Orff and the ‘ivory tower’: fostering critique as a mode of legitimation

Abstract

This article begins by recounting the development and implementation of a unique, mutual agreement between the School of Education at the University of Waikato and Orff New Zealand Aotearoa (ONZA) to develop three master’s-level courses in Orff Music Education: Theory and Practice. The rationale for this project is detailed and related to changing conceptions of postgraduate study and debates about continuing ‘professional learning’ for teachers. It is argued that at the heart of the exercise is a problematic around theorization. How can an approach to pedagogy such as Orff Schulwerk be incorporated into a programme that demands critical reflexivity? A number of ‘solutions’ to this problematic are provided. A case is made that involves teachers (as practitioners and prospective researchers) in addressing this problematic and will have positive consequences for Orff Schulwerk in New Zealand (and beyond), and for debates about classroom pedagogy in general.