This practical workshop will focus on the cognitive neuroscience behind how we learn in a music lesson. Embodiment, sensorimotor integration, memory-making and much more will be the focus, all packed into moving, playing, vocalising, symbolising and improvising to a South African song and dance.
Recommended for teachers 🟣 Music specialist
Recommended for teachers of learning stages ✅ K-2 / Early Stage 1, Stage 1 ✅ 3-4 / Stage 2 ✅ 5-6 / Stage 3
Dr Robyn Staveley is a distinguished music educator and researcher whose work sits at the cutting edge of cognitive neuroscience, embodiment, and music pedagogy. With extensive experience teaching across both school and university sectors, Robyn specialises in translating complex neurological research into practical, transformative classroom strategies.
A leading voice in the field, Robyn has delivered workshops and seminars nationally and internationally. Her expertise is highly sought after on the global stage; she recently served as a keynote presenter for the 2024 International Orff-Schulwerk Forum (IOSFS) in Olomouc, Czech Republic, and was also a keynote at the 2025 Australian Pinnacle conference.
Her contributions to the profession have been widely recognized. Robyn is the recipient of the 2018 ANCOS Award of Honour, the 2025 Professional Teachers Council Distinguished Service Award, and two Outstanding Achievement Awards for Teaching and Learning from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Hear from the presenter
About Orff-Schulwerk NSW
Orff Schulwerk is an approach to music education pioneered by German composer Carl Orff (1895-1982) and his colleague, Gunild Keetman. Its foundation was concerned with the child: the needs of the child and the emphasis on nourishing the musicality of each child through elemental activities in music and movement.
The Orff teaching process involves singing; body percussion; playing on a variety of both tuned and untuned instruments; movement and dancing; and speech activities to encourage active music making.
