Music Fundamentals, Methods, and Materials for the Elementary Classroom Teacher” by Michon Rozmajzl and Rene Boyer-Alexander- this book will serve to guide, enhance, and replenish the classroom teachers’ understanding and appreciation of how music can be creatively taught so that it becomes am integral part of our children’s lives. I will be using this book in my Music classes because it contains comprehensive music theory ,hands-on activities on how to develop musical skills, and ideas for integrating music across the curriculum.

One area that I will definitely be using with my grade 5 or 6 students is “Playing the Orff Barred Instruments”. Before introducing the Orff instruments to students, I will have a little introductory discussion about Carl Orff. Orff believed that speech, music, and movement were inseparable. Orff teachers provide experiences for students to develop their creative potential, which manifests itself in a child’s ability to improvise. Children explore space, sound, and form through special instruments called instrumentarium. Primary among the melody instruments devised by Carl Orff as part of his instrumentarium are glockenspiels, metallophones, and xylophones-known collectively as Orff instruments.

Speech Activities: speech is the most basic elements of the Orff-Schulwerk or “school work” process. Orff believed that speech should be used to reinforce the inner feelings of rhythm. Once a rhythmic pattern is internalized through the use of language, it is then transferred to a rhythmic or barred instrument.

As an example, I will teach students a Spanish game song “Pito, Pito”. They will perform an ostinato accompaniment using rhythmic instruments. They will be using the following rhythm instruments: agogo bell, guiro, vibra-slap, small drum.

Procedure: Students will speak the words to “Pito, Pito” while using body percussions (playing the basic beat on their laps), then they will speak the rhyme again and clap the rhythm of the words.

-The class will be divided into two groups: one group will clap the rhythm of the words while the second will pat the beat.

-Ask students to look and listen to the last line as the teacher recites it.

--Ask students to suggest ways in which the words in the last line can be placed on different parts of the body.

-One suggestion might be:

-Tell the class that the pattern they just learned can be used as a rhythmic ostinato. A rhythmic ostianto constists of a rhythmic pattern that is repeated again and again and used as an accompaniament.

-Divide the class into two groups. Have group one say the speech and group two perform the ostinato.

-Ask students to suggest an instrument that can play the rhythm that is in the feet. Have another that can play the rhythm on the thighs and another that can take the place of the finger snap. A final transfer from the body to instruments may look like this:

-Assign students to each of the accompanying instruments and have them play while the rest of the class performs the speech activity.

At the end of the activity, students will be able to identify body percussions with elements of music: For instance, they will be able to name the continuous pattern played on their laps (beat/pulse), varied lengths of sounds and silences (rhythm), the pattern that repeats and is used as an accompaniment (ostinato), and name the instruments used in the ostinato pattern (agogo bell, guiro, vibra-slap).