2025 - 2026 Workshop Series

Untold Stories and Black Joy

Saturday, October 18, 2025

9:00 am - 1:30 pm

Using children’s literature and the Orff process, with personal anecdotes thrown in, Jeaneau will dive into stories that scratch the surface of our uncomfortable history, including the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. She will also share stories of black joy that would be great in preparation for Black History month or any time of year. Arrive with an open mind ready to continue the work of sharing these stories and more.

Jeaneau Julian is in her 25th year of teaching music. She completed her undergraduate degree in Instrumental Music Education and all of her Kodaly levels from the University of Oklahoma and earned a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Arkansas Tech University. She has completed her Orff Schulwerk Teacher Education levels and has previously served as Treasurer for the Central Arkansas Orff chapter. Outside of school, she provides professional development for elementary music teachers and serves as Vice-President of the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement.

Innovate Your Classroom

Saturday, January 24, 2026

9:00 am - 1:30 pm

Sing, Play, Move, Create with Philly’s own!  Expand your network and your lesson plan database with the PAOSA Chapter Share!  Members will share their "tried and true" lesson ideas that are kid-tested and Orff Schulwerk Teacher approved.  We can’t think of a better way to connect with local OS teachers and walk away with lesson plans for the real world, right now music room. 

Maria Vanesa Utz

Saturday, February 21, 2026

9:00 am - 1:30 pm

Maria Vanesa Utz, a clinical psychologist and music educator from Paraguay, South America, has dedicated over 22 years to nurturing children's development through early music education and choral conducting. With a master’s degree in university didactics and educational sciences, she founded several choral groups and led community and cultural projects in collaboration with UNESCO, UNICEF and universities. As a president of the Ibero-American Association of Education, Arts, and Culture (AICAE), Vanesa supports educators and artists across the Americas and Europe. She also established the EducArtenAccion Center, an intercultural hub providing music, movement, and visual arts learning for children from eighteen months to twelve years old. Her work includes specialized classes for families with neurological and developmental differences, research, and teacher training. Passionate about different cultures of the world, and committed to different learning and psychological approaches, Vanesa excels in creating bilingual music programs, fostering early music stimulation, and designing professional development initiatives to enhance social-emotional learning and community engagement through the arts.

Scott Roether

Saturday, March 21, 2026

9:00 am - 1:30 pm

Scott Roether teaches music and movement at University School in Cleveland, Ohio where he works with boys ages four through ten. Prior to his work at University School, he worked as an arts integration specialist and public school teacher. He has completed Levels training and Curriculum Development, as well as a number of Master Classes and the International Summer Course at the Orff-Institut. In addition to his previous training in Orff Schulwerk, Scott recently completed his coursework for a Master’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in Orff Schulwerk from the University of St. Thomas. He currently serves the Greater Cleveland Chapter as Vice President and Program Chair.

Teach an Old Song New Tricks

Saturday, April 25, 2026

9:00 am - 1:30 pm

Join Kate Bright for an engaging and practical workshop that breathes new life into classic singing games! Participants will explore a variety of time-tested games that foster musical skills, community, and joy in the classroom. Kate will demonstrate how to teach these games with clarity and energy, while also showing ways to adapt them so students can exercise voice and choice—whether through selecting movements, changing lyrics, or inventing new verses.

This workshop will offer fresh strategies to increase student agency and creativity, while still honoring the traditional structure and purpose of each game. Come ready to sing, move, and play—Kate’s dynamic approach will leave you inspired and equipped to bring more student-centered learning into your music room.

Kate Bright is a general music teacher for the West Shore School District in central Pennsylvania. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College, she received her Orff Schulwerk certification at the Philadelphia University of the Arts in 2010 and, in August of 2021, completed her Master’s of Kodály Music Education at the American Kodály Institute.

Kate works with several non-profit organizations to help support elemental music and movement education. She serves as past president on the board of the Greater Baltimore Area Orff Schulwerk Association and serves as secretary for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement. Through ACEMM, Kate organizes and moderates a weekly professional book study that hosts members from across the United States and Canada.

Kate has received several awards for her work in music education. In 2015, she received the Spotlight Award from the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement, and in 2017 she received Lincoln Charter School’s first-ever Staff Member of the Year award. She has also received the ACCLAIM Award from the West Shore School District in 2023 and the Superintendent’s Award from the Shippensburg University Superintendent Study Council.

 
Kate has presented elemental music and movement workshops across the country for Orff Chapters, state music education associations, and three times for the American Orff Schulwerk National Conference. Kate has numerous webinars on Teaching with Orff as well as on F-flat Book’s Learn Platform. She built the website Elemental Musical Adventures for educators to use with their students and maintains a library of useful resources on her website, www.katebright.org, which are free to music and movement educators.
In her community, Kate is the artistic director and the conductor of the Hummelstown Community Singers. She also enjoys folk dancing with her husband, Evan Kaiser, who is the organizer of the Harrisburg Folk Dancers. Kate has published a children’s book, Just Like the Moon, with F-flat books, and is looking forward to releasing her second book, How We Listen, in the fall of 2025.