Department of Music
College of Liberal Arts
The Department of Music is committed to providing high quality educational opportunities in music education, performance, and technology, enabling students to develop the skills required to assume leadership roles in music education, the music industry, and supporting fields. The Department of Music offers courses and performance opportunities which broaden the musical education in the liberal arts tradition and provide artistic enrichment for students, faculty, the community, state and nation.
Level I, II, III & Masterclass
Mississippi Orff #100
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Jackson State University
30th Orff-Schulwerk Summer Certification Course
July 6 – 17, 2026 – Level I, II, III
July 6 – 10, 2026 – Masterclass
Level I
This course is recommended for those with no previous Orff-Schulwerk training and will include:
- Studying Level I music curriculum concepts in time, rhythm, meter, melody, accompaniment texture, timbre, elemental forms, expression, and pedagogy
- Experiencing learning objectives through speech, body percussion, unpitched percussion instruments, singing, playing pitched instruments, playing recorder, movement, orchestration, and composition
Level II
Level II extends the foundation built in Level I with increased attention to how the Orff-Schulwerk approach facilitates conceptual understanding of music and movement. The roles of rhythmic speech, singing, playing instruments, movement, and improvisation will be considered in greater depth. Recorder instruction and performance activities will involve the alto recorder, as well as the soprano instrument. Participants also will engage in a broadening range of musical experiences that include more complex compositional elements, including modal melodies, changing meters, and varying accompaniments and textures.
Level III
Explores polymeters and functional harmony to include I-V, I-IV, and I-IV-V accompaniment settings. Forms include theme and variations, chaconne & passacaglia, decoration of the third, and ground bass. In pedagogy, students apply the Orff process to conceptual teaching. All recorder voicing are explored in a variety of combinations.
Masterclass
Culture + Leadership in the Music Classroom
This ORFF master class helps music educators translate organizational culture tools into everyday classroom practice—so students experience greater belonging, clarity, and artistic rigor without sacrificing standards. Using Dr. Nicole R. Robinson’s 4P Culture Framework™ (People, Place, Process, Power) alongside the Matrix of Intersectionality™ card game, participants will learn to “read the room” in music-specific ways: how students work together, the rules of rehearsal, who becomes the “leader,” how feedback is given, who participates, and who gets overlooked in the learning process.
Through interactive mapping, classroom scenarios, and applied planning time, music educators will diagnose culture signals, identify hidden dynamics that affect teaching and learning, and design concrete classroom processes that strengthen trust, accountability, and musical growth—especially across differences in identity, experience, and access.
Participants will leave with:
- A practical way to diagnose classroom and ensemble culture using the 4P lens (People, Place, Process, Power)
- An intersectionality-informed approach to understanding participation, voice, and authority in rehearsals and classrooms
- Tools to reset norms around feedback, discipline, classroom etiquette, student leadership roles, and peer influence
Strategies to reduce “quiet exclusion” and build high-trust, high-expectation learning environments
Registration – Tuition and Credit Information
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No Credit: $175 non-refundable Application Fee
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Undergraduate & Graduate Academic Credit (3 hrs) (Contact Dr. Ramon Jackson for more information)
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Non-Credit Continuing Education Units – TBD
All registration applications/payments are due by May 1, 2025.
Reserve your spot today by registering and submitting payment Today Click Here
On-Campus Housing is available at $55 per night
Spaces are limited for each level. 1st come 1st serve.
Note: If you are applying for graduate credit you must complete a graduate application through the graduate school by June 1st. Special documents are required for admission. Contact Dr. Ramon Jackson for more information.
Faculty
| Dr. Kimberly Collins Level I |
Mrs. Lauren Summa Level II |
Dr. Patrick Ware Level III |
| Ms. Sandra Kaetsu Movement |
Mr. Richard Lawton Recorder |
Masterclass Dr. Nicole Robinson |
Required Texts
Add this promo code to your shopping cart to receive free shipping on orders $49.95 and over**.
Promo code:
JSU25
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Level I
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Level II
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Level III
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Meals
Meals may be purchased on campus at the University Student Center Food Court, in addition, there are numerous restaurants near the F.D. Hall Music Center.
Parking
A parking pass is included for those who enroll. To reserve please go to this link.
What to Bring
You should plan to wear comfortable clothing for movement, comfortable shoes, and have a sweater on hand in case the air-conditioning gets too cool. Also, nursery rhymes and children’s poetry books. All course material can be purchased from West Music at a special discounted price.
Course Daily Schedule
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Course Requirements
- 100% attendance; Participation in all activities; Successful completion of all written assignments.
What to expect
- If you’ve never been to an Orff class, you are in for a wonderful surprise! We will spend as much time experiencing activities, games, songs, traditional dances, creative movement, and playing child-centered instruments as we will be sitting in a chair. We will work individually, in small groups, and all together with the other participants standing, and on the floor, so wear comfortable clothes in layers to pull off and put on when necessary. We will laugh, be able to artistically express ourselves, and take deep dives into serious aspects of music education.
- There will be homework every evening including readings, journaling, and compositions that should take about an hour of concentrated time.
- We hope you will leave this course with friends who can support you and help you in your music teaching journey throughout the year.
RESOURCES
Programs of Study
Orff-Schulwerk Music Institute
Undergraduate Music Student Handbook
Graduate Music Student Handbook
Student Recital Form
PERSONNEL
READY TO JOIN?
For more information, please contact us at (601) 979-2141. We look forward to meeting with you and seeing how our program can help you achieve your goals.
Department of Music
