My first national AOSA
conference is one for the record books! The sessions I attended were inspiring,
and I was continually impressed by the knowledge, intellect, and musicality of
the presenters, as well as the wonderful organization and high quality of their
presentations. AOSA president Chris Judah-Lauder told me I would be blown away,
and I certainly was! Here are the highlights of the convention, based on the
sessions I attended:
iSchulwerk: Timely
Instruments in a Timeless Approach presented by David Thaxton
Creative use of GarageBand
and MadPad apps within Orff activities. Rather than replacing an existing Orff
instrumentarium with virtual instruments, Thaxton led activities that
incorporated unique sounds created within the GarageBand and MadPad apps. For
me, the most memorable activity of this session involved the use of the MadPad
app. After layering ostinati based on
the rhythm of phrases related to cars and performing first with body percussion
and then on barred instruments, participants transferred the rhythm patterns of
Keetman’s Rhythmische Űbung, Stampfen und
Klatschen, #51 to the recorded sounds present in one of MadPad’s preloaded
pads: the 1991 Honda Accord. The combination of movement with the barred
instruments and digital MadPad sounds resulted in a very exciting and entirely
new musical experience.
Other high spots, in a
nutshell, include:
Risk—Creating Music
in the Moment with Ensembles presented by Anne Fennell
Brilliant!
Singing to
Learn—Learning Basic Choral Techniques Using the Orff Process presented by Brent Holl
Choral
techniques: great examples of process!
Folk Tales from Long
Ago presented
by Jacque Schrader
Terrific creative
storytelling of three Turkish folk tales!
Music and Movement
Activities for the Classroom Teacher presented by Doug Goodkin
Thought-provoking, brilliant,
inspirational!
Rhythmic Creations presented by Rodrigo
Fernandez
Wonderful rhythmic activities
and a terrific Japanese clapping game!
Variations on the
DandiyaRaas Indian Stick Dance presented by Sanna Longden
Authentic folk dancing of
India, and with sticks: wow!!!
New Heights in
Musicianship Through Active Music Listening presented by Brent Gault
Great ideas for active music
listening!
_______________________________________________________
Phyllis
Thomas has taught elementary music
for twenty-two years, the last thirteen of which have been at Bridlewood
Elementary in Flower Mound, TX. She received her BA from Adams State College in
Alamosa, CO and MM from what is now the University of North Texas (UNT). She
completed three levels of Kodály training and one level of Orff training at
UNT. Phyllis is a past Teacher of the Year, a past Model Technology Classroom
teacher, and a recipient of the Lewisville Foundation Award. She is the
co-author and editor of the Music Memory Passport, published by
UIL. She was named a SMART Exemplary Educator in the spring of 2010. Phyllis
has presented a variety of music, technology, and interactive whiteboard
workshops throughout Texas.
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