AOSA, our parent organization, has unified the fee structure for all local chapters.
(The national organization directly impacts our local chapter, most notably by providing liability insurance at no cost).
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There will no longer be a local membership fee. To be a local chapter member (and have voting rights or serve on the board), you must be a member of our national organization AOSA ($94 per year).
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The requirement to join AOSA to be a local member is waived for 1st year teachers, retired teachers, and undergraduate college students (although we do encourage you to join our national organization). In addition, 1st year teachers and undergrad college students get free workshops and retired teachers have a significant discount.
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Regular workshop attendees who are not an AOSA member will pay a higher amount for workshops. The additional fees assessed by KOC will be sent directly to AOSA for their operating costs.
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If you are an AOSA member, we will be offering workshop packages this year at a discount if you pay in full.
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All AOSA members have one workshop guest pass they can use per year to invite a teacher for free who’s never attended a KOC workshop before.
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Below is a table outlining the new fee structure including the AOSA changes.
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Kansas Orff Chapter Workshops are open to anyone interested in learning about the Orff Schulwerk model.
You do not need Orff Schulwerk certification 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.
Graduate credit is available through Baker University. Workshop participants can receive one hour of graduate credit for attending “both” the October and January workshops. One hour of graduate credit is also available for those attending the two day Orff-n-Running workshop in late July or August.
Kansas Orff Chapter Workshops
2024 - 2025
Elemental Play
October 5, 2024
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Northern Hills Elementary School
5620 NW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS 66617
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.
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.
Playing with the Schulwerk
July 25 & 26, 2025
Friday July 25, 2025 9:00am-4:00pm (hour for lunch)
Saturday July 26, 2025 9:00am-4:00pm (hour for lunch)
Shawnee, KS
Exact location TBD
Using a variety of approaches, from board games to singing games and everything in between, participants will immerse themselves in the process of Orff Schulwerk.
Josh Southard is the Music Specialist at Smoky Row Elementary School in Carmel, IN where he teaches K-5 music. He is a past recipient of the Smoky Row Teacher of the Year and Indiana Elementary Music Teacher of the Year awards. He has served as President for the Indiana Orff chapter, the Board of Trustees for the American Orff Schulwerk Association, and is Past-President for AOSA.
Josh is a featured presenter at Orff workshops around the country, state and national conferences, Carl Orff Canada, and teaches Level I, II, and III Basic Pedagogy at various teacher education summer courses. He has had articles published in the Orff Echo, and is the author of the book “Sing and Play, Stories All Day” from Beatin’ Path Publications.
Smoky Row Elementary Music Room website: www.smokyrowmusicroom.org
REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON
BAKER CREDIT LINK COMING SOON