Latest News From BaanGerda
Developing The Orff System In Thailand
Posted by Bruce Gaston on 26th March 2008
I first heard about the Orff method about 25 ago, when The Goethe Institute in Bangkok sponsored a special workshop and they brought over Dr. Hermann Regner from the Orff Schulwerk Centre in Salzburg. After that, Regner led several workshops over a period of years and we developed together the beginning of the Orff system in Thailand. At that time we were unable to achieve the goal that we had set for ourselves; that was to make an Orff system as you see in so many other countries.
The basis of the idea behind the Orff System has to do with children’s songs and it’s very attached to a language and a culture. Carl Orff was German so he used many local nursery rhymes, folk tales and fairy tales to form the Orff system in Germany. It was such a magical system and it worked so well and gave children an early and rich understanding of music, that it spread immediately to other countries.
Very soon there was a whole series of English text books overseen and controlled by Orff himself, and this was followed by French, German, American and Spanish. Up until now we’ve never been able to achieve this in Thailand.
So one of the things that we are doing in BaanGerda is not only giving the gift of music and encouraging musical sensitivity, but also doing research and working very hard to develop the Orff system by using Thai nursery rhymes, folk tales and children’s songs that have been in the Thai tradition for hundreds of years.
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August 1st, 2008 at 4:00 am
I have been looking for Bruce Gaston. I am an old friend of his. It has been about 40 years ago. I wanted to say hello and find out how he is.
I have just listened to the children and heard them play their music. I loved it. How wonderful. Thank you for the articles. I believe Bruce wrote them. How deeply moving.
Sincerely,
Pam Hensley
August 17th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
i saw bruce in bangkok
i believe he is music director for this german restautant bar in bangkok. i have his phone number or his old one. let me know if you need. i also do music with hiv kids here in thailand. can view my music instrument interactive playgrund at myspace claymannz. rhythm and drum workshops. open doors and windows project in my blog in myspace. best wishes
February 19th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Do you know of an ORFF arrangement of a thai folk tale about a singing chicken????