The Orff-Institute, Salzburg, has invited the CDM Centro Didattico Musicale, Rome, to present in a guest course the main features of the music and dance projects it carries out in various nursery and primary schools in Rome and in Italy.

In the last years the CDM team has developed many-sided experiences in conceiving, planning, implementing and evaluating different kinds of projects with schools.
The main organizational traits of these projects have been illustrated in a lecture that focused on
- target groups (schools, children, class teachers)
- context analysis and planning
- concepts for different groups and lengths (goals, contents, methods)
- themes from the areas Music / Dance / Speech / Theater in integration with other school subjects
- effectiveness of music projects in the perspective of children, class teachers, parents and music teachers
- training and supervision of music teachers working in schools

The pedagogical approach of CDM music teachers is essentially based on the Elemental music and dance education according to the Orff-Schulwerk. In the last years the CDM is integrating the Orff-Schulwerk concept with theoretical and practical indications derived from E.Gordon’s Music Learning Theory – a cognitive approach to music learning and teaching.
In a workshop the participants have experienced some models of the integration Orff-Schulwerk / MLT, as these have been developed with children of nursery and primary schools.
The main contents of the activities have been:
- tonal and rhythm patterns as a unit of speech, music and movement
- practising patterns - listening, imitating, inventing – within an imaginary and playful context
- rhythm patterns, layered ostinatos and phrases
- tonal patterns, modal scales and Orff-Instruments
- creativity in music: patterns as elemental units for improvising and composing
- from experience to theory: developmental stages of literacy
- aside and beyond cognitive processes in music: emotions, relationships in the group, integration of other arts

CDM is thankful to Barbara Haselbach, Manuela Widmer, Michel Widmer and Micaela Grüner for the organization and support.

On the integration Orff-Schulwerk - Music Learning Theory see also CDM contribution during the last Orff-Schulwerk Symposion 2006 "In Dialogue"
- Dialogue Gordon-Sangiorgio
- Workshop Sangiorgio

More details on CDM projects in schools (in Italian)

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