
Dr.
Patrick
Ware,
music
teacher
at
Fitzgerald
Elementary
School,
has
been
named
vice
president
of
diversity,
equity,
and
inclusion
for
the
American
Orff-Schulwerk
Association
(AOSA).
AOSA
is
a
professional
organization
of
music
educators
dedicated
to
the
learning
process
developed
by
Carl
Orff
and
Gunild
Keetman
of
building
musicianship
in
every
learner
through
the
integration
of
music,
movement,
speech,
and
drama.
Ware's
recently
created
AOSA
position
was
established
to
elevate
the
importance
of
identifying
and
supporting
diversity,
equity,
and
inclusion
throughout
all
aspects
of
AOSA's
programs.
In
his
new
role,
Ware
will
oversee
the
work
of
AOSA,
serving
as
an
executive
committee
member
and
chair
of
the
member
relations
committee.
This
position
is
one
component
of
AOSA's
commitment
to
assembling
a
leadership
that
is
representative
of
its
members
and
to
forming
a
culture
of
belonging
for
all
of
its
members.
"This
position
is
new
for
the
organization,"
said
Ware.
"I
am
thankful
that
the
leadership
took
a
look
at
itself
and
its
practices
and
acknowledged
that
we
could
do
better.
We
can
do
better
in
the
selection
of
music
and
dance
presented
to
our
students.
We
can
do
better
in
the
training
of
our
teachers
and
the
modeling
of
student
interactions.
We
can
do
better
in
our
cultivation
of
future
leaders.
In
short,
when
you
know
better,
you
have
to
do
better."
Ware
is
an
internationally
known
Orff
-
Schulwerk
clinician
and
choral
conductor.
He
holds
a
bachelor's
degree
in
music
from
Westfield
State
University,
a
master's
degree
in
education
from
Radford
University,
and
a
doctorate
in
musical
arts
from
the
Shenandoah
Conservatory
of
Shenandoah
University.
Ware
is
a
National
Board
Certified
Teacher
in
music/elementary
and
middle
childhood.
In
addition
to
teaching
music
and
chorus
at
Fitzgerald
Elementary,
Ware
teaches
movement
for
the
Hofstra
Orff
Certification
Program
and
level
II
basic
pedagogy
for
the
Los
Angeles
County
Orff
Program.
He
is
a
former
president
of
the
Virginia
Elementary
Music
Educators
Association.
Ware
has
several
compositions
in
print
through
Beatin'
Path
Publications,
including
works
for
treble
choir
with
Orff
Ensemble.
Ware
said
he
provides
his
students
with
a
setting
that
nurtures
creativity
and
inquisitiveness.
Special
focuses
in
his
classroom
and
courses
include
jazz
in
the
elementary
setting
and
the
use
of
children's
literature.
"The
Orff
approach
is
child-centered.
Students
learn
through
exploration,
imitation,
and
improvisation,"
said
Ware.
"My
approach
to
teaching
and
learning
is
to
cultivate
in
students
the
ability
to
think.
Our
time
together
is
not
so
much
about
what
you
think,
as
it
is
about
how
you
think.
Yes,
to
some
degree
there
are
right
and
wrong
answers
in
music.
But
the
joy
of
the
process
is
that
there
are
so
many
right
answers."