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About
'An Orff Mosaic from Canada'
The book was compiled in answer to a need
expressed by many teachers for a collection of songs, poems
and activities from our own great country. Orff teachers in
many communities have long been using Canadian songs,
working out sound effects to Cana-dian poems and writing
original material. Some of this material had been published
but most had not and we felt that it was time to make our
"Canadian Orff" available to a wider audience.
The intent was to have selections from
every part of Canada - not only folk material from the
entire country but also lesson plans, accompaniments, poems
and songs written by educators, poets and musicians in every
province, the Yukon and the North-West
Territories.
Appeals for material were printed in
Ostinato (the journal of Music for Children - Carl Orff
Canada - Musique pour enfants), letters were written to the
presidents of every Orff chapter in Canada and many, many
individuals were contacted. In addition, a great amount of
research into possible material was undertaken, including
the works of the "Pioneers" - the men and women who taught
in the "Orff way" in the early years.
All this was done in the hope that it
would be a representative, interesting, lively and useful
mosaic of Canadian material. Some 300 items were contributed
by teachers from right across the country!
There was a panel of readers who reviewed
the submitted material. These people were chosen because of
their knowledge and experience in the Orff approach. In
addition An Orff Mosaic from Canada I Orffau Canada: une
mosï'que was reviewed by the editorial board of Schott
Music in London.
While most of the folk selections come
from the British and French traditions, music from other
cultures has been included. But because of the tremendous
numbers of ethnic groups in Canada today (one school in
Toronto has children whose parents were born in 72 different
countries) it would be impossible to include songs and poems
from all the countries. Many songs from different lands have
been included and we are grateful to all those people who
shared their heritage with us. The content is in no way a
reflection on all the other cultures which have also
enriched Canada with their distinctive contribu-tions, but
rather a result of what material was submitted for
inclusion.
Canada is a young nation and, as such, is
a nation of immigrants. Indeed, the only peoples who have
been living here longer than 390 years or so are the First
Nations who came at least 10,000 years ago (some think as
many as 20,000 years). Needless to say, their music is well
represented.
Most of the songs and poems have written
lesson plans. Those that do not were for the most part
written for the older grades or for Orff withdrawal
groups.
The songs and activities include
suggested age or grade levels. But they are just that:
suggestions. Each teacher will have to make selections based
on the needs of his or her group.
Organization
of the book
The first chapter discusses the history
of Orff-Schulwerk in Canada. Then follows "Hello!", a series
of introductory exercises. The next chapters include
selections from every region in Canada, mostly folk
material.
The next part of the book is organized
around themes: weather and seasons; animals; transportation;
our world; the Canadian mosaic; holidays; basics; stories,
fables, music and drama; students' work; move and dance;
instruments; listening awareness and music appreciation, and
"Good-bye!"
The book ends with a glossary and a
chapter of tips for teachers. The latter gives ideas of how
to work with the material in the "Orff way" but is in no way
intended to supplant formal Orff training. There is a
bibliography, a list of recordings, and an index of songs,
music, poems, chants, speech patterns and
stories.
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt thanks go first to those who
gave so generously of their "treasures" for the book. It is
an act of great courage to allow one's work to be included
in a publication such as this and these contributions are
gratefully acknowledged.
Thanks to the reading committee who
reviewed most of the work prior to publication: Soeur
Marcelle Comeille of Montreal, Donna Otto of Vancouver,
Susan Knight of St. Johns, Judy Sills of Edmonton, and Ruth
Wiwchar of Winnipeg. As you can imagine, the time commitment
for this task was considerable. These busy people are owed a
debt of gratitude from us all for agreeing to participate.
Soeur Marcelle Comeille in particular gave tremendous help
and encouragement in all stages of the book's development
and was a valued resource in the selection of the French
material.
Many thanks to John Harper, the retired
Managing Director of Schott, London, who initiated the
project, and to the production team at Schott, especially
Wendy Lampa, who inherited it and gave it such great
support.
Lastly, thanks also to countless others
who gave enthusiastic support to the project and in
particular to my husband. Kip Fleming, for his constant and
continuing encouragement.
It is our hope that you will find An Orff
Mosaic from Canad / Orff au Canada: une mosaïque
interesting and useful, and that the songs, poems and
activities in the book will help you continue to bring joy
and musical development to all children in the "Orff
way".
Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming
Toronto, 1996
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