Gunild Keetman

Who was Gunild Keetman?

The Orff-Schülwerk approach to music education has become increasingly popular since it was widely introduced to the world in the 1960s. Carl Orff is usually given credit for the development and establishment of the approach. However, it was actually Gunild Keetman who introduced and developed this approach as we know it today.

As a young woman, Keetman was unsure of herself and of her calling in life. In her twenties, however, she came under the ideals and music instruction of Dorothee Günther and Carl Orff at the Güntherschule in Munich, Germany. This event helped Keetman to truly find herself, and she flourished in this environment. She began to teach at the Güntherschule after being a pupil for many years; however, the school was destroyed by a bombing in Munich when Keetman was in her early 40s. At that point, she and Carl Orff began the development of the Orff Schülwerk approach, for which she is best known for today.