Orff Training Level 1:
Please check back here for information about the 2026 Orff Levels Certification Program.
Contact Pam Hetrick: levels@bcorff.ca with any questions.
Certified Orff Levels Courses are the primary way to receive in-depth professional development in Orff Schulwerk in Canada, following the guidelines of Carl Orff Canada. They are offered in two-week sessions during the summer, usually running from 8:30 – 5:00, Monday through Friday. Each Level includes 3 hours of Basic Orff instruction, 1 1/2 hours of Movement, 1 hour of Recorder and 1 hour of Special Topics daily.
Level I is a two-week course immersing educators in the learning process of Orff Schulwerk, inspiring the growth of teachers’ creative expression and improvisation, designed to develop an experiential understanding of this approach to teaching. It includes expression through movement, the voice, barred instruments, non-pitched percussion, and soprano recorder, as well as introduction to Orff theory (pentatonic scales, bordun, ostinati, orchestration for Orff barred instruments). Special Topics sessions may include choral techniques, folk dance, world music traditions, yoga, staging and other topics.
Prerequisites:
A degree in music or strong musicianship, including the ability to read music is required. Introductory Orff and practical teaching experience are highly recommended.
Contact:
Pam Hetrick
levels@bcorff.ca
Endorsed by Carl Orff Canada
Required Materials:
- Orff/Keetman, Orff-Schulwerk Music for Children, Volume I, Margaret Murray, ed., Schott
- Doug Goodkin, Play, Sing & Dance: An Introduction to Orff Schulwerk, Schott
- Keetman, Gunild, Elementaria, Schott
- soprano recorder (preferably Aulos or Dometsch)
- Windsongs Series Books 2 & 3, Joe Berarducci and Birthe Kulich.
- course packet (available for purchase first day of class)
- manuscript paper and/or computer notation program such as Finale or Sibelius
Suggested Materials (optional):
- Children’s poetry or nursery rhyme book
- Doug Goodkin, Teach Like It’s Music, Pentatonic Press
Successful completion of an approved Level I course with a grade of at least 80% provides participants with the opportunity to continue training in Level II.