The Orff Echo Seeks Submissions

Interdisciplinary Instruction

The Orff Echo Editorial Board is soliciting articles for an issue focused on interdisciplinary instruction for publication in fall 2012. The goal of interdisciplinary lessons is to improve student comprehension and retention of separate concepts from two or more subject areas by making meaningful connections between them. True interdisciplinary lessons provide a practical and engaging context for the simultaneous application of knowledge from multiple disciplines so that each helps to reinforce the other. Music educators frequently incorporate materials and ideas from other subject areas into their curriculum, but in an interdisciplinary lesson neither subject plays a subordinate role or is subservient to the other.

The fall 2012 issue of The Orff Echo will explore effective use of interdisciplinary lessons within the context of the music curriculum. We hope to address the logistical challenges of collaboration with other specialists and classroom teachers and to include strategies for developing effective interdisciplinary lessons that reflect a wide range of subject areas, degrees of sophistication, and grade levels. If you are interested in contributing to this issue, please contact Patty Reed (Pattyreedplmdsrt@aol.com) and/or Nick Wild (nick.wild@comcast.net) at least two months before the submission deadline. Final submissions are due by March 15, 2012.

Complementary Approaches to Active Music Making

The Orff Echo Editorial Board is soliciting articles related to active music making and how they involve and incorporate the Orff Schulwerk approach for the winter 2013 issue.

The focus of active music making is at the forefront of music education. "Active music making" is recognized as a dominant, unifying quality among the four approaches founded by Edwin Gordon, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, Zoltan Kodály, and Carl Orff. These four approaches share significant principles that require engagement in active musical behaviors on the part of the learner for major portions of instructional time throughout the musical experience. Children's engagement in active, physical involvement at the earliest stages of musical learning with a focus upon engagement and active, purposeful music-making strategies from the start occur even before higher understanding is expected in the process.

Possible articles may focus on the following topics:
1. Philosophies and practices of active music making, including, but not limited to, those of Jaques-Dalcroze, Gordon, Kodály, and Orff.
2. How do music teachers and university methods teachers' implement active music making?
3. What resources will promote understanding and practice of active music making?
4. What professional development is accessible in active music making approaches?
5. What kind of awareness among education leaders and policy makers, arts educators, future teachers, and the general public is communicated about active music making approaches?
6. Research regarding active music making.
7. What commonalities or concepts might overlap in these philosophies and share what share beliefs exist between the different approaches?
8. Are there are any mutually exclusive aspects of the different approaches?

If you are interested in contributing to this issue, please contact Michelle Fella Przybylowski and/or Christopher Tranberg at least two months before the submission deadline. Final submissions are due by July 15, 2012.

The Orff Echo Editorial Board Seeks Applications
The Editorial Board may have a vacancy beginning in mid-2012. All applicants must have completed Level II Orff teacher education courses to be eligible to apply; completion of Level III is preferred. Most competitive applicants have past publications in journals or other publications and a demonstrated commitment to Orff Schulwerk. Application materials must be received no later than March 9, 2012. Please e-mail echoeditor@aosa.org to request an application.

Future Issue Deadlines
The Editorial Board seeks submissions year-round for various topic issues as well as submissions on any Orff Schulwerk topic for future open submission issues.

Interdisciplinary Instruction (fall 2012 issue)
Contact Editorial Board members Nick Wild and Patty Reed
Deadline for submissions: March 15, 2012

Complementary Approaches to Active Music Making (winter 2013)
Editorial Board coordinators: Michelle Fella Przybylowski and Chris Tranberg
Deadline for submissions: July 15, 2012

Orff Schulwerk and the Inclusive Classroom (spring 2013)
Editorial Board coordinators: Carol McDowell and David Thaxton
Deadline for submissions: September 15, 2012

Open Submission (summer 2013)
Editorial Board coordinators: Nick Wild
Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2013

The Orff Echo Editorial Board

Judith Cole: Portrait Series and History Column, jweloc@aol.com
Carol McDowell: Focus on Research, mcdowellcarolj@gmail.com
Patty Reed: Children's book reviews, pattyreedplmdsrt@aol.com
Michelle Fella Przybylowski: musarch@aol.com
David Thaxton: Professional development book reviews/media reviews, yoteech@sbcglobal.net
Christopher Tranberg: Current Developments in Education, ctranberg@comcast.net
Nick Wild: Orff Schulwerk: Contemporary Applications, nick.wild@comcast.net

For submission guidelines or for general questions about The Orff Echo (not related to a specific issue listed), send an e-mail to echoeditor@aosa.org. Please note that The Orff Echo follows The Chicago Manual of Style for manuscript preparation. A quick citation guide is available online: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Reviewers Needed
If you are interested in writing a book review for The Orff Echo, please contact Editorial Board member David Thaxton to review professional books or media materials, or contact Patty Reed to review children's books.