Orff and Kodály Training
At the University of Mary, we are pleased to offer Orff and Kodály training as a two-week summer course. Our course rotates through different levels of both certifications based on the needs of the community.
Orff Training
Orff training introduces participants to the Orff-Schulwerk process of music education. While doing coursework in basic pedagogy, recorder, and movement, participants will not only discover how to ‘process teach’ in a way that makes sense to kids, but they will discover their own musicianship and teaching strengths. Orff-Schulwerk focuses on creating music in a deep and meaningful way through singing, speaking, body percussion, instruments, movement, and more.
Orff training at the University of Mary is approved by the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA) and is sponsored by the University of Mary's music department.
Kodály Training
Kodály training introduces participants to the Kodály method of music education with curriculum sequencing and personal musicianship. Level I training covers kindergarten to second grade. Level II training covers third and fourth grade. Level III training covers fifth grade and beyond. Participants will complete coursework in pedagogy, folk song collection, conducting, choir, and musicianship.
Our Kodály training follows recommended guidelines set forth by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) and is sponsored by the University of Mary music department.
Instructors
Kodály Level III — Folk Song Collection and Pedagogy
Niki Bernier currently teaches elementary music in Mandan, ND. In addition, she serves as the instructor for Elementary Music Methods and is the Orff-Schulwerk levels course director and Kodály instructor at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. Niki is an active member of the Prairie Winds Orff Chapter, having served as the program chair, secretary, vice president and is currently the president. She has also been an active member of the Northern Plains Kodály Chapter, having served on their board for six years as their ‘Public Relations Member at Large.’ She was on the middle school choral staff at International Music Camp from 2013-2019. Passionate about active music-making that merges the Kodály method and the Orff-Schulwerk process, Niki creates a dynamic classroom that focuses on singing, classroom instruments, composition, movement, and creativity. Niki is a Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk certified elementary music specialist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education and a bachelor’s degree in Audio Production from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She graduated with a Master of Arts from The University of Iowa in 2011. She earned her Kodály levels certification from Minnesota State University Moorhead and Orff-Schulwerk certification from the University of St. Thomas. Niki was recently named North Dakota’s (NDMEA) music teacher of the year in 2025.
Kodály Level III — Musicianship, Choir, and Conducting
Charlotte Morey received her bachelor of music from Dickinson State University in North Dakota and her Kodály Mastery Certification from the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been a guest conductor for choirs of all ages, but mainly children’s choirs, throughout North and South Dakota. She has presented numerous sessions and workshops regionally and statewide, demonstrating the Kodály methodology in action. Charlotte was an instructor for the Kodály Summer Certification Program at Moorhead State University in Minnesota and a guest clinician at the NDSU Summer Symposium in Music Education in Fargo, North Dakota, for several years. She has received the North Dakota Music Hall of Fame Award, the Dickinson State Alumni Fellows Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the International Music Camp, and the North Dakota Hall of Fame Award in Music Education.
Orff Level I – Recorder and Movement
For more than forty years Joan Eckroth-Riley has been sharing her passion for music education. She currently serves at Murray State University in Kentucky as associate professor and coordinator of music education. She is the author of Everyday Improvisation: Interactive Lessons for the Music Classroom and Everyday Composition: Interactive Lessons for the Music Classroom, and co-editor of Lessons Learned; A Dozen Plans for Orff Process and Improvisation. Eckroth-Riley is a certified recorder and movement instructor for Orff Schulwerk teacher training courses, frequent workshop presenter on standards and assessments for elementary music, and musical clinician around the country. She holds a master’s degree in music education with an emphasis in Orff Schulwerk from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was honored to be named the North Dakota Music Educator of the Year in 2016.
Orff Level I – Basic Pedagogy
Erika J. Knapp, PhD, is assistant professor of music education at Texas Woman’s University, specializing in elementary and choral music education. Before her career in higher education, she taught elementary general, secondary general, and middle school choir for 13 years in Michigan. An active presenter and guest clinician, Dr. Knapp has presented across national and international venues, where she focuses on inclusive practice and empowering educators to create active, joyful musical experiences for their students. She is an Orff Pedagogy teacher for AOSA and teaches levels I and II courses across the US. Her research interests include music for students with ability differences, teacher professional development, and equity in music education. She has published research in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, Music Education Research, The International Journal of Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, Action, Criticism and Theory for Music Education, Research Studies in Music Education, Psychology of Music, Music Educators Journal, Visions of Research in Music Education, The Orff Echo, and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education.