Erasmus+ – Orff Brings Us Together

Inclusion practices are based on the idea that students have individual differences and needs and that they do not interfere with education. As a result of the meetings held by all the teachers of our school under the leadership of our project team that inclusive practises which has ongoing infrastructure building works and hopeful work in the near future, needs to be experienced. In the context of inclusion experience; it is agreed that the project is the main axis will be the elementary musical activities which is one of the most effective tool for self-awareness, development of self-esteem, communication with peers and social inclusion. The idea what we reached is,The Orff-Schulwerk Music Method is a basic music and movement education approach developed by Carl Orff (1895-1982), a German composer and music educator. Orff-Schulwerk is an effective music teaching that provides a place for all individuals in the direction of their talents, thus providing a musical environment in which any individual can take part. The Orff approach is based on the natural behavior of individuals in a particular way and using their whole body, starting from the idea that each individual has a unique ability and the work carried out with the Orff approach allows people with different abilities and disabilities to meet in a common environment with the integration feature.

Our goal is by our Project which is “Orff Brings Us Together”, in the framework of the inclusive education which is already being implemented in Europe and the infrastructure has been started in our country, gathering students who needs special education with their normal developing peers and starting out from basic music activities and carrying out activities in cooperation and division of labor and by this way gaining empathy and adaptation skills.

Because we have serious deficiencies in the context of integration in our region, we aimed to make a difference with our local partner students who will be special education teachers of the future and our students with disabilities who are educated at our school and aimed to be an example to our society and so we planned to bring normal and disabled students between the ages of 16-19 from different parts of Turkey, from Turkey as 2 partner schools brought students who is ‘as special education teachers of the future’ child development department students and special education students, Italy, Romania and Greece. Our project carried out 2 Learning, Teaching, Training activities. First meeting which is named of “Meeting Orff, Meeting in Turkey” was held in Turkey in 26 February and 01 March 2019. 2 participants from each schools, 6 participants from our foreign partners, 10 teachers from our school and 6 teachers from our local partner, 22 participants in total, met at our hosts for 4 days. They had a training to know about Orff-Schulwerk musical method and they planed games and activities what can be applied together by all participant students for 4 days in the second LTT.

Our second meeting was held in Italy between 21-24 May 2019 which is named of “Orff Brought Us Together in Italy” with 8 students who needs special education, 15 students who doesn’t need and 13 teachers, 36 participants as total. They experienced Orff-Schulwerk musical method together and performed on the stage and by this way they discovered and expressed themselves by music-rhythm-dance centered improvisations and activities and put out products with collabration, besides contributed to a happy and productive European society by increasing the awareness and tolerance of different languages, cultures and individuals.

To reach this goal, many effective dissemination activities are done such as seminar studies, project website creation and updating of existing web sites of schools, Erasmus + panels, local and social media tools, promotional products. Orff Brings Us Together e-Twinning project was implemented. New Erasmus+ projects decision have been taken to contribute to the sustainability and durability of the projects after the end of the project.

Experiencing The Orff-Schulwerk Musical Method, which is actively implemented as part of inclusive education in schools in many European countries, with the knowledge and experience of our partner schools and the colleagues and gaining new ideas together then recognizing and widespread in our country and contributes to the social integration and harmony environment is the most important result of our project.