All workshops will be held at the
Pasadena Conservatory of Music
100 N. Hill Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106
**Due to construction at PCM, we ask that you please park at 72 and 50 N. Hill. These two parking lots are directly south of PCM and on the same side of the street. You are welcome to use the drop off space to load and unload passengers and equipment.**
Full membership includes all 3 workshops!
50th Anniversary CHAPTER SHARE is a *FREE* workshop!
Pasadena Conservatory of Music
100 N. Hill Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106
**Due to construction at PCM, we ask that you please park at 72 and 50 N. Hill. These two parking lots are directly south of PCM and on the same side of the street. You are welcome to use the drop off space to load and unload passengers and equipment.**
Full membership includes all 3 workshops!
50th Anniversary CHAPTER SHARE is a *FREE* workshop!
50th Anniversary
CHAPTER SHARE *FREE* workshop! Receive a FREE 50th LACAOSA anniversary t-shirt if you sign up for a full membership by September 9th. Saturday, September 9th, 2023 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Join the Past-Presidents of the Los Angeles Chapter of American Orff Schulwerk Association as they share strategies for building community and making beautiful music. Presenters: Past-Presidents of LACAOSA *No need to register online to attend the Chapter Share. However, please consider becoming a LACAOSA member! We will have your free t-shirt waiting for you at the Chapter Share. |
Click below to become a LACAOSA member :

Saturday, October 21st, 2023
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Rachel Gibson, Ph.D.
¡Canta Conmigo! Songs and Singing Games from Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Spain
Come sing, play, move, create, and experience joy with Hispanic children’s music traditions. Participants will actively engage in repertoire that the presenter learned from teachers, families, and children while living in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Spain. These cherished activities allow for musical play, movement, improvisation, storytelling, and community building. Song research will be presented and field videos will be shared to demonstrate the songs in authentic contexts. Strategies for integrating the repertoire responsibly into school curriculums and culturally sustaining pedagogies will also be discussed. ¡Ven a cantar y jugar! Come sing and play!
Dr. Rachel Gibson is a Professor of Music and coordinator of music education at Westfield State University in Massachusetts and teaches PreK- 6th grade music at Whately Elementary School. She earned her Ph.D. in music education at the University of Washington and is an active local, national, and international clinician. Her book ¡Canta Conmigo! Songs and Singing Games from Guatemala and Nicaragua (Oxford University Press, 2021) is a comprehensive teaching resource that includes songs and singing games she learned while living in Central America. As a Fulbright Global Scholar (2021), she taught and researched at Universidad de Málaga in Spain and travelled throughout the country learning children’s songs. Dr. Gibson is certified in Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály teaching philosophies and is member-at-large for Connecticut American Orff-Schulwerk Association (CTAOSA), past-president of Kodály Educators of Southern New England (KESNE) and served as member-at-large for Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) National Board of Directors. She is on summer faculty at the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute in Alabama (UMKI) and West Texas Kodály Initiative (WTKI).
Click below to become a LACAOSA member :
Dena Byers currently teaches at Hillandale Elementary School and serves as the lead elementary music teacher for Durham Public Schools. She is also the current Artistic Director for the Durham Children's Choir. She has taught in Durham for 22 years and is National Board Certified. An active member of the American Choral Directors Association and the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, Mrs. Byers has been a guest conductor for the All-State Honors Choir (MS) as well as District All-County Choirs in NC, GA, FL and AL. She has presented workshops for Orff Schulwerk chapters throughout the US and at National AOSA Professional Development Conferences. She received BA degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Music from the University of Minnesota and holds Level III and Master Level Orff Schulwerk Certifications from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the University of Memphis, respectively.
Click below to become a LACAOSA member :

Saturday, March 9th, 2024
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Yeeman "ManMan" Mui
Taiko FUNdamentals
Studies have proven that our learning abilities are maximised within a fun and supportive atmosphere. Through the use of musical games and dances from around the world, (taiko, clapping games, songs, body music, etc.), participants learn music intuitively, while improving their rhythmic sense and creativity. The fundamentals of music are internalized through physical involvement and multi-sensory activities, then applied to the taiko drumming, all while having fun. This workshop will also cover how to research for songs and make it work for your classroom and/or age group.
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Yeeman "ManMan" Mui
Taiko FUNdamentals
Studies have proven that our learning abilities are maximised within a fun and supportive atmosphere. Through the use of musical games and dances from around the world, (taiko, clapping games, songs, body music, etc.), participants learn music intuitively, while improving their rhythmic sense and creativity. The fundamentals of music are internalized through physical involvement and multi-sensory activities, then applied to the taiko drumming, all while having fun. This workshop will also cover how to research for songs and make it work for your classroom and/or age group.
Yeeman “ManMan” Mui (they/them) is a taiko drumming artist and music educator who strives to build an equitable landscape; fostering creativity through multisensory expression. ManMan’s artistic approach challenges capitalistic and elitist societal norms. Their musical space celebrates neurodivergence through different forms of play and their practice encourages mindful connection with one’s body by slowing down to build strength both physiologically and psychosomatically.
As a neurodivergent, ManMan grew up unable to speak outside of immediate family due to an anxiety condition known as Selective/Situational Mutism. Through the discovery of multisensory artistic expressions, ManMan continues to find liberation through fluidity in movement and is propelled by the resonance of vocals and drums. ManMan’s program, Taiko Together, became a catalyst for student-centric facilitation where non-verbal communication is at the core.
ManMan co-created a neurodiversity advocacy school program with taiko artist Carrie Alita Carter under the name Actually Autistic Artists. ManMan co-founded Rhythmic Flow Taiko, a Parkinson’s-friendly taiko curriculum that can be enjoyed and used by participants and other instructors. ManMan works as a teaching artist across the globe with organizations such as Makoto Taiko, Los Angeles Taiko Institute, Grand Vision Foundation, Older and Bolder, San Jose Taiko, Portland Taiko, Foyle Obon, Humber Taiko, Orff4kids, Raging Asian Women, O • Daiko Hong Kong, and Taiko Community Alliance. ManMan received an MPhil in Musicology from the University of Hong Kong.
As a neurodivergent, ManMan grew up unable to speak outside of immediate family due to an anxiety condition known as Selective/Situational Mutism. Through the discovery of multisensory artistic expressions, ManMan continues to find liberation through fluidity in movement and is propelled by the resonance of vocals and drums. ManMan’s program, Taiko Together, became a catalyst for student-centric facilitation where non-verbal communication is at the core.
ManMan co-created a neurodiversity advocacy school program with taiko artist Carrie Alita Carter under the name Actually Autistic Artists. ManMan co-founded Rhythmic Flow Taiko, a Parkinson’s-friendly taiko curriculum that can be enjoyed and used by participants and other instructors. ManMan works as a teaching artist across the globe with organizations such as Makoto Taiko, Los Angeles Taiko Institute, Grand Vision Foundation, Older and Bolder, San Jose Taiko, Portland Taiko, Foyle Obon, Humber Taiko, Orff4kids, Raging Asian Women, O • Daiko Hong Kong, and Taiko Community Alliance. ManMan received an MPhil in Musicology from the University of Hong Kong.
Click below to become a LACAOSA member :
Directions to PCM from Hollywood, the Westside, and the Valley:
Take the 134 Freeway East until it merges with the 210 Freeway East. Take exit 27 toward Hill Avenue. Stay straight onto Corson Street. Turn right onto N. Hill. PCM is on the left. If you hit Colorado, you went too far. From Orange County and the South: Either take the 405 Freeway North to the 10 East to the 110 North to the 5 North to the 2 North to the 134 East or the 5 Freeway North to the 2 North to the 134 East and then follow the directions above. |
**Due to construction at PCM, we ask that you please park at 72 and 50 N. Hill. These two parking lots are directly south of PCM and on the same side of the street. You are welcome to use the drop off space to load and unload passengers and equipment.**