History of the Orff-Schulwerk in Singapore

The history of Orff-Schulwerk began in1995 with a small group of at-risk students. An Integrated Arts Education Program was set up with developmental and intervention goals in mind. It was noted that children who had experienced failure and difficulties in school found success in the arts a very positive and motivating experience. Children from the 1995 group are now in their teens. They have found skills and values appropriate for their work and study as they cope with the developmental challenges of a teenager.

In the last 10 years, the Schulwerk in Singapore seeks to find a balance between the old and the new, the traditional and the contemporary, and often finds the blurring of lines between the two. The Schulwerk in Singapore acknowledges the works of Carl Orff and draws on the rich reservoir of folk materials in South East Asia. We also acknowledge the philosophies and approaches by Dalcroze, Kodaly, John Cage, Grotowski, and many more modern dancers and artists.

We are grateful for the opportunities in working with teachers and children from Singapore, United States, Myanmar and Africa. They were both teaching and learning experiences for all, and had offered an invaluable wealth of insight and teaching resources.

With the inception of the Orff-Schulwerk Association (Singapore) in 2002, we hope the mustard seed will continue to take roots and grow, where art, education and therapy can be rivers merging into one.