Zoltan Kodaly

(red)
MEMBERS:
MIER ANGELIE D. ROSALES
SYVEL D. MAYHAY
MARIANE LORAINE REGLOS
VINCE LEGASPI
ELLAINE KAYE R. MALANA
 INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING MUSIC

A. Background/History/Who pioneered
B. Methods and its elements
C. Pros and cons (for elementary level learners)
D. Video sample (methods and music)
 WHAT IS KODALY METHOD?

There are almost as many approaches to learning music as there are musicians. Every
teaching style has a philosophy behind it, and this philosophy influences what is taught and
how it is taught. The interactive, collaborative, and highly kinesthetic Kodály method of
learning music was developed by Hungarian composer and educator Zoltán Kodály in the
early 20th century. It combines several powerful techniques for developing the core skills of
musicianship. The Kodály approach is very closely related to the world of musical ear
training.
Background/History/Who pioneered

 Zoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist,

pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known
internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music
education.

• Born: 1882, Kecskemét, Hungary
• Died: March 6, 1967, Budapest, Hungary
• Spouse: Sarolta Péczely (m. 1959-1967), Emma Sandor (m.
1910-1958)
• Parents: Paulina Jalovetzky, Frigyes Kodály
• Education: Eötvös Loránd University, 
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
 Background/History/Who pioneered
• Kodály began traveling widely after completing a Ph.D. with
a thesis on "The Strophic Structure of Hungarian Folk-
Songs," through his trips to the Hungarian countryside and
his stint in Paris he learned about the music of Claude
Debussy.
• By this point, he was becoming a prolific composer,
collaborating with Béla Bartók with whom he created a
collection of Hungarian folk songs.
• His big musical break came in 1923, when he was
commissioned to compose a piece to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the union of the two cities Buda and Pest. The
resulting piece, “Psalmus Hungaricus”, catapulted him to
national-treasure status, as well as giving him international
recognition.
Background/History/Who pioneered
Wrote two operas which also became internationally popular.
 Background/History/Who pioneered

• Growing up with political disquiet in his country, Kodály

sought out a way to preserve Hungarian culture, and
found the answer in music, especially taking issue with the
fact that music education started so late in most schools.
• He began writing articles and essays to raise awareness of
the low quality of Hungary’s music education system. He
believed the solution was better-trained teachers, an
improved curriculum, and more class time devoted to
music in general.
Background/History/Who pioneered

Collaboration of
Béla Bartók and
Zoltán Kodály
 Background/History/Who pioneered

• The system he developed integrated the singing of folk songs in the pupils’ mother
tongue.
• In 1945, Kodály's ideas began to be implemented in public schools, fulfilling his hopes
that his work would be used in this way. The first primary music school in Hungary
opened shortly after this. The success of this school led to the opening of more than a
hundred similar institutions in Hungary over the following decade.
• After that, the International Society for Music Educators (I.S.M.E.) convened a
conference in Vienna where the concepts from these music schools were presented.
Given the opportunity for other music educators to examine Kodály's work firsthand at a
conference held in Budapest in 1964 interest and to the widespread adoption of Kodály’s
principles
 Background/History/Who pioneered

• Kodaly method was a system that evolved organically in music schools in Hungary
under Kodály’s instruction and guidance. Kodály’s friends, colleagues, and students
helped develop this method by picking out techniques found to be the most
interactive and engaging to create a method that focused on the expressive
and creative skills of musicianship (rather than the theory or instrument skills).
Many of these techniques were adapted from existing methods, altered to fit the
context of Hungary. The resulting method relied quite heavily on exercises and
games and integrated the Hungarian cultural aspects.
 Background/History/Who pioneered

The Central Principles of Kodály

1.Music should be taught from a young age. Kodály believed that music was among,
if not the most important subject to teach in schools.
2.Music should be taught in a logical and sequential manner.
3.There should be a pleasure in learning music; learning should not be torturous.
4.The voice is the most accessible, universal instrument.
5.The musical material is taught in the context of the mother-tongue folk song.
 Background/History/Who pioneered

Kodaly for Children

• With the method, young children unconsciously learn the basic musical elements:
solfa, rhythm, hand signs, memory development, singing, and more.

Kodaly for Adults

• Adult musicians on every level will also find the method useful. The concepts of
rhythm, relative pitch, and improvisation taught in the system are universal.
 Background/History/Who pioneered

Similarities and Differences with the Orff Approach

• Both approaches use an element of “play” in their pedagogy. Additionally, the

two philosophies can be said to have a shared motto: “Experience first,
intellectualize second”, meaning that students unconsciously absorb musical
knowledge through the interactive exercises. Only then are they asked to put
pen to paper and articulate the principles behind the music.
• The Kodály method is more structured and sequential, whereas the Orff
Approach is less systematic and more free-form.
 Background/History/Who pioneered

How Kodály compares to traditional music education

• Obvious differences include the one-on-one teacher-student relationship in

traditional music lessons versus the group activities of the Kodály method.
• While individual attention is valuable in music education, group learning allows
for more avenues in creativity and collaboration.
• Traditional music education focuses on teaching a specific skill set for a specific
instrument, whereas the Kodály method starts with one’s own voice as the
original instrument, and slowly expands its teachings to apply to any instrument.
 Methods and its elements

• The original method that kodaly pioneered was created with children's development in mind. Early
Kodaly music education for children has countless benefits and for adults. The Kodaly method is
not just for children. The concept of rhythm, relative, pitch, and improvisation are universal. What
are principles does Kodaly involved?
 Methods and its elements

• 1. Movable "Do" Solfa- Solfa ( aka solfege ) is a system for relative pitch ear training
which assign a spoken syllable to each note in the scale. It becomes easy to identify and
sing notes simply by recognizing where they fit in the musical context.
• 2. Hand signs for movable "Do" Solfa- The Kodaly method includes the use of hand
signals during singing exercises to provide a visual aid for the solfa syllables.
• 3. Rhythm- Rhythm is often a neglected area of ear training. Note values are counted out
loud with assigned syllables that actually sound like the rhythms they spell out.
• 4. Creativity- Having a clear systematic ways to understand pitch and rhythm empowers
the musician to be creative and confident in music.
• 5. Collaboration- At its heart, the kodaly approach is a very human and social one,
involving plenty of musical collaboration students are encouraged to perform together and
play or sing duets, rounds, and other musical forms.
 Pros and cons (for elementary level learners)

• PROS:
- Perhaps the primary advantage of the Kodaly method is its reliance on all the human
senses. Kindergarten groups, for example, teaching kids to feel the music pulse, hear the
pitch and sing along.
- Young children unconsciously learn the basic musical elements: solfa, rhythm, hand
signs, memory development, singing, and more.
Video sample (methods and music)
THANK YOU!