Improvisation and composition activities in the elementary General Music classroom are some of the deepest and most fun learning opportunities music students can have! In this workshop, participants will learn a variety of strategies to "pull back the curtain" on composition and improvisation, and will learn and practice many straightforward techniques for helping guide students in creating their own original music and movement. Using the processes and ideas of Orff Schulwerk, participants will experience improvising and composing alone and with others, on instruments and with their voices, in words and in movement, and will come away with a toolbox of ideas and lessons to bring back to their students. For teachers to have an optimal experience, they are encouraged to bring at least one of each of the following: a barred instrument, soprano recorder, tubano, and any unpitched percussion as well as a laptop or tablet. Presenter Russell Nadel is an award-winning composer and middle school music specialist at the Potomac School in Virginia.
This workshop will be livestreamed.