Research On Orff Music Education For Children

Nowadays, when it comes to Orff Music for Children, only the professors in universitiesare concerned about it and making researches on it. Just a few kindergartens have tried toadopt this method in music classes. But owing to the little knowledge about the content andeducational philosophy of Orff Music, they cannot catch the essence of this method. Inconsequence, the Orff Music educational activities that carried out in these kindergartens arerather superficial, ignoring putting its distinguishing features---personal participation,resorting to emotion and returning to humanism---to practice. Unavoidably, in theapplication of Orff Music, they cannot escape the constraints of traditional teaching theoriesand methods. The adopted teaching mode which is teacher-centered and subject–centeredgives knowledge skills a higher place thus ignoring the development of real ability andintegration between curriculums.[1]With the rapid development of reforms in preschooleducation, the philosophies and modes of basic education cannot catch up with the needs ofchanging times, thus the systematic reforms that revolve around the theories and practice inpreschool music education is clearly in order.This paper takes the ten years’ practice of Orff Music in the Second Kindergarten of HebeiNormal University as samples to summarize the teaching philosophies of Orff Music for Children.Firstly, in the almost ten years’ experiments and researches of Orff Music in the SecondKindergarten of Hebei Normal University, a group of excellent teachers who are specialized in OrffMusic theories are cultivated. They can organize Orff Music activities in a logical way, put theinitiative development of children at the first place and enable students to explore, to experience andto improvise in the interesting activities that organized in music classroom. From the imitation ofhow to organize teaching to the learning of advanced experience of others, these teachers graduallyhave learnt to put what they have understood into practice. Meanwhile, they have tried to exercisetheir spirit of innovation by organizing special activities for Orff Music Education, during whichthese teachers have learnt how to solve the problems correctly in Orff Music activities. Thesepractices also provide opportunities for teachers that adopt Orff Music ideas in music classroom tocontinuously seek breakthroughs in their professional development and to make self-summary andself-examination in their teaching. Moreover, it illustrates the remarkable teaching achievements of Orff Music for Children in theSecond Kindergarten of Hebei Normal University when the professional teachers are exploring andresearching together. The distinguishing activities of Orff Music for Children have received a highpraise from people who pay a visit to the kindergarten. These people include students fromvocational schools and teachers that cultivated by the country as well as young practical teachers ofenterprises in Hebei province. They even gain great laurel in public evaluation teaching activitiesorganized by the city or province. Teacher Wang Huiping, who carries out the Orff Music Education,has written the educational case the Guidance of Children Cooperative Behavior in Orff MusicActivities, and won the third prize by preschool education department of logistic managementorganization of Colleges and universities in Hebei Province. The case to Love in the Beginning, toWin in the End written by teacher liu Xueying has won the first prize in the annual meeting formoral education held by central educational and scientific institution. The Orff Music Activity---Jimgle Bell organized by teacher Duan Xuxin of primary class has won the first price in theevaluation of public teaching activities in Qiaoxi District. Teacher Wang Yuxia’ Orff activities---The March of Lion and Kangaroo have won the first prize in evaluating competitions in Shijiazhuang and Qiaoxi District. Teacher Jiao Yaxu, who is in charge of the senior classes ofkindergarten, has organized the music activity Moon Boat and has won the first prize in thecompetition of overall quality evaluation for kindergarten teachers. The teachers teaching Orffmusic have won the first prize in the playing and teaching tool contests in Shijiazhuang with theirself-made teaching tools.The writer expects to encourage the teachers in kindergartens and to stimulate the persons whoare in charge of kindergartens to attach great importance to “Orff Music for Children”. The writerhopes to progress and innovate with the colleagues in preschool educational fields to carry out “OrffMusic for Children” in a more scientific and formal way and to make all of kindergarten teachers,children and their parents to develop happily in music education.