Ben Torres September 16, 2023
Inspire and Create Through Music
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou. This workshop will focus on ways to motivate and inspire our students’ creativity through body percussion, movement, recorders and other media.
Ben Torres teaches K–5 general music at Woodlawn Elementary in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, where he was named teacher of the year for the 2020-2021 school year. Prior to this, he taught K–6 general music at Brentfield Elementary in Dallas, TX where he was chosen as teacher of the year and where both his choral and Orff ensembles were selected to perform at Texas MEA conventions and the national AOSA Professional Development Conferences. Ben received his bachelor’s degree in music education from West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX and his Orff training and master’s degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He is a certified AOSA-approved teacher educator in movement and recorder and teaches all three levels of movement in the Orff Schulwerk teacher education courses at Trinity University in San Antonio and VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. Ben presents workshops for Orff chapters and school districts across the country.
James Allen October 21, 2023
Come Together As One AS We Move, Create, and Drum!
We will explore new techniques and grooves on the frame drum and tubano while we challenge ourselves with improvisation and composition activities. Moving, grooving, drumming, creating!
James Allen has performed in five national Broadway tours as a drummer and freelance percussionist. He is adept at Latin, African, Middle Eastern percussion, plays jazz, and rock, and is classically trained. James has taught K-5 music for 23 years in Darien, Connecticut. He is treasurer of the Connecticut Orff chapter and has completed Orff levels I and II. He presented at the last National conference in Charleston, South Carolina, and presents workshops to local school districts. James recently wrote an article on frame drums in the elementary classroom for Reverberations, the online AOSA publication.
Fauna Woolfe February 10, 2024
The Art in Play!
Come and play for the day with creative connections in music, movement, literature, and visual art. Together we will share beautiful experiences exploring these connections that foster musical learning through unusual manipulatives, beautiful books, and fun music! Be prepared to move, sing, play recorder, and explore the art in play!
Fauna Woolfe has taught elementary music for 25 years and currently teaches K-5 music at Columbia Valley Elementary in Evergreen Public Schools. She has presented for the AOSA and IOSFS conferences and serves on the International Sunday Sharing USA team, is Past - President of the Portland Orff-Schulwerk Association, and is the Portland Levels Course Director and Recorder Instructor.
Chelsea Cook March 16, 2024
Orffin’ Around! Using the everyday rhythms of life to make connections between diverse learners and the Orff classroom
The session will explore strategies of creating fun arrangements utilizing play party games and improvisation in the urban setting.
Chelsea L. Cook holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance from Clayton State University and Georgia State University respectively. Shortly before finishing her graduate studies, Cook burned with a passion for teaching music. So, she entered the field of elementary music education, where she struggled to gain footing. However, after years of adjustments and keeping hold of her passion, she managed to get through. Her “out of the box” arrangements have given her advanced Orff ensembles a distinct style that has garnered much praise within their community. Cook’s work was so lauded that it became one of Dekalb County’s premier elementary to middle school music programs. Her credits include performances at the White House, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, The Georgia Music Educators Association Conference (GMEA), 4 National Championships, and the William P. Foster’s Program of Distinction Award Recipient. Atlanta Journal Constitution listed her as one of the Top 10 Educators of the 2018 Celebrating Teachers Awards. Cook is also the 2020–2022 Teacher of the Year of Dunaire Elementary, as well as the 2022 Region IV Teacher of the Year for the Dekalb County School District. Cook is Orff Level 3 certified. She completed her Masterclass certification this summer under the leadership of Paul Cribari. Summer 2023, Cook will take her ensemble on its first international tour in London, France and Italy with a special appearance at EuroDisney in Paris.
Andrea Donahoe April 20, 2024
Where to Begin? A Look at Inspiration
Participants will engage in a wide variety of lessons exploring music and movement with the Orff process. Attention will be brought to lesson inspiration: gathering ideas, growing them, and bringing them to life with artistry. Bring your idea seedlings and we’ll help them along!
Andrea Donahoe teaches K-5 music and movement at Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA. Before HRS, she honed her preschool skills at a private, progressive, Mandarin immersion school in San Francisco and built the foundation for her career at two public elementary schools in Wood Dale, IL. She completed her Orff levels at the San Francisco International Orff Course in 2010 and joined the faculty as a part of the Level 1 Team teaching Basic Orff in 2021. In addition to being an AOSA teacher educator, Andrea has presented workshops and sessions at the local, state, and national level and has been an active leader in her local Orff chapters. She spent six years as Vice President for the Fox Valley Chapter in Illinois and is the current Past President of the Northern California AOSA Chapter.