Carl Orff Project in Anatolia

06.02.2016

Nowadays, where we are feeling the importance of education more than ever in our country, the Orff-Approach, which is supporting natural skills and emphasising creativity, not only within music education, but in each education branches, with regard to Multiple Intelligences based methods, preserves its leading global role. Unfortunately in Turkey, the Orff-Approach is not as yet included into the curriculum of the Universities. Therefore, despite the efforts of Fatoş Auernig, Manager of  “Orff Schulwerk Centre Turkey” and idealistic, young teachers, the Orff-Approach could not be propagated in the desired way.

Due to the supplement with the title “Music Education in Turkey and Orff-Approach” of the classical music magazine “Andante” published in June 2015 with support of Güher & Süher Pekinel, the international work of “Carl Orff Schulwerk” and the educational situation of Turkish instructors, teaching the Orff-Approach, was propagated for the first time to a larger readership, including the opinions and analyses of the most important international pedagogues and specialists.

As a continuation of this commitment and the “Orff Project Anatolia”, started by Pekinels’ in 2010 the efforts in this field have won a new dimension due to the financial sponsoring from Finansbank, which has the same vision concerning children’s education in Turkey, especially in Anatolia on the subject of mathematics. Three young pedagogues, who are trained specially on Orff education within the system “Orff Schulwerk Centre Turkey”, will be trained on the highest level together with an elected international group for the first time, at the “Special Course” of the “Orff İnstitute/Mozarteum University Salzburg” where they will learn the Orff-Approach in detail. This intensive two-semester course of 9 months will start in 2016/2017 and will be realized in English by the most important international pedagogues. Beside the education, and the living costs, also the English language training will be financed. Under the agreement made with the new sponsor, the important long-term support for this unique project in Turkey will be continued in 2017/2018 with new scholars, which is most important for the continuity of the project.

As a condition for the scholarship, the three pedagogues will come back to Turkey after their education at the “Orff İnstitute/Mozarteum University Salzburg” and will teach in fixed program periods the Orff-Approach in detail to music teachers in different Turkish cities and village schools in Anatolia within three years. The financial support will continue here as well. Due to their branches in Anatolia, Finansbank could offer a long-term support for the pedagogues in this area and contribute to the educational work. As a result of the domino effect, for the first time within this education it will be possible, that the vision of Orff-Schulwerk will reach thousands of children.

Orff Project Anatolia also aims to elevate the education vision at the Universities Music Departments. By integrating the Orff-Approach into the curriculum of the Universities, professional pedagogues, who have completed their education abroad, could teach student teachers the Orff-Approach in detail, after their return to Turkey. Furthermore this curriculum would help to manage the Master and Doctorate Programs in a much more effective and supporting way.

There is no doubt that the Orff-Approach has an instantly positive and important impact on music education. It is worldwide established, especially in America, Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany and Finland, which is prominent for its educational system. İn the opinion of Prof. Dr. Barbara Haselbach, Presiding Officer of the “Orff Schulwerk Forum Salzburg”, this project, which could change in Turkey the insufficient training conditions in this field, is the second big venture to propagate the Orff-Education in Turkey, concerning the first cooperation of Carl Orff and Prof. Muzaffer Arkan in 1950.

Another similar column of this work is Finansbanks’ educational project for children called “Fantastic Mathematic”, which is sharing a complementary vision. Accordingly, mathematic is taught in 6 Cities and more than 100 schools in a creative manner. As known, mathematic and music have complementary thought structures. Children with mathematical talents have easier access to Music of any kind.