It is not primarily a specialist music or dance training, but the enrichment of the whole person through means of expression with music and dance.
(Haselbach & Hartmann, 2013)
The concept of The Child at the Centre can be traced back to Dewey (1902) who directed teachers to look to the children in their care and provide the environment in which each can move towards a “culmination of themselves”. He believed we should “let the child’s nature fulfil its own destiny” (p. 29). Dewey supported teaching and learning that promoted freedom to develop naturally, the teacher being a guide not a taskmaster, and with the recognition that interest is the motivator for learning. He felt it imperative that teachers provide experiences which children find enjoyable, relevant and engaging. He believed that learning for children needed to be through active experiences, that theory and practice are not separate (Dewey, 1897a, 1902, 1938; Vakeva, 2007). If the child is not able to follow his nature, if placed in passive learning roles expected to absorb the knowledge being transmitted by the teacher, “the result is friction and waste” (Dewey, 1897a Article IV, para. 3).
Vignette: Imagine a Garden
A gardener holds a handful of seeds: different shapes and sizes but with no identifying label to provide the gardener with details of what will grow from those seeds. The gardener sows the seeds hoping for an abundance of blooms, knowing that the environment must be full of nutrients to encourage the growth of the seed. He patiently watches the climate, always adjusting his intervention depending on how he perceives each may flourish. As the seeds turn to flowers, he feeds and waters always unsure of the potential of each. Will one seed produce an abundance of colour? Will one seed produce just one exquisite flower? Will one bear flowers that hold a perfume unique amongst all others? One seed has sprouted leaves, but no flowers at all. The gardener has expected flowers. He pulls this plant out as it detracts from the floral display he has produced. Through his expectations he has failed to see what this seed offers. Little does he realise that this seed grows a feast of potatoes under the soil. Potatoes that lay dormant. The potatoes would have so much to offer in time and yet are discarded by the gardener.
The above vignette aims to highlight how we may perceive our students in the classroom. Each child, as each seed, has something to offer through expression with music and dance. They may not all flower, but we embrace the inclusion of diversity and are patient in what the seed brings. We are “wide-awake” in our noticings (Greene, 1977).
the child and the promise of the human being” (Goodkin, 2002, p. vii).
The focus of Orff Schulwerk is twofold, on one hand being the creative and artistic development of the child, and the other, the development of
character/personality, which Orff called ‘Menschenbildung’. Musical competence is not an objective in itself but should help to let the personality grow (W.Hartmann, personal communication, November 2015).
Hartmann stated he found it difficult to translate this word but I consider it to mean
humanistic education (Cancik, 2013; Ruhloff, 2004). Goodkin (2006) also makes comment on what gives the Schulwerk its “distinct character”, stating that Orff’s work is based on the vision of the person. “Although he was interested in how his ideas might enliven music education, he wanted to produce better human beings, not just musicians” (p. 103). What Orff referred to the ‘personality’ of the child, Goodkin (2002) calls ‘character’ and he believes character thrives in a welcoming and nurturing community.
Orff educators cater for the individual and the diversity each brings—in whatever form that may be—and embrace that diversity within collaborative group music making. Although we encourage diversity, we also desire this diversity within a society that is cohesive and pluralistic. Orff Schulwerk therefore has in its philosophy the development of moral and values education whilst embracing the ‘character’ or ‘personality’ of each individual. This Principle of The Child at the Centre invites teachers to allow children to shape their own personality, to develop their character, to express themselves.
Each music class gives children the opportunity to reveal themselves, and to show who they really are (Goodkin, 2009). These characteristics combined with a creative mind and an aesthetic view of the world would likely create a society today very different from the one that Orff and Keetman had been witness to in Germany in the early 20th century. As
teachers, we need to believe that those who leave our education systems today do so with skills, knowledge, understandings, attitudes and moral standpoints that will enhance our world and be used to improve it.
In The Child at the Centre, “the expression comes from the children, not how the teacher sees the expression. We do not bring the child to the music, but the music to the child. We offer the music in a way that the child can identify himself with it” (Hartmann, personal communication, October 2015). In a conversation with Hartmann at the ISME conference in Brazil, 2014, he presented a creative narrative to explain the Principle of The Child at the
Centre. We begin at the bottom of a staircase: teacher and children. The teacher has some ideas about what might be at the top of the staircase. She wants to take the children up the stairs and does this through presenting a stimulus. Perhaps the children learn a song, or a dance, or a proverb. Arriving at the top of the stairs the teacher recognises this as a landing with more stairs to climb. But now there are multiple sets of stairs from this landing and which one to choose? The teacher might ask the children ‘How can we use dynamics when we say this proverb?’ A child suggests a crescendo. Together, we climb these stairs. All experience dynamics as we climb. Another child picks out certain words to be spoken at a higher pitch than others. We all climb these stairs. ‘What else can we do with our proverb?’ A child suggests a canon. Yet another climb of a staircase. We all climb together as the children gain repertoire, understandings and experience. But this has been done by bringing the music to the child, and giving them the task of exploring that music. More and more ideas are elicited from the children and the teacher guides and builds on some of these ideas. At each landing, there are yet more stairs to climb. At some point, the children are given the choice of staircases. All standing on a landing, many staircases ascend from this one point. Individuals and small groups each climb a staircase and at each landing they work out themselves where to go from there. They may remain on that landing for some time exploring and considering which of the multiple staircases to select. At each landing there are yet more options. At some point, no more staircases are climbed. For that moment, and in that time, the creative music and movement experiences are over. Another day, this may be the starting point for the climb. When asking for further clarification Hartmann explained “The staircase idea: my invention. I think it represents the process. If you include, you need time, you cannot just go on to come to prefabricated results. This time space of thinking, of even changing direction I see represented in the landings” (personal communication, October 2015). Envisioning The Child at the Centre allows for this myriad of staircases: we can imagine the difference between this and one set of stairs with the children dutifully following the teacher.
As Hartmann explained the staircase analogy to me, I visualised an Escher drawing. He correctly pointed out that Escher was not an appropriate image. “Better not thinking of Escher. His staircases circle, they go to nowhere” (personal communication, October 2015).
Vignette: The Staircase
We stand at the bottom of the staircase as per Hartmann’s narrative, ready to climb. The repertoire is a poem by Michael Leunig: Australian cartoonist, writer and philosopher. (Used with permission.)
This cartoon is yet unseen by the students, but it is selected as it provides thought-provoking text about our way of life, and our dependence on our ‘devices’. The text is far from frivolous, although may baffle Carl Orff today. In a circle, I embody the beat with a shift in weight from one foot to the other and pose the question ‘What are you doing?’ in an articulate, rhythmic way.
My gestures indicate to the children to echo/imitate the text spoken and in the manner of how I ask the question. I may repeat this several times (loud/soft/high/low). They ask the question ‘What are you doing?’ and I respond with an improvised simple four beat rhythmic text. We ask the question and while doing so, someone with a response steps forward and answers. There is no need for everyone to consider an answer, and not everyone will have a response. Stepping forward during the question lets everyone know that this is someone who will respond. Everyone in the group is learning about musical structure and is involved in the experience. We have climbed the staircase together as co-creators.
I indicate that I will lead and I rhythmically say the first two phrases of Leunig’s poem. ‘What are you doing? I’m using my device.’ The group echo and through gestures I can indicate the dynamics of the question and the answer; the pitch; who says what; and direct a canon using this text. Although teacher directed, it adds to the children’s repertoire.
Working in pairs, children create responses to the question ‘What is your device?’ They are on staircases that run parallel to each other, yet on their own. The learning here is multi-layered. They explore and create text that
shows context. They work together to explore and improvise various rhythmic and expressive ways of saying their text. We all ask the questions and each pair in turn responds with their unique answers. We have all met together on a new landing.
I ask the question ‘What is your device?’ Everyone claps the rhythm of their responses, repeating it to form an ostinato. They transfer the rhythm to other body percussion including stamping, finger clicks, and patsching (patting the knees). I provide a gesture signalling one pair to begin, adding in another and perhaps another. I bring new rhythms in and indicate stopping of others. In this way we can hear the rhythmic contrast and comparisons. This is repeated with children leading the group using their own gestures to conduct the ensemble.
What could this device be that Leunig is talking about? What could it be if not a phone, ipod or computer? After a discussion, the text, with the wonderful illustrations is presented.
The children learn the text and a rhythm such as what I have here including the longer final phrase. We are all again on the same staircase as I provide a structure for their creative music making.
Small groups are invited to reimagine the A section. They work to determine the expression, what text if any will be solo and tutti, and make other musical decisions regarding the piece. Each group climbs their own staircase from the landing, using the text as the structure. They are asked to create a B section. I assist each group as required. This is my role as music educator. We can imagine each group on their own landing as they present their performances. The A and B sections are varied. Each presents the text of the A section but through the variation in expression, the accompaniment selected (if any), and other musical choices made, these A sections offer the scope for understanding diversity. We all learn about how music works through our own creation, and through observing and listening to others. The B sections
The above activity has a structure for children to work with and this provides the framework to create within (Banks, 1982). It relies on children drawing on their experiences and musical skills and knowledge. It motivates children to further develop these skills. The resulting performances are discussed as an assessment of learning—and as an assessment for learning.
With The Child at the Centre, the children express themselves. They collaborate exploring various ways of using language, movement, music and drama. Their performances bring together varied ideas, knowledge, skills, and creativity. They define themselves as creators, composers and musicians. The whole person is being developed and shaped by each of these experiences. If we are to enrich the whole person, we must engage them. If we are to engage students, we as teachers need also to be engaged and interested ourselves. It becomes contagious. Those educators who demonstrate not only a passion for music and movement education, but also a passion for learning, discovering, creative problem solving and educational growth, are recognised as such by their students and do much to encourage these desires in others.
When we allow children the freedom to create, inevitably some performances will
demonstrate less ‘musicality’ than others. The children will likely recognise this. Without an understanding of the philosophy of Orff, there will always be those who compare a product orientated ‘performance’ to a child-created arrangement (Carley, 1977c). Orff teachers can reach the stage where the children have created, improvised, composed and performed, but then do not move on to the important step of reflecting on the performance to consider the artistic, aesthetic and expressive components. The notion that Orff Schulwerk does not offer performances that highlight exemplary music is an untrue view of this approach, but these products are more often than not equal to or of less importance than the process of creating them.
Teacher and school accountability through ‘scores’ has necessitated educators teaching to these scores, regardless of the individual, their learning style, and their rate of learning. It also makes the assumption that the ‘product’ (skills, knowledge) is of more value than the “process” (how children are learning). This is in total contrast to the Orff Schulwerk principle of The Child at the Centre.
Orff’s interest in developing the whole child, from the basis of music and movement education, is unique amongst models. In an Orff Schulwerk classroom children are made to feel safe to experiment and change their minds.
Safe classroom are those in which competing and comparing…are not used inappropriately to gauge performance. They are places where children are free to express themselves without fear of ridicule and where they are encouraged to take the time they need to show what they know. They are spaces where each child’s creative expression is respected and where suggestions for changes are just that—suggestions (Gilpatrick, 2009, p. 25).
Children live in the world now. We must place The Child at the Centre now, not for any ideal of what their future might hold. The learning occurs every day, and shapes the child’s life at that particular moment in time. Learning is not just for the future. Considering children as citizens only for the future they will hold, denies them a voice in and outside of education systems. Hickey-Moody (2013)talks of interest groups in terms of ‘little publics’ and she sees children as part of a ‘little public’ whose members hold agency and share the commonality of being a child. Rephrasing one of Dewey’s comments she states “young people need to be regarded as more than the soil in which seeds of social value are sown” (Hickey-Moody, 2016, p. 62). Education must concern itself with the value of the learning at the present despite the bigger picture of learning for the future. It is a process of living (Dewey, 1897b).