A Word from the President
August 24, 2024
Dear Music Family,
Welcome Back!
Welcome back to the start of our 52nd year as a chapter! As we begin our school year, I
think back to when a wonderful colleague of mine in East Hartford said, “Join us on Saturday.”
I did and I’ve been coming for over 30 years. So ask a colleague to join you this year to come
share some wonderfully musical ideas. And to meet some amazing people.
Connecticut American Orff-Schulwerk Association has opportunities for you to join a
community of like-minded colleagues, delve deeply into your pedagogical practices, explore
new ideas, and even bring a friend for free to one workshop. Every workshop is a fantastic
reminder about what made us want to become general music teachers in the first place!
The Workshops
September 21, 2024 Magdalena O'Brien 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Around the World We Go!
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October 26, 2024 Chapter Share 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
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November 13-16, 2024 AOSA Professional Development Conference Des Moines, IA
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March 1, 2025 Cheryl Tierney 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Sing Into Spring with Your Choir
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April 5, 2025 Alejandro Jimenez 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Picante! Spicy Afro-Spanish-Caribbean Music Flavors
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For more information about our workshops, please visit the "Workshops" page. You can also find us on Facebook at Connecticut American Orff-Schulwerk Association. These are great resources for you to learn about scholarships for the National Conference, musical happenings around CT, and special events that will be taking place throughout the year!
NEW! Membership & Fee Structure
This year, AOSA has made some changes to the fee structure for all of its local chapters. This includes the introduction of a subsidy to most of our membership fees. If you are an Active Member, you MUST also join AOSA. Please visit www.aosa.org to join the National Organization- you can no longer sign up for National Membership through our payment portal. The $95 fee covers your CT membership, as outlined below.
If you opt out of being a National member but would like to continue as a chapter member, there is a $5/workshop subsidy (as required by National). The $125 fee includes a $20 subsidy ($5/workshop), which we will send to AOSA.
If you do not wish to be a member but would like to attend certain workshops, a $10 subsidy will be added to your registration for a total of $50. This $10 will be sent to AOSA.
As always, we are very grateful to be able to provide our collegiate members and first year teacher members with a free membership!
Active Membership: $ 95
Active members are also members of AOSA! Please go to www.aosa.org to join our national organization.
* National & Chapter Membership, plus ALL Saturday Workshops! (Election Day not included)
* Access to grants through AOSA!
* Access to scholarships through both AOSA and CTAOSA!
* Myriad resources on the AOSA webpage!
* Subscription to the Orff Echo!
* One FREE pass for a friend or administrator
Chapter Membership: $ 125
Includes a $20 subsidy ($5/workshop) to be sent to AOSA
* Chapter Membership, plus ALL Saturday workshops (Election Day not included)
* Access to scholarships through CTAOSA
* One FREE pass for a friend or administrator
First Year Teachers: FREE!
* FREE Chapter and National Membership, as well as FREE admission to all Saturday workshops
(Election Day not included)
* Access to scholarships through CTAOSA
* One FREE pass for a friend or administrator
The Orff Doctor
Have some damaged instruments in the closet? You’re in luck! Margaret O’Hara-Best is our resident Orff Doctor, and she makes house calls. Margaret can fix problems as small as replacing nails and tubing to fixing a very damaged bass xylophone dropped on the floor. Parts are sold at cost, and labor is a nominal fee. Contact us today!
We are also happy to endorse Kris Curtis, a formally trained Orff repair person with a business out of Westport. Please contact him directly if you are interested in having him to repairs for your school! His email address is curtiskr6234@gmail.com.
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In Harmony,
Anna Cairnduff
President, CTAOSA