UNLV
Orff Schulwerk
Teacher Education
A Hot Place to Study
COURSE
Information
WHEN
July 7-18, 2025
8:30 am to 4:15 pm
Monday thru Friday
Master Class (week one only)
WHERE
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154
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Alta Ham Fine Arts Building &
Thomas and Lee Beam Music Center
Early Bird Registration
Save by registering before May 1
Level I
(Limit 28)
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Level One is for anyone with the ability to read music. The daily program will include three hours of pedagogy, 75 minutes of soprano recorder, 75 minutes of basic movement and a 40 minute special topic. Instruction will cover Orff techniques, rhythmic and melodic training, improvisation, the study of pentatonic scales, the ostinato, simple bordun accompaniments, and elemental forms.
Level II
(Limit 28)
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Level Two is for anyone who has successfully completed an AOSA approved Level One course. The daily program will include three hours of pedagogy, 75 minutes of recorder, 75 minutes of basic movement and a 40 minute special topic. Instruction will review Level One techniques with further expansion of rhythm; melodic development of pentatonic and diatonic modes; harmonization to include moving bordun, shifting triad and non-functional harmonic accompaniments; movement and instrumental improvisation, extended forms, and the continuation of the soprano recorder with the introduction of the alto recorder. Students will teach a short lesson demonstrating Orff process.
Level III
(offered in 2024 and 2026) (Limit 16)
Level Three is for anyone who has successfully completed an AOSA approved Level Two
course. Instruction will review Level One and Two techniques emphasizing the teaching process. Students will explore instrumental and vocal improvisation, review modal materials, advanced orchestration, including functional harmony (I-V, I-IV, I-IV-V), advanced recorder and movement. Students will teach two short lessons. Opportunities will be provided to fill in gaps which may exist as a result of the shift in the AOSA curriculum effective 2013.
Master Class
(Summer 2025) (Limit 20)
Master Class is for anyone who has successfully completed an AOSA-approved Level III course. Instruction reviews pedagogy structures and strategies emphasizing the teaching process. Explore instrumental and vocal improvisation, review modal materials, use advanced orchestration techniques, and practice advanced recorder and movement. Students will teach two short lessons illustrating improvisation strategies. For this class, the instructor has requested that each participant bring a device with music notation writing software installed and that the participant is familiar with the tool.
Course Requirements
100% attendance, participation in all activities and completion of all written assignments. (Plan on nightly homework) A certificate will be awarded at the successful completion of each Level. This course meets the guidelines set by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and will not be offered unless participant numbers meet AOSA guidelines.
OUR VISION
Orff Schulwerk is a unique approach to music education based on the teachings of Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman.
This child-centered approach combines speech, movement, and song in a creative playful atmosphere where students experience the elements of music in an active way.
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This course meets AOSA criteria: number of contact hours, course content, qualifications and number of instructors.
All levels in this course are designed according to the AOSA Teacher Education Curriculum Standards.
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UNLV offers a Master of Music degree with an emphasis in Orff Schulwerk. For information,
contact the UNLV School of Music at (702) 895-3332. UNLV is an AA/EEO Institution
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Daniel Jolly
Level I Pedagogy
BM and MM, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Daniel Jolly is a National Board Certified Teacher with a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He completed his Orff levels at UNLV and has been teaching in Las Vegas for 11 years. He has been published in AOSA’s Orff Echo and has presented both locally and at AOSA’s national conference. Daniel is currently serving as the President of Nevada’s Desert Valley Chapter of AOSA.
Paul Weller
Level II Pedagogy
B.A., St. Olaf College, M.A., St. Mary's University
Paul Weller has been teaching elemental movement and music for more than 20 years to grades K-5 at a public school in Minnesota. He did his Orff Schulwerk Levels training at University of St. Thomas. He has taught workshops locally, nationally, has presented numerous times at the AOSA national conference, and is an Orff Level I and II teacher trainer. Paul has a unique teaching style that blends the best of the Orff Schulwerk process and Kodaly sequential literacy training and believes movement and singing are the basis for all music making. In his free time, Paul enjoys reading, biking, drinking tea and is an avid board game fanatic.
Paul Cribari
Master Class
MA, with Orff Concentration, University of St. Thomas
DMA, Boston University
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Paul is the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado. Dr. Cribari received his MA with a concentration in Orff at the University of St. Thomas and his doctorate in Music Education from Boston University. In addition to his work with children, Paul teaches Levels I, II, and III of Orff Schulwerk at SMU and Metropolitan State University of Denver. Paul is a regular clinician for local chapters of AOSA and has presented sessions at state and local conferences, as well as numerous national conferences of AOSA. Internationally, he has taught in Italy and Hong Kong. Paul, along with co-author Richard Layton, recently published THE ELEMENTAL STYLE: A Handbook for Composers and Arrangers, Part II.
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Rachel Marie-DelaCruz Rivera
Movement
Bachelors of Music Education, University of Nevada, Reno
Masters of Music: Music Education with Orff Schulwerk Emphasis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Rachel is a National Board Certified Teacher. She completed her Orff Level certification at UNLV. She has taught K-5 General Music in the Clark County School District for 17 years. Rachel has served on the local Orff board (NDVC) as President, treasurer, scholarship chair, and programing chair. She has presented locally, nationally, and at AOSA’s national conference. She co-chaired the CCSD Orff Festival from 2014-2015. Rachel believes that movement is for everyone, and using the Schulwerk to teach movement makes the possibilities of creativity endless.
Jennifer Prestridge
Recorder
BME, Henderson State University, MME, University of Oklahoma
Jennifer K. Prestridge has taught music to Kindergarten through 5th grade students in Las Vegas, Nevada for the past 28 years and is currently the Music Specialist at Gilbert Academy of Creative Arts. Gilbert’s performing ensembles were featured performers at the AOSA National Conference in 2019. Jennifer is a certified Teacher-Educator in movement and recorder for AOSA and teaches at several courses across the country. She regularly presents sessions on arts integration, music, and movement at conferences and workshops at the district and national levels. She has also served as the chair of the Clark County Nevada Orff Festival and her arrangements, compositions, and choreography have been featured in multiple festivals.
CONTACT
UNLV ORFF
OUR ADDRESS
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154
Email: amy.brown@unlv.edu
For any general inquiries, please fill in the following contact form:
