Gerard Stokes - September 19, 2026
Playing with the Schulwerk
We all want our students to be confident enough in themselves and comfortable enough with the classroom culture to be able to just play. How a child sees themselves in your music classroom is an important aspect of achieving that kind of student success. In this workshop, participants will explore playful uses of children’s literature as the basis for games, movement, singing, and instrumental exploration in which students can find out more about themselves and connect as a classroom community. Come join us and Play with the Schulwerk!
Gerard Stokes teaches 4-8 general music in Lincoln Public Schools. He obtained his B.S. in Music Education from S.C. State University and his M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Southern Wesleyan University. Gerard has completed his Level III Certification and attends masters classes in Orff-Schulwerk. He served as a member of the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee, as the former chapter president of the Lowcountry Chapter, and currently as President of the New England Chapter of the AOSA. Mr. Stokes has presented at AOSA’s Professional Development Conference in Albuquerque (2023) and Lexington (2025), AOSA’s Professional Learning Network, Teaching with Orff, as well as local AOSA chapters.
Scott Roether - October 17, 2026
Let's Play it by Ear: Exploring Student-Centered Pathways to Musical Understanding
Experience playful teaching processes of both traditional and primary source materials within the Orff Schulwerk while emphasizing teaching processes beyond standard notational literacy. This workshop will explore the world of child's play, creative play with instruments and other materials, and emboldening student creativity by implementing and improvising with their own ideas. Learn the importance of involving student choice and voice to increase their musical understanding and confidence.
Scott Roether is the Lower School Music Specialist at University School near Cleveland, Ohio. Previously, he worked as an arts integration specialist and public school music teacher. Scott completed his Master’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in Orff Schulwerk from the University of St. Thomas and is certified as an AOSA Teacher Educator in Basic Pedagogy, facilitating Level I Basic Pedagogy at the Cobb County Orff Course near Atlanta, GA and Kent State University near Cleveland, OH. He is proud of his involvement in the Greater Cleveland Orff Chapter, serving as Vice President and Program Chair.
Chapter Share - February 6, 2027
Cat Woo - March 13, 2027
The Element of Play
Research shows that play-based learning is the best way for children to acquire new skills. In this session, participants will learn techniques to facilitate a playful elementary music classroom through the Orff process. Skills will be scaffolded through different activities and classroom management tips to “control the chaos” will be modeled.
Cat Woo is an elementary music teacher, AOSA Teacher Educator, and graduate assistant at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Cat has a Bachelors in Music Education degree from New Mexico State University, a Masters in Music from the University of New Mexico, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Music Education from Texas Tech University. Cat is certified in Orff-Schulwerk, Kodaly, World Music Drumming, First Steps in Music, and Conversational Solfege. Cat has studied at the Orff Institut in Salzburg, Austria, and is a Teacher Educator for the American Orff Schulwerk Association. In 2026, Cat won the John Batcheller Award for Teaching Excellence from the New Mexico Music Educators Association.
Laura Bercaw Petersen - April 10, 2027
Visual Arts as Inspiration
Using rich visuals as inspiration, workshop participants will sing, say, move, play, and create their way through the day. Stunning works of art will help spawn ideas for movement, improvisation, speech and song. Come find new ideas to re-energize your music classroom while making important co-curricular connections!
Laura Petersen teaches music in Washington, D.C. She holds Level III and Master Class certifications in Orff Schulwerk and attended the Summer Course at the Orff Institut in Salzburg, Austria. Laura teaches movement in AOSA-approved levels courses and presents locally and nationally. In addition to serving on her local MAC-AOSA board, she served as Region IV Representative on the National Board of Trustees of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. She currently serves as the National Conference Chair for the 2025 AOSA Conference.
Mark Your Calendars!
Already looking ahead? Get excited for our 2027-2028 workshops too!
September 18, 2027 - Jess Dunnick
October, 2027 - Info coming soon
February 5th, 2028 - Chapter Share
March 11th, 2028 - Katie Traxler
April 8th, 2028 - Jamie Jun