Orff & Wellbeing: Play, Connect, Thrive

Join us for an inspiring day of music-making, movement, and connection as we explore the powerful relationship between Orff Schulwerk and wellbeing. Through engaging games, activities, and creative approaches, we'll uncover how music can foster resilience, social-emotional learning, and joyful engagement in the classroom.

This hands-on workshop will feature fantastic presenters sharing practical ideas, including the Rhythm2Recovery model, which integrates rhythm-based strategies to support emotional regulation and connection. Whether you're a classroom teacher or a music specialist working with students aged 4–14, this session will provide fresh inspiration and practical tools to enhance learning, wellbeing, and musicality in your teaching practice.

🎵 Come ready to play, connect, and thrive! 🎵

Details:
Thursday 10 April
10am – 3pm
The Body Voice Centre
50 Wolverhampton St, Footscray

Session Overview:

Session 1 - Elise Hopkins

Paying Attention: Lessons from Positive Psychology for the Music Classroom
As the demands of the teaching profession continue to increase and intensify, how do we ensure that enough attention is paid to the things that really matter in our classrooms? Drawing on research from the world of Positive Psychology, this presentation seeks to support music educators to renew their wellbeing literacy and embolden their classroom practice with impactful strategies, implementable F-6 curriculum ideas and trauma-informed approaches. Participants will consider how music can be utilsed to cultivate personal and collective flourishing for themselves, their students and their communities.

About Elise:
Elise is a highly experienced music educator who has previously worked as Director of Arts Learning (Song Room), Head of Music/Leading Teacher (Geelong Grammar) and Music Coordinator K-12 (Australian International School Jakarta). Elise is currently working as a Music Teacher and Learning Specialist for the Victorian Department of Education.

Session 2 - Alice Csabi

From Self to Stage: Building Wellbeing through the Performing Arts 
This session explores how integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) within the Performing Arts classroom can enhance student wellbeing. Through engaging, hands-on activities, participants will discover strategies to foster emotional awareness, resilience, and connection using music, movement, and drama. This session is connected to the Performing Arts learning area and Personal and Social Capability of the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. 

About Alice:
Alice Csabi, Performing Arts Teacher and Wellbeing Leader at Kallista Primary, integrates Social and Emotional Learning into her lessons, fostering wellbeing, creativity, and confidence. She believes every child deserves a rich music and movement program and advocates Orff-Schulwerk as the perfect approach to inclusive and engaging music education.

Session 3 - Katie Hull Brown

In today's increasingly complex and demanding educational landscape, music stands as a steady, creative force—offering teachers and students alike a pathway back to connection, calm, and joy. Grounded in the Orff Schulwerk approach and informed by the Rhythm2Recovery drumming model, this interactive workshop invites educators to explore how rhythm, voice, and movement can nurture classroom connections between students. Participants will engage in playful, inclusive musical experiences while unpacking how these practices align with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and the High Impact Wellbeing Strategies (HIWS). Together, we'll reimagine classroom music-making not just as curriculum, but as a vital space for belonging, resilience, and meaningful learning. 

About Katie:

Katie Hull-Brown is a music educator, arts advocate, and PhD candidate researching Social and Emotional Learning through classroom music-making. With over 20 years of experience, she leads community programs, mentors teachers, and presents nationally. Katie also lectures in arts education, supporting pre-service teachers to develop creative and inclusive practices.