THE KODALY METHOD What is known in North America as the “Kodaly Method” was developed in Hungary in the 1940s and 1950s by the composer Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967), his colleagues, and his students, as a comprehensive system of music education. It was not invented by Kodaly, but rather it evolved in the Hungarian schools under his inspiration and guidance. The goals, the philosophy, and the princi- ples were Kodély’s. The pedagogy, the means through which to achieve these goals, was not. None of the practices associated with Kodaly originated with him. Solfa was invented in Italy and tonic solfa came from England; rhythm syllables | were the invention of Chevé in France, and many of the solfa techniques em- ployed were taken from the work of Jaques-Dalcroze; hand-singing was | adapted from John Curwen’s approach in England and the teaching process was | basically Pestalozzian. The uniqueness of the Kodaly Method came in the way in which these previously separate techniques were combined. into one unified ap- proach, which itself supported a viable philosophy of music education. In 1950 the first singing primary school was established in Kesckemet, Kodaly’s birthplace, under the direction of his longtime friend, the school prin cipal Marta Nemesszeghy. Here children received music instruction every day of the school week, and the method was further developed and refined. Asa result of the phenomenal success of Nemesszeghy and the children at the Kesckemet school, the next years saw a rapid rise in the development and dissemination of this method, from the nursery school level to the conservatories and the most advanced classes of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Today there are more than 150 Singing Primary Schools in Hungary, and the method devel- oped in them has spread all over the world. Classes trained in the principles ofThe Kodaly Method 71 Kodaly exist in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, most countries of Europe, and North and South America. "The philosophy underlying the Kodély approach is as follows: ‘Aut Peorte Caraste oF LInGuAL Lrreracy ARE ALso CAPABLE oF Mu- Sica Literacy. Musical literacy should not be the property of a chosen few, but a general knowledge of all. It is not too many centuries ago that the ability to read words was the privilege of the elite. The common man was thought to be incapable of so erudite an exercise as reading. Today, in a time of universal lin- gual literacy, this viewpoint seems absurd. There is no reason to suppose that fruman beings are less capable of learning to read music than words. Music read- ing, like word reading, is a taught skill, a skill that not only can, but should, be taught. If the language of music becomes a known language, enjoyment of music will certainly increase, and the quality of life itself improve. SincinG Is THE Best FOUNDATION For MusiciansHtr. The youngest infants produce musical sounds. Singing is as natural an activity to the child as speaking. To use this native ability, to foster and cultivate the voice—the instru- ment everyone has—is both practical and effective. Throughout history great musicians have known the importance of singing in music education. Musical knowledge acquired through singing is internalized in a way that musical know!- edge acquired through an instrument—an external appendage—can never be. Music Epucation To Be Most Errective Must BeGIN WITH THE VERY Younc Cuttp. Studies undertaken in Hungary! with children under two years of age show marked differences in the acquisition of speech and music between children who are sung to every day and childen who have no music in their envi- ronment. The importance of the early childhood years in general education has been long known; that importance is, if anything, even greater in music than in other areas. “Tue Forx Soncs oF 4 CutLp’s Own Lincutsric HenrTaGe CONSTITUTE A Musican “Moruer TONGUE” AND SHOULD THEREFORE BE THE VEHICLE FOR ALL Eanty INsTucrion. Language and music fit together in a special way in folk song, The natural stress patterns of a language are mirrored in melody and thythm, so that the young child not only learns tunes and words, but also ac- quires greater fluency and understanding in his own language. Folk songs, themselves valuable as an art form, can give children a sense of cultural identity and continuity with the past. Onty Mustc of THE Hicwesr Artistic VaLur, Bora FoLk ayp Com- posep, SHOULD Be Usen 1N Teacuine. In presenting any, music to a class the teacher places an implied value on that music. Children, open-minded and im- pressionable, learn first by imitation and example. If the music offered to them ; has intrinsic value, if it is from the heritage of good music, they will learn to value good music. 1Under the direction of Katalin Forrai in the state-run daycare centers of Budapest.72. The Kodaly Method Music SHouLD BE AT THE Hart oF THE Curricutum, 4 Core SUBJECT, Usen as a BASIS FoR EDUCATION. Music, perhaps more than any other subject, can contribute to the development of the child in every way—emotionally, intel- lectually, aesthetically, and physically. The argument usually put forward against giving music equal importance with mathematics and reading in the ele- mentary school is that “there isn’t enough time in the school day . . ."; that time would have to be “stolen” from “more important” subjects. In places where mu- sic has been taught daily, following Kodaly's principles, far from falling behind in other academic areas, children have tended to do at least as well as other chil- dren who receive music teaching less frequently.’ Some research shows that clas- ses in which music was taught daily as a core subject in the curriculum surpassed Similar classes who received less frequent music instruction, surpassing them in the very academic areas that are generally put forward as the reason for not hav- ing more time for music—mathematics and reading.* However, the reason for music at the core of the curriculum is not to help children achieve higher scores ‘on mathematics tests; it is to provide the coming generations with fuller lives, to open to them the limitless possibilities of participation in music as a means of filling some of the fifty hours a week (at a conservative estimate) of nonworki time the average adult now enjoys. Leisure time is increasing as work becomes even more automated. Education should prepare people for that time as well as for the 40 hours spent earning a living. Objectives of Kodély Musical Training ‘The principal objectives of Kodély musical training may be stated as follows: 1. to develop to the fullest extent possible the innate musicality present in all children 2. to make the language of music known to children; to help them become musically literate in the fullest sense of the word—able to read, write, and create with the vocabulary of music 3. to make the children’s musical heritage—the folk songs of their lan- guage and culture—known to them 4. to make available to children the great art music of the world, so that through performing, listening, studying, and analyzing masterworks they will come to a love and appreciation of music based on knowledge about music A Child-Developmental Approach ‘The Kodaly Method is highly structured and sequenced, with well-defined skill and concept hierarchies in every element of music, These sequences are both *The San Jose Unified Schoo! District Project. Surwite, Wolf, Bortnick, and Kokas, "Nonmusical Effects of the Kodaly Music Curricu- hum in Primary Grade Children,” Journal of Reading Disabilities, 8, no. 3 (1975); Klara Kokas, "Psychological Tests in Connection with Music Education in Hungary.” Presented TORS nc denonal Sonat on Experimental esearch x Mase Edun, The University of Reading, England, July 9-16, 1968The Kodaly Method 73 drawn from and closely related to child development—the way in which young children progress naturally in music—as shown through research. Three-note songs and chants (Ja-so-mi), tetratonic (so-mi-re-do), and pentatonic (Ja~so-mi-re-do) songs comprise most, but not all, of the earliest me- lodic teaching material. Early-childhood folk tunes made up primarily of Major seconds, minor thirds, and perfect fourths (such as “Ring Around the Rosy,” “Bye, Baby Bunting”) are considered ideally suited to young, insecure singers. These tunes are without minor seconds, an interval often difficult even for adults to sing in tune. Later, as voices mature and musical abilities increase, musical materials are extended to include more songs in diatonic major and minor keys, modes, and altered scales. However, at every stage in the child’s musical training some diatonic mu- sic is included. From first grade some songs with minor seconds (fa~mi, ti-do) are attempted. If they are not, these sounds will be forever beyond children. Just as, a child who cannot say an r correctly (“see the wabbit wun!”) must hear that r sounded by others and must try to pronounce it himself if he or she is ever to pronounce it correctly, so must the first-grader hear and attempt to sing the mi- nor second in some songs if he or she is ever to sing it correctly. Child developmental as it applies to Kodaly practice means that the major body of teaching material must lie within children’s capabilities. However, at all times some musical materials must be included that are designed to expand those capabilities. Rhythmically, the meter of young children's movements—walking, run- ning, skipping, swaying, bouncing—is duple. It may be a simple duple j, quad- ruple 4, or compound duple §; however, it és duple. Triple meter is extremely uncommon as a natural expression among young children in English-speaking cultures. Based on child-developmental patterns, the earliest rhythmic teaching material in a Kodaly approach is duple. Triple meters are included later, when a firm foundation in duple has been established. Form, harmony, tempo, and dynamics have been similarly examined and sequenced into hierarchies, so that the five-year-old may experience all as- pects of music at his or her own level, the eight-year-old experience those same elements, but ata more advanced level, and the twelve-year-old, the high school student, or the adult still work with the same elements, but in even greater com- plexity. As the child develops physically, socially, emotionally, aesthetically, and intellectually, he or she is also led to develop musically in the acquisition of in- creasingly complex skills and more involved concepts. The Tools of the Kodély Method The tools employed in Kodaly practice are (1) tonic solfa, (2) hand signs, and (3) rhythm duration syllables. Other tools are employed as well and will be mentioned later; however, these three are the basic instruments through which Kodaly teachers bring chil- dren to musical literacy. 1. Tostc sonra. Tonic solfa is a system of syllables—do, re, mi, fa, so, la, 4, do—in which do is considered to be the keynote or tonal center in all major74 The Kodaly Method o Keys and la is considered to be the keynote or tonal center in all minor keys. For example, == at a rmfs ted SSeS f ‘Tonic soifa is without equal as a way to train the musical ear, since it fo- cuses the attention initially not on a specific pitch but on pitch relationships and pitch functions within a tonal system. Once learned, do to so in any key immedi- Ately brings to mind the sound of the perfect fifth; so to mi, the sound of the minor third. The songs aind singing games of early childhood, the folk music, and much of the art music of the Western world is tonal in character and thus is emi- nently suitable for study via tonic solfa. 'A possible limitation of the movable-do approach is that it is not useful for studying music that is not tonal in character; this includes the music of some non-Western societies and some music of the twentieth century. However, solfa in the Kodaly approach is not used in isolation, Children are begun with telative-do, but once they are secure in that easier way of singing, reading, and writing music, letter names for the notes are introduced (usually around third grade) and are then sung interchangeably with solfa until they too are secure. This singing of absolute note names (A~B-C's) in conjunction with do-re-mi’s (a common practice in Hungarian schools) is an aspect of Kodaly prac- tice that has not been sufficiently incorporated into Kodaly teaching in North ‘America. It is an important step, particularly for children who are studying in- struments. If they sing only solfa syllables in class and then are asked to think only in letter names in a piano or trumpet lesson, they may never themselves make the connection between the two skills. Children will always be more facile in solfa—it is the best training for the voice and for the ear—but absolute note names must also be taught. They are the vocabulary of the professional musician. 2. Hann SiGNs. If solfais an aid to tonal memory, solfa combined with a system of hand signs appears to make that tonal memory both more quickly ac- complished and more secure. Originally developed by John Curwen in England in 1870 and some- what changed and adapted for use in the Hungarian schools, the hand signs used in Kodaly practice today are illustrated on pages 76-77.The Koddly Method 75 ‘They are performed in an area more or less between the top of the head and waist. Some North American adaptations would have children use very much wider motions at the carly so-mé stage; this is impractical since it involves relearning when additional notes are introduced; however, it does no real harm. ‘A practice that does inhibit effective use of hand signs is the use of both hand: Only one hand should be used by the child—his or her writing hand, the domi nant hand. No skill is accomplished as well with both hands as with the dominant hand. The right-handed child who learns hand-singing first with the right hand acquires tonal patterns more quickly and more securely than the child who uses both hands 3 “The teacher, however, can and should use both hands to show two dif- ferent pitches. By showing a sustained do with the left hand and a do-so-do with the right, for example, the teacher can lead two halves of the class through prac- tice in intervals and work on intonation. Later still the teacher can lead a class or choir through chord changes via hand signs. They are an invaluable teaching technique. Ruvrim Duration Syitasies. Rhythm in a Kodaly approach is taught by pattern and by relative durations over the beat as expressed in a series of syllables adapted from those invented by Jacques Chevé in the 1800s and still used in French conservatories.‘ These syllables are not names; they are merely a way of voicing rhythm. The names—quarter note, eighth note, half note, and so on, are also taught in Kodély classes, but not until later, after children are able to read rhythm duration syllables. Some changes in these syllables have been made in parts of the United States and Canada to compensate for problems arising from language (the rin Hungarian, for example, is a rolled, rhythmic sound, but in English itis a hard sound that actually seems to stop the flow of the rhythm). The following duration syllables are used widely in Kodaly practice in North America: 4 ct ow Dd Dd emeore FRB owe) ms 7 AI ome FR oun d d. ‘oc Pa Dd stm ; oe | | crore ses acd in Hangar se Los Chay, The Kl Cnt nglewod ih NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1981, p. 190. SPierre Perron, Professor of Music at Dalhousie University in Halifax has developed a com- plete system of duration syllables, based on Chevé's, for use with North American children Jn Kodaly programs. Some of these are included here78 The Kodaly Method These syllables are taught by using patterns and phrases taken from songs. They are viewed as sounds and sound relationships rather than as mathematical values. It is important when having children perform rhythms with duration syl- lables to make sure that each sound continues to the next sound. Ta represents a quarter note. In 3 it must sound for a full beat. Classes sometimes say it as if it were an eighth note followed by an eighth rest: dtd? They have learned ta as Soa a name rather than as a relative duration. If children sing their rhythmic pat- terns, producing them on a pitch or pitches, this is less likely to occur. ‘Sequencing for Learning Child-developmental characteristics in music, rather than the logic of the subject matter, determine the overall sequence in the Kodély Method. Duple meter is taught before triple; minor thirds and major seconds before minor seconds. ‘These are decisions based upon what young children can do. However, a study of child development cannot tell the teacher whether the eighth note followed by a dotted quarter 4. should be taught before or after the dotted quarter followed by the eighth note d @) . The minutiae of Sequencing must come from some other source. The broad outlines of the Kodaly sequence are designed to suit the maturity levels of the child; the small sequences within the overall sequence are based upon the frequency of occur- Fence of a particular rhythmic figure or melodic turn in the song material being used for teaching—the folk songs and art music from which new learnings are to be drawn, In English-language folk music 4+ d occurs more frequently than 2) d.; therefore, the former is taught before the latter. There are more songs containing a melodic turn using low la and low so than there are containing high do; therefore, high do is taught after low la and low so. "The first criterion in sequencing—child development—is universal. Children exhibit approximately the same ability at the same ages in Switzerland, in Australia, in Japan, and in North America. Those aspects of the sequence that are based on this criterion will be similar in all these places. The second criterion—frequency of occurrence in the musical material—may very well cause major differences in sequencing among these same countries, or, indeed, from one place to another within a single country. The folk musi¢ of Iceland, for example, does not contain the same rhythmic figures and melodic turns as the folk music of the United States. Even within North America significant differences in sequence can occur, depending upon whether the teacher is working with predominantly Hispanic children in Texas‘The Kedaly Method 79 @ meter would surely be taught sooner), Black children in Mississippi (the initial melodic teaching might well use patterns based on do~la—so: rather than on la-so-mi), or rural children in New England (the sixteenth-note patterns com- mon to their singing game tradition taught earlier). ‘The broad outlines of sequence do not change since they are based on principles that do not change. However, within that outline itis vitally important that teachers view sequence as a flexible factor, to be adapted to the specific re- gion, the specific culture, and the specific class. ‘Some Possible Koddly Sequences in Rhythm, Melody, Form, and Harmony Beat AND RuyrHM. There are a finite number of ideas or concepts necessary to understanding beat and rhythm: 1. Music moves to a steady BEAT. Ring sound the x0 - sy 2. Some beats have a feeling of stress or ACCENT. Rain, rain, goa - way 90 9 9° 3. Music moves in groups of beats defined by accented beats. This is known aS METER. Rainjnin | goa-way | 9o 9 2 4, All music moves in twos or in threes or in combinations of twos and threes. Znye aby | dont - ios | 9 9 9 9° Pe - ven cere [oe aity ay | 9 9 9° 9 9 9 | tice we go round the [Mulberry bush | 9 9 9 ° Jon me gl - tam ther mn | 9999 9 U9 9°