Elemental music and dance education (Orff-Schulwerk) is an approach to music education, which was developed in the first half of the 20th century by the German composer Carl Orff (1895-1982) and his collaborator Gunild Keetman (1904-1990). Carl Orff envisioned a music-pedagogical approach that never takes a final form, but it always develops. He believed that it must retain its simplicity, evolve, and adapt over time and in different cultural contexts, based on specific principles and values. This approach integrates speech, music, and dance as a unified whole, in alignment with the values of principles of ancient Greek music. It is inclusive of all people, regardless of age, with primary goal, the development of expressiveness and creativity. The Orff-Schulwerk is based on three pillars: art, education and humanism. Today it is described by the term Elementare Musik- & Tanzpädagogik/ Elemental Music and Dance Pedagogy. A look at the almost one hundred years of Orff-Schulwerk's history demonstrates its continuous development and popularity around the world.

The term Orff–Schulwerk has a dual meaning: on the one hand it refers to the pedagogical approach of music education and on the other hand, it refers to the five-volume printed work by Carl Orff and his collaborators, Musik für Kinder (Music for Children). This work provides a categorized and systematic presentation of representative musical material. When exploring all five-volumes, one can reveal the musical principles and techniques that as an Orff educator may follow and develop further. Orff-Schulwerk represents an international community of teachers who engage in dialogue and continuous progress. The freedom that Orff-Schulwerk imparts to each educator is both a demanding and enriching condition. It can only function effectively when the following principles are recognized: • Deep knowledge of Orff’s educational philosophy, • Understanding of its methods and techniques, and • The teacher’s personal awareness and creative mindset. For these reasons, the training of an Orff educator can be demanding, an ongoing self-development process and at the same time fascinating and creative. It is addressed to every teacher who has the desire to utilize the arts of dance and music in a creative educational process that places particular emphasis on collaboration, relationships, expression, improvisation and creation. It can function as a stand-alone lesson or act as an interdisciplinary method of music education. In Greece, Orff music and dance education became widely known thanks to the work and personality of Polyxeni Matey-Rousopoulou.