WORKSHOPS 2024-2025
We are so excited to continue offering workshops in person once again next year. Registration will be available in the fall for all 2024-2025 workshops. Check back for the most up to date details and information. Starting 2023-24, AOSA membership will be required to register for all IOSA conferences and workshops.
IDAHO WORKSHOPS 2024-2025
Fall 2024 Workshop October 4th-5th, 9:00am-4:00pm: Presenter Tim Wiegand
Location TBD
Tim Wiegand graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in Music Education, and received his Masters Degree with an "emphasis in Orff-Schulwerk" from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Tim has been teaching Elementary General Music in the Clark County School District for over 20 years and is a regular presenter for school district staff developments. Tim directed performance groups at the 2002 AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association) Conference. In 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, and 2015 Tim also presented sessions at the AOSA National Conference. Tim has been presenting Orff workshops all over the US and Canada since 2004. Being a percussionist, the field of Orff-Schulwerk has been a natural fit for Tim.
Go to www.viegansong.com for more information about Tim.
Go to www.viegansong.com for more information about Tim.
February 22nd 2025, 9:00am-4:00pm: Presenter Deb Navin
Location TBD
Mrs. Debra Navin teaches elementary music at Greenfield & Beverly Elementary Schools for the Birmingham Public Schools in Michigan. Mrs. Navin holds a BM in Music Education from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and a MS in Elementary Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is certified in Orff-Schulwerk and has training in Music Learning Theory and World Music Drumming. Debra has taught Pre-K through 6th grade General, Vocal and Instrumental music in MA, PA and MI since 2001. Mrs. Navin plays the Piano, Harp, Flute, Guitar, and Handbells. She is a frequent national presenter for music teacher workshops and a former board member of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. She serves on the editorial team for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association online publication, 'Reverberations.' She lives with her three children and husband in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Click here to contact Mrs. Navin by email at [email protected]
April 5th 2025 Chapter Share, 9:00am-4:00pm:
Location TBD
Join us as we continue the tradition of learning from our scholarship recipients.
More Idaho Workshop Info.
MORE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Various Dates: Idaho Orff Chapter Meetings, Online
These sessions are a fun way to see your music teachers across the state and help you earn PD credit. Check your email regularly for info. about upcoming dates and sessions. If you don't regularly receive our emails, click here to let us know you would like to be added to the email list, send an email to [email protected], or visit our facebook page, Friends of Idaho Orff, to see when the next session is. You'll also find information posted on our homepage as these sessions are scheduled throughout the year.
ARCHIVE - Past IOSA Workshops
IDAHO WORKSHOPS 2023-2024

February 24th, 2024: Kate Miller Workshop,
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Volumes and You! What YOU can do!
Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you look at the Music for Children Orff Schulwerk Volumes? Are you afraid to admit that you don’t use the volumes like you think you should? You are not alone!
This presentation gives a ‘down to earth’ perspective of how to use the volumes! Ideas and suggestions are shared to help get you started using and understanding the volumes like an Orff teacher should!
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
The Volumes and You! What YOU can do!
Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you look at the Music for Children Orff Schulwerk Volumes? Are you afraid to admit that you don’t use the volumes like you think you should? You are not alone!
This presentation gives a ‘down to earth’ perspective of how to use the volumes! Ideas and suggestions are shared to help get you started using and understanding the volumes like an Orff teacher should!
Saturday, January 20th, 2024: Chapter Share & Instrument Repair
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Learn how to repair your Orff xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels. Join us for some fun folk dancing and movement ideas. Also learn how to take children's literature and turn them into wonderful performances!
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Learn how to repair your Orff xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels. Join us for some fun folk dancing and movement ideas. Also learn how to take children's literature and turn them into wonderful performances!
October 6-7, 2023: BethAnn Hepburn
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa
8:30 am - 4:00 pm

About the Workshop:
Friday: Invitations for Creativity
Manipulatives invite students to work together to create movement and music that is their own. This workshop will focus on students working with a partner or a group to create their own movement, rhythm, and melodies. Discover ways to use manipulatives to meet individual student needs and spark student creativity. Explore objects hands-on to inspire rhythm building bricks and phrases to develop larger ensembles. The lessons will be focused on both primary and upper elementary classroom lessons, join us and put creative ideas right in the palms of your hands! Please bring a recorder.
Saturday: Level Up! Bumping Up Games & Rhymes!
We will "level up" in two ways: we will "level up" from grades K -5 with a variety of singing games. Each of the games will go to the next level by focusing on student creativity through the Orff Schulwerk process that focuses on improvisation, composition, and ensemble extensions of games. We will also bump up rhymes by using rhymes and poems as the impetus to guide student elemental ensemble creations.
About BethAnn: BethAnn holds a Bachelor of Music from Cleveland State University, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from The University of St. Thomas, MN. She teaches 4-6th grade general music in Streestboro, Ohio, where she has the state designation of Master Teacher. She is an instructor for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association’s teacher education certification program and has served on faculty for Orff-Schulwerk teacher education courses at Villanova University, Trinity University and the University of Hawaii. Beth Ann has worked with teachers and children in China, Singapore, Scotland, and India. She has taught music methods courses at Cleveland State University and the University of Akron. Beth Ann is a regular presenter at regional, state and national conferences, has served on the AOSA National Board of Trustees and served as their professional development chair. Beth Ann is professional development chair for General Music for the Ohio Music Education Association, serves as Music Education Consultant at Music is Elementary, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement.
“It’s a joy to share lessons that bring out the unique creativity of children. A Schulwerk-based classroom fosters a sense of community as well as individual contribution to that collective. AOSA is synonymous with that model, and I am honored to be asked to contribute to the efforts of AOSA by sharing this work with others!”
Friday: Invitations for Creativity
Manipulatives invite students to work together to create movement and music that is their own. This workshop will focus on students working with a partner or a group to create their own movement, rhythm, and melodies. Discover ways to use manipulatives to meet individual student needs and spark student creativity. Explore objects hands-on to inspire rhythm building bricks and phrases to develop larger ensembles. The lessons will be focused on both primary and upper elementary classroom lessons, join us and put creative ideas right in the palms of your hands! Please bring a recorder.
Saturday: Level Up! Bumping Up Games & Rhymes!
We will "level up" in two ways: we will "level up" from grades K -5 with a variety of singing games. Each of the games will go to the next level by focusing on student creativity through the Orff Schulwerk process that focuses on improvisation, composition, and ensemble extensions of games. We will also bump up rhymes by using rhymes and poems as the impetus to guide student elemental ensemble creations.
About BethAnn: BethAnn holds a Bachelor of Music from Cleveland State University, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from The University of St. Thomas, MN. She teaches 4-6th grade general music in Streestboro, Ohio, where she has the state designation of Master Teacher. She is an instructor for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association’s teacher education certification program and has served on faculty for Orff-Schulwerk teacher education courses at Villanova University, Trinity University and the University of Hawaii. Beth Ann has worked with teachers and children in China, Singapore, Scotland, and India. She has taught music methods courses at Cleveland State University and the University of Akron. Beth Ann is a regular presenter at regional, state and national conferences, has served on the AOSA National Board of Trustees and served as their professional development chair. Beth Ann is professional development chair for General Music for the Ohio Music Education Association, serves as Music Education Consultant at Music is Elementary, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement.
“It’s a joy to share lessons that bring out the unique creativity of children. A Schulwerk-based classroom fosters a sense of community as well as individual contribution to that collective. AOSA is synonymous with that model, and I am honored to be asked to contribute to the efforts of AOSA by sharing this work with others!”
IDAHO WORKSHOPS 2022-2023
February 25, 2023: David Rowe
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa

About the Workshop:
About David: A Nebraska native and Midwesterner at heart, David Row now lives and teaches in the Kansas City Metro. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory, completed Orff Schulwerk Master level certification, and has extensive experience with critical thinking in the arts. Find more ideas about music education on David's blog, www.makemomentsmatter.org.
About David: A Nebraska native and Midwesterner at heart, David Row now lives and teaches in the Kansas City Metro. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory, completed Orff Schulwerk Master level certification, and has extensive experience with critical thinking in the arts. Find more ideas about music education on David's blog, www.makemomentsmatter.org.
October 7-8, 2022, 8:30am-4:00pm: Matthew Stensrud
Real Life Community Church (Nampa, ID)
120 14th Ave. South, Nampa, ID, 83651
Real Life Community Church (Nampa, ID)
120 14th Ave. South, Nampa, ID, 83651

About the Workshop:
Day 1: With the implementation of Responsive Classroom in elementary schools across the country, music educators can be an influential voice in the successful use of this process based, community driven and exploration centered approach. Today, we’ll learn more about the basics of Responsive Classroom, how it looks in the elementary classroom, and why Responsive Classroom is a natural fit within Orff Schulwerk. So let’s play, sing, speak, dance, move, and create!
Day 2: There’s always a place for creation – a folk dance with a twist, a chance to explore the xylophone, or an opportunity to see what your body can do with one word – but pulling these ideas from our students can be challenging. Let’s go back to the Schulwerk roots of playfulness, discovery, and wonder as we explore these ideas and more through student-led choices, improvisation, risk-taking, and more. We’ll unearth the unexpected, so join us on the journey!
About Matthew: Matthew Stensrud is an internationally-acclaimed and award-winning Elementary Music and Movement Teacher and currently teaches PK-4 music and movement at Sidwell Friends Lower School in Washington, DC. He received his Master of Music Education from George Mason University and Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, is an Orff Schulwerk approved Teacher Educator of Movement, and teaches Movement Levels in New Jersey and Oregon. Matthew is also on AOSA National Board of Trustees as a representative for region 5 and was a key content contributor to the book Responsive Classroom for Music, Art, PE and Other Special Areas. He is also well-known on social media as @MisterSOrff and offers newsletters through his website www.mistersorff.com and mentoring, lesson plans, and more on his Patreon page, www.patreon.com/mistersorff.
Day 1: With the implementation of Responsive Classroom in elementary schools across the country, music educators can be an influential voice in the successful use of this process based, community driven and exploration centered approach. Today, we’ll learn more about the basics of Responsive Classroom, how it looks in the elementary classroom, and why Responsive Classroom is a natural fit within Orff Schulwerk. So let’s play, sing, speak, dance, move, and create!
Day 2: There’s always a place for creation – a folk dance with a twist, a chance to explore the xylophone, or an opportunity to see what your body can do with one word – but pulling these ideas from our students can be challenging. Let’s go back to the Schulwerk roots of playfulness, discovery, and wonder as we explore these ideas and more through student-led choices, improvisation, risk-taking, and more. We’ll unearth the unexpected, so join us on the journey!
About Matthew: Matthew Stensrud is an internationally-acclaimed and award-winning Elementary Music and Movement Teacher and currently teaches PK-4 music and movement at Sidwell Friends Lower School in Washington, DC. He received his Master of Music Education from George Mason University and Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, is an Orff Schulwerk approved Teacher Educator of Movement, and teaches Movement Levels in New Jersey and Oregon. Matthew is also on AOSA National Board of Trustees as a representative for region 5 and was a key content contributor to the book Responsive Classroom for Music, Art, PE and Other Special Areas. He is also well-known on social media as @MisterSOrff and offers newsletters through his website www.mistersorff.com and mentoring, lesson plans, and more on his Patreon page, www.patreon.com/mistersorff.
January 28, 2023, 8:30am-4:00pm: Chapter Share
Location: Real Life Community Church, 120 14th Ave. South, Nampa
2022 National Conference Chapter Share
Join us as our scholarship recipients, members, and Board share out what they learned from the national conference in November.
Join us as our scholarship recipients, members, and Board share out what they learned from the national conference in November.
IDAHO WORKSHOPS 2021-2022

October 1-2, 2021, 8:30am-4:00pm: Kris Olsen Workshop
Real Life Community Church (Nampa, ID)
120 14th Ave. South, Nampa, ID, 83651
Music and Movement for Everyone!
In this 2-day workshop, Kris will share her favorite Orff based lesson for students of all ages. For our youngest students, we’ll explore adapted folk dance, fanciful finger plays, silly songs, and the world of pretend. For older children, we’ll build rhythmic skills through body percussion, cup passing, barred instruments, and bucket drumming. Woven throughout will be lots of movement to support creativity, musicality, and artistry.
Real Life Community Church (Nampa, ID)
120 14th Ave. South, Nampa, ID, 83651
Music and Movement for Everyone!
In this 2-day workshop, Kris will share her favorite Orff based lesson for students of all ages. For our youngest students, we’ll explore adapted folk dance, fanciful finger plays, silly songs, and the world of pretend. For older children, we’ll build rhythmic skills through body percussion, cup passing, barred instruments, and bucket drumming. Woven throughout will be lots of movement to support creativity, musicality, and artistry.
April 9, 2022, 8:30am-4:00pm: Chapter Share,
In Person, Birch Elementary
6900 Birch Lane, Nampa, ID
2021 National Conference Chapter Share
Join us as our scholarship recipients, members, and Board share out what they learned from the national conference in November.
In Person, Birch Elementary
6900 Birch Lane, Nampa, ID
2021 National Conference Chapter Share
Join us as our scholarship recipients, members, and Board share out what they learned from the national conference in November.
IDAHO WORKSHOPS 2020-2021

October 2-3, 2020: Kate Bright Workshop, Online
Join Kate Bright as she takes you around the school in 80 beats! In this workshop, participants will explore the world of the Orff process and find new ways to sing, say, move, and play - with a special focus on the recorder. By using simple speech patterns, folk dances and easily created/obtainable manipulatives, teachers will learn how to process rhythms inside and outside the world of 4/4.
Join Kate Bright as she takes you around the school in 80 beats! In this workshop, participants will explore the world of the Orff process and find new ways to sing, say, move, and play - with a special focus on the recorder. By using simple speech patterns, folk dances and easily created/obtainable manipulatives, teachers will learn how to process rhythms inside and outside the world of 4/4.
January 23, 2021: Annual Chapter Share, Online
Scholarship recipients and members shared out what they had learned from the International Orff Conference in November.
Scholarship recipients and members shared out what they had learned from the International Orff Conference in November.
February 20, 2021: Multiple Clinicians Workshop, Online

Thom Bordun- Rhythms and Rhymes for Live and Virtual Times
Whether you teach live, blended or completely virtual, this is the session for you. Teachers will be invited into the familiar language of rhythm and rhyme through singing games that engage students both in live classrooms as well as virtual experiences. Using both the Orff approach and Kodaly method sequence, Thom shares activities that meet the conceptual needs of your Fall lessons while addressing the "lost" skills from possible school closures last Spring. Additionally, suggestions and strategies for play-alongs and skill building are shared. The handout will include a complete process and bibliography of children's literature titles used or referenced.
Whether you teach live, blended or completely virtual, this is the session for you. Teachers will be invited into the familiar language of rhythm and rhyme through singing games that engage students both in live classrooms as well as virtual experiences. Using both the Orff approach and Kodaly method sequence, Thom shares activities that meet the conceptual needs of your Fall lessons while addressing the "lost" skills from possible school closures last Spring. Additionally, suggestions and strategies for play-alongs and skill building are shared. The handout will include a complete process and bibliography of children's literature titles used or referenced.

Paul Cribari

Paul Weller- Movement and Melody: Continuing the Orff Process Through Multiple Teaching Scenarios
We can still sing, say, dance and play as we go from Distance learning to hybrid to all in person. Whatever our situation and our safety concerns, we can make music and dance and use these experiences to pull our students through all these changes.
We can still sing, say, dance and play as we go from Distance learning to hybrid to all in person. Whatever our situation and our safety concerns, we can make music and dance and use these experiences to pull our students through all these changes.

Saturday, April 24, 10am: Lori Conlon Khan, Online
Lori will share a number of things including Orff piggyback songs, history of the Schulwerk, speech pieces with movement, utilizing chidren's books to create a sound story, and will highlight the song "Ding, Dong, Digga Digga, Dong" from Volume 1. You are sure to gain something from this workshop and won't want to miss it!
Lori will share a number of things including Orff piggyback songs, history of the Schulwerk, speech pieces with movement, utilizing chidren's books to create a sound story, and will highlight the song "Ding, Dong, Digga Digga, Dong" from Volume 1. You are sure to gain something from this workshop and won't want to miss it!