Workshops

Kansas Orff Chapter workshops are open to anyone interested in learning about the Orff Schulwerk approach. You do not need Orff Schulwerk certification or experience to attend any of our workshops! Each workshop is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to engage in the learning activities. Detailed notes are provided so attendees can participate without worrying about taking notes.

Our workshop "year" begins with a 2-day late July or early August workshop and ends with the January workshop.

Graduate credit is available through Baker University. Workshop participants can receive one hour of graduate credit by attending the two day Orff-n-Running workshop in late July. One hour of graduate credit is also available for participates who attend BOTH the October and January workshops.

Workshop times survey

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Lights, Camera Process!

Saturday October 4, 2025 9:00am-1:00pm

*Lunch not provided*

Schilling Elementary School

3121 Canterbury Dr Salina, KS 67401

Come sing, say, move, play, and create with materials used in everyday instruction that can be put on stage! This workshop will include aspects of the music classroom and how to showcase activities for your school community.

Kelly Whisinnand teaches at Reeder Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. She teaches preschool through fifth-grade students and conducts the fourth- and fifth-grade choir. She also directs the seventh- and eighth-grade show choirs at Beadle Middle School. Kelly has served as treasurer for the Great Plains Orff Chapter and is currently serving on the AOSA National Board of Trustees. She received her Orff Schulwerk Certification from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Southern Methodist University. She apprenticed with Sarah Richardson to become a movement instructor and with Julie Blakeslee to become a recorder instructor. Kelly presented at the 2016 AOSA National Conference in Atlantic City and the 2019 AOSA National Conference in Salt Lake City

REGISTRATION LINK

BAKER CREDIT LINK

Infusing Our Passions with the Schulwerk

Saturday January 24, 2026 9:00am-1:00pm

*Lunch not provided*

Logan Elementary School

1124 NW Lyman Rd Topeka, KS 66608

Connect with your students by creating music activities that share your passions in life. We will explore Kristine's favorite's with an emphasis on movement and tubano playing/drumming.

Kristine McDonald has been teaching music for over 30 years. Currently she is a K-4 music educator in Belton, MO. Driven by her love for children and music, Kristine explores the Schulwerk through the use of stories and connects them to playful music making opportunities in the classroom. She has served as treasurer for the Heart of America Orff Chapter for 11 years and has presented at the AOSA national conference.

Kristine completed all 3 of her Orff levels at Baker University in Baldwin, KS and completed her certification in 2015. Since then she has continued her study of the Schulwerk by taking several Master Classes and participating in the ACEMM online music education book studies.

REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON

BAKER CREDIT LINK COMING SOON

PAYMENT LINK COMING SOON

PAST WORKSHOPS:

Best of Both Worlds: Purposeful and Playful

January 25, 2025

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Schilling Elementary

3121 Canterbury, Salina, KS 67401

Explore all the ways the Orff and Kodály approaches can and do support each other for a well-rounded musical experience for kids! We will purposefully integrate the structured sequence of musical elements central to the Kodály-inspired classroom and support it with song material and playful processes that are essential in the Orff Schulwerk approach.

Rachel Stevens is the Music Team Leader for the elementary music teachers in Papillion LaVista Community Schools in Papillion, Nebraska. She has spent the last 18 years teaching K-6 music and has taken level courses in both Kodaly and Orff Schulwerk. She has also served on numerous committees including the music leadership team, district curriculum team, a nonprofit children's choir, and the Great Plains Orff Chapter board. Rachel earned her Bachelor's in Music Education through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and will earn her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Doane in May.

Kate Konrad is the Instructional Coach at Trumble Park Elementary in Papillion LaVista Schools in Nebraska, and spent the last 14 years teaching K-6 music and serving in music leadership roles. She earned both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Music Education from the University of Nebraska Omaha and has also completed her Orff and Kodály levels I-III. She will complete her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Doane University in May.

Elemental Play

October 5, 2024

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Play is all part of the process. Explore playful models of music making that provide opportunities for student-centered creativity, improvisation, and music making.

Evan Billings has been teaching K- 5 General Music since 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from The University of Kansas and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has completed all three levels of training in both Orff-Schulwerk (UNLV) and Kodály (WSU). Evan is a past-president of Nevada's Desert-Valley Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. He has served as chair of the Clark County School District Orff Festival and his groups represented CCSD as featured performers at the 2015 American Orff-Schulwerk Association National Professional Development Conference in San Diego, CA. His students have performed in events across the valley including with the Las Vegas Philharmonic at The Smith Center and Barry Manilow.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse