Lincoln Elementary students receive new xylophones

Students at Lincoln Elementary School have started the school year on a high note with three new xylophones.

The instruments are thanks to a grant from the American Orff-Schulwerk Association in the amount of $1,160.25. The grant was awarded to Lincoln music teacher Amy Muegge. Muegge has taught 21 years in both Oklahoma and Kansas and has been at Lincoln for the past 10 years.

After her first year at Lincoln, Muegge determined that the best approach to working with the population at her school was Orff Schulwerk. This began her journey to become certified in Orff Schulwerk, which she completed in 2017, and to build an Orff Schulwerk classroom.

The Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is a developmental approach used in music education. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to child’s world of play. It was developed by German composer Carl Orff and colleague Gunild Keetman during the 1920s.

In January, Muegge submitted a grant to the AOSA for the purchase of one soprano and two alto xylophones. With the three additional instruments, fewer students will have to share.

The two alto xylophones arrived at the end of the 2018-19 school year. On the day they arrived, three 5th grade students from the Lincoln Orff Ensemble helped open and set up the instruments. One of the students said it was like Christmas.

They were also the first to play the instruments, a privilege they bragged about to their classmates. During the last few weeks of school, the instruments were played every day.

The soprano xylophone arrived over the summer. Two sisters who used to attend Lincoln and were helping their mother get her 3rd grade classroom ready for the 2019-20 school year stopped by the music room to try out the new xylophones.

Muegge thanked AOSA “for making it possible to have more instruments so that my students can continue to grow their music skills and knowledge.”