John Patrick Murphy: Adapting Orff to Piano Lessons

John Patrick Murphy, Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the four stages of the Orff Schulwerk process of teaching music and their application in the context of piano lessons: imitation, exploration, labeling, and creation. Topics addressed include play, movement and vocal activities, experiencing concepts before labeling, the pedagogical value of incorporating percussion instruments into piano lessons, games, rote teaching, and group lessons.