AOSA Advocates
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AOSA ADVOCACY COUNCIL
AOSA Advocates are outstanding artists from various fields who were invited to join the Council because of their interest in quality arts education for children and their contact with a large audience. They acknowledge the unique value of Orff Schulwerk as a group pedagogy for music learning, and agree to support it publicly. Each new advocate is welcomed and introduced at a national conference.
Rafe Martin
Rafe Martin, author and storyteller, has produced over twenty books that have been translated into many languages, including Swedish, French, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans, Korean, Japanese and Portuguese. In schools he works with all grades and ages, kindergarten through college and adult, telling stories and sharing an empowering vision of language, writing, creativity, and imagination. The difference between a told and a written story he describes as follows: “Told tales work directly with the audience’s ability to respond instantly. They thrive on felt emotion--laughter, tears, fear, joy. When written, the pattern of a story and the specific words that build that pattern, take on greater power. Rather than viscerally responding as with the told tale, the reader-listener is led to re-read, to reflect, ponder, and wonder.” Martin offers writing, storytelling and professional development workshops, as well as adult and family performances. He has appeared in thousands of schools, libraries, festivals, and conferences in nearly every state, and as far away as Japan. He has received many distinguished awards, including the 2008 Empire State Award. (see www.rafemartin.com)
Martin was guest artist/presenter at the 2000 National AOSA Conference in Phoenix.
Our mission is: to demonstrate the value of Orff Schulwerk and promote its widespread use; to support the professional development of our members; and to inspire and advocate for the creative potential of all learners.