American Orff-Schulwerk Association


The American Orff-Schulwerk Association is an organization of American music educators dedicated to utilizing, advancing and preserving Orff-Schulwerk, a developmental learning approach to music education which was created by composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman. It is an affiliate of the National Association for Music Education, the National Music Council, and the Orff-Schulwerk Forum in Salzburg, Austria. With approximately 4,500 members, it is one of the larger professional organizations for music educators in the United States.
AOSA offers several opportunities for professional development, including an annual national conference and the quarterly academic journal The Orff Echo. The organization has 96 local chapters throughout the United States which also provide workshops locally to their members. AOSA is also responsible for accrediting and organizing graduate level certifications in Orff-Schulwerk at numerous universities throughout the United States. A certificate in Orff-Schulwerk requires the successful completion of three graduate level courses in Orff-Schulwerk.

History

AOSA was founded in 1968 in Muncie, Indiana by ten music teachers. Its founding members were:
The following is a list of universities that offer AOSA accredited graduate music studies in Orff-Schulwerk: