Conversational Solfege with Orff Schulwerk, Greene, Spring 2026

Course Number:	EDX 5710 S05
Instructor:	Elizabeth "Betsy" Greene,
Location:	Asynchronous Online
Dates and Times:	Jan 20 - Mar 24, 2026. Six 1-hour meetings online: Tuesdays, 7-8 pm Eastern. Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Mar. 3, and Mar. 10, 2026.
Credits:	1.5 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	Set by and payable to MusicCOMP

Course Description

Discover ways to thoughtfully develop the musicianship of your students with activities that use a high level of engagement with creativity and student input. A close look and experience with the Feierabend Approach (Conversational Solfege) and the Orff Approach or Orff Schulwerk will be the focus for study as well as how to integrate them meaningfully into your teaching. This course will help you to reflect on your own teaching in a way that will encourage you to prioritize best practices regardless of the method(s) you use. Prior experience with Conversational Solfege and/or Orff Schulwerk is/are recommended but not required.

Audience: Classroom Music Educators with an earned Bachelor's Degree

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

Understanding of Conversational Solfege and Orff Schulwerk (Introduction, Philosophy, and Practice);
Strategies for Integrating Conversational Solfege and Orff Schulwerk; Integrated Activities through the 12 Steps;
Lesson Planning and Unit Planning

Course Objectives: The objectives of this course are as follows:

To develop a better understanding of how to successfully blend Conversational Solfege with the Orff Schulwerk approach using student choice with speech, movement, and/or instrumental/body percussion.
To experience classroom-ready activities incorporating Conversational Solfege (CS) unit material with Orff extensions.
To create and integrate meaningful Orff extensions into the Conversational Solfege curriculum.
To understand how Conversational Solfege integrated with Orff Schulwerk enhances student agency and is culturally responsive.

Course Schedule

Instructional Sequence

Week 1 - Online 7-8 pm: Overview of Conversational Solfege; Read article # 1 then submit journal entry under Readings; Read pages 1-16 from required text, then submit journal entry #1 under Conversational Solfege; Read pages 17-58 from required text, then submit journal entry #2 under Conversational Solfege.

Week 2 - Online 7-8 pm: Overview of Orff Schulwerk; Read article #3 and #4, then submit a journal entry for each under Readings. Read pages 63-85 from required text, then submit journal entry #3 under Conversational Solfege.

Week 3 - Online 7-8 pm: Strategies for Integrating Conversational Solfege with Orff Schulwerk;

Role of Conversational Solfege Techniques; Read pages 86-178 from required text, then submit journal entry #4 under Conversational Solfege; Read articles #2 and #5, then submit a journal entry for each under Readings.

Week 4 - Online 7-8 pm: Activities Conversational Solfege Steps 1-5 and Orff Schulwerk; Read pages 181-269 from required text, then submit journal entry #5 under Conversational Solfege. Review model integrated activities in your Google Classroom under Resources.

Week 5 - Online 7-8 pm: Activities Conversational Solfege Steps 6-12 and Orff Schulwerk; Begin working on Final Project due March 24, 2026.

Week 6 - Putting it all together - Making it work; Continue work on Final Project due March 24, 2026.

Required Texts

Feierabend, John. Conversational Solfege Level 1 Teacher's Edition. GIA Publications, Inc: Chicago, 2000. Includes Conversational Solfege Supplement (2022)

https://giamusic.com/resource/conversational-solfege-level-1-teachers-edition-book-g5380

Required Articles:

Hughes, M. (2022, August 29). Who's who and what's what. Music ConstructED. https://www.musicconstructed.com/tool/whos-who-and-whats-what/

Economidou Stavrou, N. (2024). Embracing diversity through differentiated instruction in music education. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1501354. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1501354

Pridmore, C. (2025, March 3). What is Orff Schulwerk process? Teaching With Orff. https://teachingwithorff.com/what-is-orff-schulwerk-process/

Boler, V. (2021, April 21). Types of borduns in elementary general music. Teaching With Orff. https://teachingwithorff.com/types-of-borduns-in-elementary-general-music/

McQueen, R. (2022). Enhancing student agency in the primary music classroom through culturally responsive practice. Teachers and Curriculum, 22(2), 89–98. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1367776 (link to full text: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1367776.pdf)

For additional course information

Elizabeth "Betsy" Greene

(802) 373-0730

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325

This course requires registration with MusicCOMP first. Click on the Register Now! button below. Once you register with MusicCOMP, MusicCOMP will then give you the university credit registration link.