Taking the Orff Approach to Heart, this compendium by North American Orff educator Isabel McNeill Carley, contains 29 original essays and articles. It is a companion book to Making It Up As You Go, Brasstown Press 2011, which presented additional essays and articles. Carley writes with skill and humor on topics from theory to practice, integrating music, speech, movement, and improvisation. Also included are a Foreword by Karen Stafford; an Editor's Introduction by Anne M Carley; a Biographical Note about the author; informative essays on Carl Orff and the Orff Schulwerk, developed by Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman; a short essay about the significance of the pentatonic scale in Orff education; diagrams of the pentatonic scales and modes in C, F, and G; a glossary; biographical notes on names cited; published resources and references; a selected bibliography of works by the author, and information on her other recent publications. Introductory headnotes for each article.Some materials have never before been published; others are repurposed with permission.Dip into this book for inspiration, or read it cover to cover to immerse in the world of elemental music education for all ages. Contents: 1. The Case for Creativity 2. That Lovely Two-Headed Betsy Higginbottam 3. Create or Perform 4. Music Plus: Five- and Six-Year-Olds in the Classroom 5. Playing With Our Materials: Speech Play 6. Speech Play Resources 7. At the Foot of the Mountains, Or How Mrs. Dow Made a Song 8. Introducing Ostinati with Murray Volume I 9. Tips for Teachers of the Recorder 10. How to Introduce the Orff Ensemble 11. Practicing Some Neglected Ensemble Techniques 12. Master Class: Composing and Arranging for the Orff Classroom 13. Teaching Music to Preschoolers 14. Concerning Rabbits 15. The Next Ten Years: A View from the Early Days 16. On Patterns In A Music Gestalt 17. First Encountering Gunild Keetman 18. Improvisation Makes It Happen 19. The Inclusive Art of Music 20. The Essential Role of the Recorder 21. Using the Recorder 22. On Setting a Program's Goals 23. The Schulwerk's Origins and Early Music 24. The Orff Approach in Church 25. On Being Simple-Minded 26. My Theory of Education 27. Educating All of the Human Mind 28. Little Is Possible Without Healthy Roots 29. Imparted Grace: The Central Role of Music in Education