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
2023 - 2024
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Orff & Running
July 28 - 29, 2023
Friday Schedule
Registration 8:30 am - 9:00 am
Workshop 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday Schedule
Workshop - 8:30 am - 3:15 pm
Get Orff and Running into the new school year with Developing the Confident Singer. How do we develop confidence in our musicians? Participants will explore tools to develop young musicians through activities which inspire compassion, courage and confidence.
Dena Byers Dena Byers currently teaches at Hillandale Elementary School and serves as the lead elementary music teacher. She has taught for Durham Public Schools since 1997. She is a National Board Certified and has been honored by being a top four finalist for District Teacher of the Year and receiving the NC Symphony’s Jackson Pankhurst Award for Special Achievement in music education. She is also the Artistic Director for the Durham Children’s Choir (DCC), has been with the organization since its’ founding in 2004. An active member of the American Choral Directors Association and the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, Mrs. Byers has been a guest conductor for a All-State Honors Choirs in MS and TN as well as District All-County Choirs in NC, SC, GA, FL and AL. She has presented workshops for Orff Schulwerk chapters throughout the US and at National AOSA Professional Development Conferences. Dena is an AOSA approved Teacher Educator and currently teaches Level II Orff Schulwerk at the University of Memphis. She received BA degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut, a Masters of Music from the University of Minnesota and holds Level III and Master Level Orff Schulwerk Certifications from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the University of Memphis, respectively.
Managing the Orff Classroom
October 7, 2023
The inherent creativity of the Schulwerk can bring management challenges. How do you build community with your students while reinforcing positive behavior? How do you refine your classroom procedures so that instruction flows seamlessly? How do you structure your lessons so that you facilitate higher-level learning? The Orff Schulwerk approach makes all of this possible. Come learn kid-tested strategies and lessons that will make your classroom an organized, safe learning environment that will lay the groundwork for magical music making!
Tiffany English is currently serving as the Executive Director of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. She is retired from a 29-year teaching career as music specialist in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She holds multiple degrees from the University of Georgia and Piedmont College and has completed post-Level III Orff Schulwerk teacher education and Level I Kodály training. Tiffany also served the American Orff-Schulwerk Association as Region IV representative on the National Board of Trustees, vice president and president of AOSA, and co-chair for the 2014 and 2021 AOSA Professional Development Conferences. Tiffany was named the Teacher of the Year three times in her career and was the Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year in 2007. She presents at numerous conferences and workshops throughout the United States and is a frequent honor chorus clinician. She is currently serving on the Board of Advisors for the International Orff-Schulwerk Forum Salzburg
Creating Cooperatively
January 20, 2024
Activities for building a positive learning environment that fosters cooperation through the Orff Schulwerk. Clinician Freedom Brass will share cooperative learning skills, steps to organize the creative classroom, and lesson ideas that will inspire and guide your students to create joyfully.
Freedom Brass teaches kindergarten through fifth-grade music in Geary County USD 475 in Junction City, Kansas. She completed all three levels of her Orff training as well as master class through Baker University. Freedom was the USD 475 Kansas Teacher of the Year winner in 2020. Her interests include performing flute in pit orchestras for the Junction City Little Theatre as well as Junction City High School musical productions. She loves to hang out with her husband, Ben, her two daughters, and her boxer fur babies.
