The Orffion / PlayNotes on the Web

Amanda Hahn, Editor

The Orffion, NCAOSA’s newsletter, in print since 1978, is a forum for our chapter members and friends to contribute news and information about our teaching, learning, and music-making lives. Starting in the fall of 2006, the new name of PlayNotes appeared. This supports the theme of “The Art of Play” for the Northern California-hosted National Orff Conference and allows us to focus a little on news of preparations and, afterward, our ideas and reflections.

This website houses a digital version of each issue of The Orffion beginning with the Fall 2005 issue. Our most recent editions include web-exclusive content. In addition, we reprint older articles in our classic section from the repository of wonderful past writings. Each article is in PDF format. Enjoy reading!

Click here for our submission guidelines and a consent form

for including children's photos or work.

Current: Volume 31 (2007-2008)

Download Volume XXXI, Number 3, spring 2008

Web-exclusive content:
About receiving a scholarship to attend the AOSA Conference:                                                   "My Rollercoaster Ride" by Mary Ellen Pense
On one of NCAOSA's membership benefits: "Borrowing the Instrumentarium" by Nicole Sumner
From Positive Thinking Magazine: "A Gift of Song"

Download Volume XXXI, Number 2, winter 2008

Download Volume XXXI, Number 1, fall 2007

Web-exclusive content:

San Francisco School Alumni Reminisce, collected by Amanda Hahn.

Recent Volumes:

Download Volume XXX, Number 3, spring 2007.

Download Volume XXX, Number 2, winter 2007.
Web-exclusive content:
Doug Goodkin, Artful Education: notes on Orff-Schulwerk in America
Mahala Bundy's response to Michael Levy's piece, "Brains Stormin' in Harmony: getting small groups to work well"

Download Volume XXX, Number 1, fall 2006

(Requires the latest version of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). Using an older version of Acrobat Reader? Here's a version of the Orffion that might look fine with version 5 and up.
Click here for a list of Dalcroze Eurhythmics resources for the classroom teacher to augment this issue.

Archives: 29 (2005-06)

Download Volume XXIX, Number 3, spring 2006
Includes articles by Nicole Sumner, Jayme Pohl, Matthew Thibeault

Download Volume XXIX, Number 2, winter 2006
Includes articles by Gina Graziano, Kevin Gerzevitz, Matthew Thibeault

Download Volume XXIX, Number 1, fall 2005
Includes articles by Matthew Thibeault, Gina Graziano and Greacian Goeke, Shannon McMillan, Anita Harmon, and Janet Greene

Classic:

Below, we present some of the rich articles from past issues of The Orffion. These are scanned pdfs suitable for printing, so they may take a moment to download.

Back to our roots with our first issue. We're proud to present a pdf of Volume 1, No. 1 of the Orffion (from spring 1978). Enjoy!

"Rediscovering the Elemental" by Doug Goodkin. This article reprinted from the 1986 winter issue.

"Chapter Beginnings," a history of the early days of the NCAOSA, written by Jan Rapley and published in the fall 1985 issue.