Music Playshops
and Courses for Teachers

Topics and Descriptions

Susie and Phil are available to work with you and your staff for curriculum days and conferences, from one hour to a full day or course. Select your topics under the following categories and click on each for a full description. Titles in italics do not have a full description.

Categories include:

Most requested topics are:

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Contact us if you are interested in a workshop in your area.
Click here to read testimonials

Early Childhood Music  -
for children up to 8 years

Music made easy, music made fun

Discover a new repertoire of children’s songs, rhymes, games, dances, musical stories, and instrumental activities for Early Childhood (up to 8 years). Easy and appealing music that is immediately accessible and filled with fun and educational nourishment. Have your children jumping for joy with material that inspires them to sing, move, dance, listen, create, play instruments and LOVE music.

Welcome to Music – in Early childhood

Regardless of your musical background get your creative juices flowing as Susie and Phil share exciting and original material from their 'Welcome to Music' series, Learn a repertoire of innovative children's songs, rhymes, games, dances, musical stories, and instrumental activities. Participate in active and enjoyable music making that is easy, appealing and immediately accessible for all children.

Discover ‘Aussie’ style music for 3 – 8 years

In this fun filled ‘ripper’ (really good) session, Susie and Phil will incorporate rhymes, songs, dances and instrumental activities about ‘Aussie’(Australian) animals, aboriginal names and places and even a musical ditty (musical story) about our unique ‘Aussie’ language and culture as we meet up with ‘Dazza’ (Daryl) the ‘Dinky Di Aussie’ (authentic Australian). As well as this, we will add in a dollop of ‘Aussie’ style jazz and rock with a pinch of scatting and a teaspoon of fun to boot. Guaranteed to be a ‘real bonza’ (really good) session.

‘Musical mayhem for the under 2’s’

Discover a new and original repertoire of bouncing rhymes, action songs, finger plays, dances, instrumental and creative mayhem for the young at heart with more than a hint of humour and heaps of fun!

Shake it up!   

New songs, rhymes and dances for children’s physical and mental well being – 3 – 8’s

Music is a wonderful and powerful tool to develop confidence, self esteem, creativity, social and physical skills in all children. Susie and Phil will demonstrate how all children can improve physical and mental well being through songs, rhymes and dances.

Primary School Music –
for children 5 - 12 years

Music made easy, music made fun

Welcome to Music – for 8 – 12’s

Regardless of your musical background get your creative juices flowing as Susie and Phil share exciting and original material from their 'Welcome to Music' series, Learn a repertoire of innovative children's songs, rhymes, games, dances, musical stories, and instrumental activities. Participate in active and enjoyable music making that is easy, appealing and immediately accessible for all children.

Creative music making in the primary classroom - Orff Schulwerk 

What makes the Orff approach so durable and unique in the classroom today?
This workshop will explore an Orff based approach integrating speech, song, movement, dance and instruments. Various rhythmic and melodic techniques including imitation, echo, ostinato and canon will be used leading to improvisation. The emphasis is on active participation with a strong sense of fun and enjoyment.

Fun with wacky and homemade percussion instruments

(Suitable for those working with 4 yrs - up to 12 yrs)

It’s easy and loads of fun to make and play percussion instruments.
Discover and play marimbas, xylophones, glockenspiels and a wide variety of wacky home made instruments including shaker rings, guiro tubes, Macdrums, pluckaphones, didgeridoos and heaps more.A great way to motivate your children to love music.

Marimba Madness

Participants will play through a varied repertoire for marimbas and other percussion instruments that will also incorporate some singing and movement highlighting the Orff process.
This session will demonstrate how to engage older students and extend their musical understanding. Motivate those difficult older children and have them eagerly queuing

‘Sing, Jam and Jive’

Combining ‘Orff Schulwerk’ principles that inspire, excite and motivate children to remember, understand and love music, discover lots of NEW material through speech, song, body percussion, dance, movement and percussion instruments with a focus on improvisation and creative input for 4-14 year olds.
Jazzy styles of music will be used such as swing, pop, blues, Latin and African styles leading to improvisation. Material will be used from Susie and Phil’s new album ‘Sing, Jam & Jive’ and new series ‘Take Orff with Jazz’. Motivate your children and have them eagerly queuing up for music lessons. Be there or be square!

‘Take Orff with Jazz’

Participate in classroom and jazz arrangements based on the Orff Schulwerk approach for 5 – 12 year olds. Explore a jazz repertoire through speech, song, body percussion, dance, movement and percussion instruments with a focus on improvisation and creative input.

‘Jazz it Up!    

An ‘Orff’ based approach combining singing, moving, playing, scatting, beat boxing and jammin’ with jazz and blues styles in a FUN and non threatening environment!!! Feel rejuvenated and go away with several classroom arrangements you can use immediately with 8 – 14 year olds. Bring your instrument or just bring yourself. Be there or be square.

Middle Years and Secondary Music –
for children 9 - 14 years

Orff Schulwerk -
creative music making for grades 5- 8

An Orff based approach integrating speech, song, body percussion, movement and percussion instruments. Explore a repertoire of modern material for this age group including original songs from the ‘Welcome to Music’ Series. Experience rhythmic and melodic techniques including imitation, echo, ostinato, canon, question and answer leading to improvisation. Emphasis on active participation with a strong sense of fun and enjoyment. See how easy it is to develop a music program in accordance with the curriculum requirements. Motivate those difficult older school children and have them eagerly queuing up for class. Be there or be square!

Jazz, pop and improvisation for years 5 - 8 

Learn about jazz and popular music, its styles, its distinct musical elements and how to teach it. Explore the jazzy styles on percussion instruments including marimbas and a variety of wacky home made instruments that all children love and can easily make and play. Discover how easy it is to improvise through body percussion, singing, moving and playing instruments.

Marimba Madness

Participants will play through a varied repertoire for marimbas and other percussion
instruments that will also incorporate some singing and movement highlighting the Orff
process.This session will demonstrate how to engage older students and extend their musical understanding. Motivate those difficult older children and have them eagerly queuing up for
class with some marimba madness.

Singing & Voice

Singing to develop confidence – for adults

In good voice - Singing is for life

Discover the joy of music through your voice. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation. Explore African chants, gospel, folk and jazz repertoire. Sing for pleasure.

Discover you voice - a celebration of sound

There are no prerequisites. If you think you can’t sing in tune you just need to learn to listen and relax - you too were born with a beautiful voice. Everyone can sing in tune.
Connect with your body and soul, Sing for relaxation and well being, relieve stress, breathe well, love your voice, improve team work, discover your inner child.
Tap into your creativity, improve your communication, increase your confidence, energise yourself and have lots of fun, sing for pleasure and pass on the joy to your children
How? Through relaxation and breathing and vocal activities, improvisation, non verbal communication, group work, movement, percussion instruments and repertoire of songs.

Singing is for Everyone

Discover the joy of music through your voice. There are no prerequisites, everyone can sing! Sing your heart out with original songs, African chants, gospel, musical stories, folk and jazz repertoire. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation. Incorporate some movement and signing (language of the deaf community) and add to your choral and classroom music repertoire -  suitable for all ages.

To extend your singing skills – for adults

Vocal Impro!

Discover the joy of music through your voice. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation. Explore a mixed repertoire from folk to jazz and experience  improvisation using scatting techniques over the pentatonic, diatonic and blues scales.

Sing your heart out – with vocal improvisation

Sing your heart out with a mixed repertoire of original songs, gospel, folk, pop, country and jazz. Incorporate some movement and add to your choral and classroom singing repertoire – songs suitable for all ages. Discover the joy of music through your voice. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation using scatting techniques over the pentatonic and diatonic scales.

To teach children

Sing your heart out!

Sing your heart out with original songs, African chants, gospel, musical stories, folk and jazz repertoire. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation. Incorporate some movement and instruments and add to your choral and classroom music repertoire -  suitable for all ages.

Hearts in Harmony -
songs of love, laughter and joy

Sing your heart out with original songs, chants and stories to add to your choral and classroom music repertoire -  suitable for all ages.
Discover the joy of music through your voice. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation. Explore African chants, gospel, folk and jazz repertoire. Sing for pleasure incorporating some movement and instruments.

Singing in the Classroom

This workshop will present a repertoire of songs for use in any classroom from Prep to Grade 6. This non choral approach to singing in the classroom will demonstrate that there is a wealth of material that all children can sing and enjoy.

Sing Thing! 

Sing your heart out with original songs, gospel, folk and jazz repertoire. Incorporate some movement and add to your choral and classroom singing repertoire – songs suitable for all ages.

For Community Choirs

Sing your heart out!

Sing your heart out with original songs, African chants, gospel, folk, jazz, world and popular repertoire. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation. Sing for pleasure and fun incorporating warm ups with some solfa and handsigns, movement, actions and AUSLAN signs.

For singing Leaders

Sing your heart out!

Sing your heart out with original songs, African chants, gospel, folk, jazz and popular repertoire. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation.
Incorporate some movement, instruments, actions, solfa, handsigns and AUSLAN signs and add to your choral and classroom music repertoire - suitable for all ages.

Take Orff on Singing – practical workshop

Combining Orff principles that inspire, excite and motivate children to remember, understand and love music, sing your heart out with original songs, rounds, folk, pop, jazz and multi cultural repertoire. Incorporate movement, actions, solfa, handsigns, AUSLAN signs and simple percussion instrument accompaniments adding to your choral and classroom singing repertoire. Discover the joy of music through your voice – songs suitable for all ages.

‘Let’s sing all together’ practical workshop        

Combining ‘Orff’ principles that inspire, excite and motivate children to remember, understand and love music, let’s sing all together with original songs, rounds, gospel, folk, jazz, popular and multicultural repertoire. Incorporate speech, movement, instruments, actions, solfa, handsigns and sign language and add to your choral and classroom music repertoire. Experience freedom and expression through vocal improvisation - suitable for all ages.

Instruments –
these topics can be applied to all ages

Fun with wacky and homemade percussion instruments

(Suitable for those working with 4 yrs - up to 12 yrs)
It’s easy and loads of fun to make and play percussion instruments.
Discover and play marimbas, xylophones, glockenspiels and a wide variety of wacky home made instruments including shaker rings, guiro tubes, Macdrums, pluckaphones, didgeridoos and heaps more.A great way to motivate your children to love music.

Marimba Madness

Participants will play through a varied repertoire for marimbas and other percussion
instruments that will also incorporate some singing and movement highlighting the Orff process.This session will demonstrate how to engage older students and extend their musical understanding. Motivate those difficult older children and have them eagerly queuing up for class with some marimba madness.

Whack, bang, Crash

The beat is on!'

playing  djembes (Afrian drums), sound shapes, metal, wood
and skin instruments as well as xylophones and glockenspiels, children will find this a real 'hit'. Includes games and creative activities to promote team work and communication

Rockin’ Rhythms

in this fun drum circle session, work and laugh together whilst keeping the beat with drums, fun and wacky instruments. Great for team building and communication and any communal event.

Multicultural Music –
for children 5 - 12 years

The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance 

Susie will share a repertoire of uplifting Jewish songs in Hebrew and English and exciting Israeli dances suitable for the classroom. This session will involve singing, movement and dance and simple instrumental accompaniments to a selection of activities.

A whole world of Multicultural music

Learning through Music –
for children up to 8 years

Enhance your child’s skills and learning through music

Explore a wealth of musical activities that develop confidence, self esteem, self expression, creativity, social, language, intellectual and physical skills in young children.
Musical activities promote:
Social interaction
Concentration and attention skills
Improved co-ordination
Confidence and self esteem
Body awareness and image
Communication skills and language
Expression of feelings
Listening skills
This Orff based approach inspires children to sing, move, dance, listen, create and play instruments. Have your children jumping for joy with material that makes learning interesting and fun for everyone.

Developing skills through music

Explore a wealth of fun and educational musical activities that develop ‘skills for life’ including confidence, self esteem, self expression, creativity, social, language, cognitive and physical skills. See how easy it is to teach other curriculum areas through music!

Developing and learning ‘skills for life’ through music

Children with special needs – all ages

‘Making music accessible to all’

hear how you can enhance the development of personal skills through a practical music program
Make the most of this unique opportunity to join Susie and Phil to share in their philosophy of ‘ making music accessible to all’. 
Music is an extremely powerful tool and it is available to us all. 
They will demonstrate the manner in which this tool is able to facilitate opportunities to;
*develop relationships,
*enable participation and interaction for students to whom this is not easily accessible,
*provide opportunities of success to all,
*facilitate expression for students with limited communication skills,
*provide multilayered learning opportunities -thus enabling:
 *Inclusion of all students thereby promoting a sense of belonging and lifting self-esteem

Music that stimulates the imagination of ‘everyability’.

If you work with children who have ‘everyability’ these unique activities and music will be winners.  Funkey engaging music will facilitate opportunities for children of everyability in exploration, self-expression and inclusion.
Unique, cunningly devised activities utilising mirrors, scarves, rainbow rings, mouth sounds, bubbles and a conductor’s baton are accompanied by irresistible music that provides structure for the repetition and turn-taking through the song.  Spaces are created in crucial spots providing anticipation for children of ‘everyability’ to express themselves through percussion, vocal sound play and movement.  Students explore aspects of themselves through mirror work, leadership, turn-taking, team work and relaxation!

‘Everyone can play'
new songs, rhymes and dances for children’s physical and mental well being – 4 – 8’s

Music is a wonderful and powerful tool to develop confidence, self esteem, creativity, social and physical skills in all children. Susie and Phil will demonstrate how all children can improve physical and mental well being through songs, rhymes, dances and play.

Movement and Dance –
these topics can be applied to all ages

Concerts and Graduations –
for primary and middle school students

Finish the Year on a High Note'  

Discover a repertoire of original and exciting end-of-year performance pieces for Prep to Year 6 that include drama, dress ups, actions, songs, dance and instruments. From mini-musicals to graduation songs, this workshop will cover everything you need to make your end-of-year concerts and graduations the highlight of the year.

Musical Stories/literacy –
for Early childhood and primary school students

Jazzed up musical stories

Explore humorous musical stories that can be extended into mini musicals or performance pieces for children 5 - 12 years. Experience speech, song, body dance, movement and
instruments that are all important elements of the stories.

Tales and Tunes – for the primary school

There is much educational nourishment in a musical story. Stories can develop fun and enjoyment with music, movement and drama through singing, saying, moving, dancing, role playing and instrument playing. Musical stories can develop creativity and self expression, confidence and self esteem, listening, social and language skills. Explore and participate in a variety of musical stories to enhance your program and develop learning in all your children.

Tales and Tunes – in Early Childhood

Music is a powerful tool for learning. It can be used in teaching literacy, other curriculum areas and at the same time help foster creativity, self esteem and confidence in all children.
This session offers simple techniques, strategies and practical activities to enrich programs
in the performing arts and literacy areas.The session will illustrate, using original stories, incorporating songs, speech, drama and dance in cross curricular activities in early years.
These stories can be extended to include reading and writing by expanding and developing the
characters or creating new material as well as developing mini musicals by including visual arts, textiles and design.
This workshop is valuable for music specialists and those with little or no music background.

Music and KLA’s –
other Key Learning Areas –
for children 5 - 12 years

Jazz, pop and improvisation

‘Take Orff with Jazz’ for the middle years

Come and share a repertoire of jazz pieces for the classroom based on the Orff Schulwerk approach including swing, blues, Latin American and African material.  Explore this material through speech, song, body percussion, dance, movement, instruments and improvisation for 8 - 14 year olds. Featuring Susie and Phil’s new compilation series ‘Take Orff with Jazz’

Orff Schulwerk

Orff Schulwerk -
creative music making for grades 5- 8

An Orff based approach integrating speech, song, body percussion, movement and percussion instruments. Explore a repertoire of modern material for this age group including original songs from the ‘Welcome to Music’ Series. Experience rhythmic and melodic techniques including imitation, echo, ostinato, canon, question and answer leading to improvisation. Emphasis on active participation with a strong sense of fun and enjoyment. See how easy it is to develop a music program in accordance with the curriculum requirements. Motivate those difficult older school children and have them eagerly queuing up for class. Be there or be square!

Sing, Jam and Jive               

Combining Orff principles that inspire, excite and motivate children to remember, understand and love music, experience speech, song, dance, movement and instruments.
A range of styles of music will be used e.g. jazz, pop, blues etc as a basis to experience various rhythmic and melodic techniques including imitation, echo, ostinato and canon leading to improvisation. Material will be suitable for use with 4 – 12 year olds.
The emphasis is on active participation with a strong sense of fun and enjoyment.

Marimba Madness

Participants will play through a varied repertoire for marimbas and other percussion
instruments that will also incorporate some singing and movement highlighting the Orff
process.This session will demonstrate how to engage older students and extend their musical understanding. Motivate those difficult older children and have them eagerly queuing up for
class with some marimba madness.

General –
for Early childhood
and primary school students

For the studio teacher

This workshop will explore an Orff based approach in the studio integrating speech, song, movement, dance and instruments. Various rhythmic and melodic techniques including imitation, echo, ostinato and canon will be used leading to improvisation. The emphasis is on active participation with a strong sense of fun and enjoyment.

Papers and Presentations

Learning in the key of Music

An involvement in a music program helps to educate the whole individual intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, kinaesthetically, artistically, aesthetically and creatively. Using an ‘Orff’ based approach inspires children to sing, move, dance, listen, create, play instruments and love music. Have them jumping for joy with material that makes learning interesting and fun.

Twenty first Century gets ‘Orff’?

Orff principles and its relevance to our childrens education in the 21st century

Who’s teaching music to our children?

It’s the general classroom teacher who is becoming more and more responsible for our childrens musical education. As specialists, we must inspire the teachers to give our children a love of music. Our role must be one of training the teachers, offering support and taking responsibility to ensure that all children have music in their lives.

Can music and the arts be MORE important than literacy and numeracy?

I believe this! Through the arts children build self esteem, confidence and learn to express and discover themselves and their world. Surely these experiences should occur first. It certainly gives the children plenty to write about when they are ready!

Everyone can teach the performing arts

Arts for the Heart –
the importance of the arts in our lives

Courses