The Clinicians

Jewel Casselman has 35 years of experience teaching music to students aged 3 to adult. She is a passionate and dedicated educator and has presented provincially and nationally. She is a Board Member of the Manitoba Orff Chapter and was a co-chair for the 2022 COC Intersections conference. Jewel believes that music is for everyone and is a strong advocate for inclusivity for neural divergent children. Jewel teaches the recorder section for the Orff levels at the University of Manitoba. She is the 2023 recipient of the prestigious MusiCounts Teacher of the Year award.

Session 2C: "Learning to Love Teaching  Kindergarten Music"
Session 6F: "Improvising and Composing with Soprano Recorder"

Monica Dear

Monica Dear is a veteran music teacher in Edmonton, Alberta. A Level III James Hill Ukulele Initiative Certificate holder, she is also founder of the Elk Island Senior Honour Choir and has conducted many school, church, and community choirs. Monica is a recipient of Choir Alberta's Con Spirito award and was the Education Manager for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for eight seasons. She sings with the Richard Eaton Singers, continues to study ukulele with acclaimed teachers, and is the fearless leader of the Highlands Ukulele Gang.

Session 7F: "We Know Some Basic Chords: Next Steps on the Ukulele"

Specialist teacher in music at the École de l’Amérique-Française in Gatineau, Ghyslain Egglefield completed levels 1, 2, 3 and an Orff Masterclass at Georges Mason University. For 23 years he has been guided by a passion to lead children toward a better understanding and a deep appreciation of the musical and cultural world, and to stimulate both the commitment and the creativity of the student in their learning while promoting the joy of making music in a group.

Since 2021, he has been giving online and in-person training workshops for the Québec and Ottawa Orff chapters.

Session 1D: "Les volumes de l'Orff Schulwerk et vous: une inspiration et créative pour la classe de musique"
Session 2D: "Quatre portraits musicaux pour célébrer l'identité noir" (avec Chantal Dubois)

Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo teaches Music and African Studies at the University of British Columbia. He is also an instructor in the Capilano University’s Jazz Studies program; the founder and director of Nunya Music Academy, Ghana; and the Orff-Afrique Annual Summer Courses in Ghana. As a specialist in Orff-Schulwerk and multicultural music education, Dr. Gbolonyo has over 30 years of experience teaching children and adults of all ages at different levels of education in many countries in Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, and in many states and provinces in North America. He holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology and a Graduate Certificate in African Studies; Level III Orff Certification; and B.Ed. in Music Education. Kofi is an internationally recognized clinician, music educator, performer, and scholar.

Session 2G: "Orff Afrique Gyil: The Ghanaian Traditional Xylophone and Orff Schulwerk"
Session 3G & 5G: "Orff Afrique West African Children's Games with Movement and Songs"

BethAnn Hepburn, M.A. University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. BethAnn teaches general music and choir for Streetsboro City Schools in Ohio. She serves as the mentor for the Ohio Department of Education Fine Arts Cohort. She is the professional development chair for general music for the Ohio Music Education Association and the north central representative to the NAfME General Music Council. She is a frequent presenter and teacher educator for AOSA.

BethAnn is co-author of Purposeful Pathways: Possibilities for the Elementary Music Classroom Books 1 -4. She is a Ph. D. candidate in Music Education at Kent State University.

Session 2F & 6A: "Playing with Possibility: Exploring Diverse Learning Pathways Offered by Quality Literature"

Session 3H: "The Creative Touch"

*Sponsored by Music is Elementary

Margaret Inglis has been a K-7 Orff Music Specialist in the North Vancouver School District for 47 years. She credits longevity in the field of music education to this approach. She has taught the movement component of many Level 1 courses and has been a presenter at both local and provincial conferences over the course of her career. Shis is thrilled to be a part of the Constellation 2024 Conference in North Vancouver.

Closing Session: "Shine Together"

Marcelline Moody is an Orff graduate of the University of Manitoba, and has her Special Course Diploma from the Orff Institute, Salzburg. She has taught Orff Courses and workshops across Canada, and in Australia, Salzburg, China and France. 

Marcelline was Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s Education Consultant for twenty years. Her students performed with, and created works for, the WSO and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. She is now Victoria Symphony’s Consultant. She established the Early Years Orff programme for the Victoria Conservatory and  directs Seniors’ Recorder Ensembles. Among her publications are two recorder manuals entitled “Reach for a Star”. 

She is the recipient of various awards, including the Bronze Medal of Ouistreham, France, for services to Community Music.

Session 3F: "Creativity, Musicianship, Improvisation"
Session 5F: "Reach for the Spheres: Beginning Alto Recorder and Expanding Range and Repertoire"

This is Kerry Heisler’s 23rd year teaching concert band, choir and guitar programs, as well as directing musicals. Kerry has presented at Artie and Denise, J.W. Pepper and Alberta Teacher’s Conventions. Kerry holds a Vocal Performance Diploma from MacEwan, B.A. in Cultural Arts Administration and Bachelor of Education – Music After Degree. Currently, Kerry is pursuing her Masters in Music Education at Acadia University.

Joyce Holoboff has taught elementary music and junior high band with Wolf Creek School Division for 31 years. She uses a hybrid approach combining elements of Kodaly, Orff, and world music in her elementary instruction, and she loves teaching beginning recorder. She has also directed choirs at the elementary and middle school levels. Joyce holds an MEd in Educational Studies, and has completed Level I and II Orff training. She presented at the International Kodaly Society conference in 2017, as well as teachers’ conventions throughout Alberta for the past six years.

Susan Njeri is a Power Yoga instructor and the Kid’s Yoga Coordinator at the Africa Yoga Project in Nairobi, Kenya. Susan leads teacher training for yoga instructors. Susan has been sharing music and yoga from Kenya in partnership with Allison Tipler since 2020 at many conferences across Canada and the United States. She is a mother of three and instructs yoga at the prisons in Kenya where she teaches the children of inmates and officers. For more information visit: https://www.africayogaproject.org/

Session 4H: "FUN with Music 'n Yoga Adventure to the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Africa" (with Alison Tipler)

Aimee Curtis Pfitzner has taught music for 29 years.  She holds a Masters of Music degree from UNC-Greensboro and completed Level I Orff -Schulwerk Training at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, Level II and III at University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and Master’s Level at the University of Memphis.  Aimee is a frequent presenter at music workshops and conferences throughout the US and internationally.  Her six books are available from Beatin’ Path Publications.  She is passionate about music making, singing, gardening, sewing, and anything creative. When not teaching, singing, creating, or writing music, she can be found musically musing on her blog, www.ofortunaorff.com.  

Session 5B & 6B: "Singing Waters, Dancing Flames, Music and the Elements"
Session 7C: "Dancing in the Moonlight: Favourite Folk Dances"

*Sponsored by Beatin' Path Publications

Roger Sams has been an active clinician and Orff instructor for over three decades, having worked with teachers and children in Canada, China, Indonesia, India, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and throughout the US. He is co-author of Purposeful Pathways: Possibilities for the Elementary Music Room and related materials, as well as the composer of several choral octavos published in the Crooked River Choral Project.

Trained in Gestalt therapy, Roger works with the power of choice in the artistic process, in pedagogy, and in life. He is the creator/ https://soulwerksanctuary.com/owner of Soulwerk Sanctuary. https://soulwerksanctuary.com/

Session 7E:  "Schulwerk for Your Soul"
Session 2F & 6A: "Playing with Possibility: Exploring Diverse Learning Pathways Offered by Quality Literature" (with Ann Hepburn)

*Sponsored by Music Is Elementary

Diane is a retired Level I Orff instructor, University of Alberta Sessional Instructor and Music Specialist with Edmonton Public Schools. She taught introductory Orff classes prior to teaching Level I at the University of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Diane presented workshops across Western Canada and Ontario. "Let's Sing and Dance Today" was her first publication along with many contributions to "An Orff Mosaic from Canada."

In 2021 Diane was awarded an honorary life membership from the Alberta Orff Chapter and in 2023 she received a special certificate from Carl Orff Canada.

She continues to enjoy special teaching projects to remain current.

Session 1H & 6H:  "Let's Sing, Move and Play Today - Grades 1, 2, 3"
Session 7H: "Let's Sing, Move and Play Today - Grades 4, 5, 6"

Allison Tipler is an Orff Specialist in Ontario’s Peel District since 2006. Allison is a student of movement and became a Power Yoga Canada Instructor in 2012. She has been teaching the movement component of the Orff Levels at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto since 2018. Allison is thrilled to be part of the brand new Playful Arts & Learning Curriculum created by the Fun with Composers team. The PAL curriculum is for PreK-2 students and designed to stimulate a child’s imagination through music, mindfulness, drama, movement and literature.

Session 1F: "Playful Arts and Learning at the Circus" (with Deborah Ziolkoski)
Session 4H: "FUN with Music 'n Yoga Adventure to the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Africa" (with Susan Njeri)

Deborah Ziolkoski is an Orff Specialist with 30+ years of experience. In 2022, Deborah received the Outstanding Educator for Elementary Music Award in BC. She teaches music as a guest instructor in Early Years facilities and provides workshops to classroom, ECE, and PreK-6 music educators across North America. Deborah has worked closely with the VSO, designing lessons for their Elementary School Concerts. Her Orff Clubs have been privileged to perform in the VSO Elementary School Concerts and at National Orff Conferences. Deborah’s latest project is the release of the Playful Arts & Learning Curriculum created by the Fun with Composers team.

Session 1F: "Playful Arts and Learning at the Circus" (with Alison Tipler)