– Our Wish –
We are working to bring the Kodály approach to Ōtautahi.
For all children to experience quality joyful music education.
- We train and support teachers and potential teachers
- Establish ‘lighthouse’ schools
- Host community classes for children and adults
Why Kodály?
Learn through experience
Young children learn through doing, playing and singing. Musical elements are experienced before being named and once learned are practised, and thoroughly understood before new elements are added, in a well researched pedagogical sequence, within a framework of folk songs and singing games.
Vital Skills Developed
When music is taught or learned using Kodály’s approach, skills vital to advanced music making such as “inner hearing”, rhythmic co-ordination and harmonic hearing are strongly developed at an early stage.
Tools
Tools of the Kodály approach include relative solfa, (moveable do, re mi etc.) the use of hand signs and rhythm names, These tools are most effective when used within a well planned logical sequence.
Best trained teachers
Teachers trained in the Kodály approach are challenged to continually improve their own musicianship and teaching practise, with long and short term planning that keeps learners at the centre. The training is rigorous yet completely non competitive. Teacher training is challenging, liberating, musical, and transformative.
Primary school is the best time to develop musical literacy and a lifelong passion for music but in order to meet the needs of all learners, music teachers must be equipped and trained in evidence based, best practice music teaching. The teachers need to be excellent musicians and have a thorough understanding of pedagogical sequences and strategies as well as access to the most appropriate source material.
The Kodály approach has been shown to be incredibly effective at not only developing musical skills, but helping children with literacy, social development and general well being.
Many studies link music instruction and in particular the Kodály approach to improved learning in reading, and comprehension. Here is an example.
Children who learn in a Kodály inspired classroom develop confidence and resilience for learning and an ease and fluency for music that is the envy of many. A Kodály inspired classroom is joyful, challenging and fun, and accessible to all students, while providing extension for those who are already on their musical journey.
The Kodály approach is used by the Conservatory High School in Sydney.
A Kodály inspired classroom would have:
- Active music making in every class
- A singing-based approach to learning musical concepts
- The use of a function-based movable doh system
- The use of a function-based rhythmic solfege
- Development of partwork skills through group performance and individual “Sing and Play” tasks
- Analysis of music according to the concepts of music (pitch, duration, structure, tone colour, texture, dynamics/expressive techniques)
- Learning activities based around the question: “You may know it, but can you show it?”
The Fun Music Company have created a great free resource that gives a good overview. View it here