Welcome back for another year of making music, making connections, and filling our teacher toolkits with fresh Orff ideas! In Orffin’ Around, nationally recognized music educator Chelsea L. Cook invites participants to explore how playground games, popular culture, movement, speech, body percussion, and familiar life experiences can become powerful gateways to musical understanding. Rooted in the philosophy of Orff Schulwerk, this high-energy, hands-on workshop demonstrates how culturally relevant experiences can deepen engagement while developing rhythmic literacy, ensemble skills, improvisation, creativity, and musical independence. Participants will leave with ready-to-use lessons, engaging activities, and fresh strategies for connecting diverse learners to the Orff classroom by transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary musical experiences. Come ready to move, play, laugh, and rediscover that the rhythms of everyday life are often the best place to begin making music.

Chelsea L. Cook

September 19, 2026  9am-1pm

Riverside University High School

1615 E Locust St, Milwaukee, WI 53211

Sometimes we don't need more resources... we need a new way to think about resources we already have! In this session, we'll explore both new repertoire and creative approaches to familiar favorites. Participants will discover how a single song can become a springboard for improvisation, arrangement, movement, notational literacy, and more. Whether you're new to repertoire-based teaching or have been teaching this way for decades, this workshop is for you. You'll walk away with new songs and fresh eyes to re-imagine your favorites. Join us virtually this January for some PD in your PJ's! 

Victoria Boler

January 23, 2027 10am - Noon CST

Virtual Workshop via Zoom