on the Editorial Board of The Echo Journal of the American Orff Schulwerk Association and the monthly online publication, Reverberations. He is currently the Treasurer for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement and was also awarded the ACEMM Spotlight Educator Award. His book “Making Tracks: Recorder Explorations, Creations and Improvisations” published through Sweet Pipes is used in elementary music classrooms across the country as an improvisatory approach to recorder instruction.