Music News

The Kodály Approach to Music Education at St. Cecilia’s

By Stefania Miller

In the school holidays I was fortunate to attend and present at the Kodály Australia Conference ‘New Voices in Harmony’.

The 4 day conference included thought-provoking keynote speeches, interactive workshops, performances and networking opportunities all based on the Kodály inspired music instruction.

I hold the Australian Kodály certificate and regularly incorporate the Kodály approach in my lessons so attending the conference has allowed me to gain a further wealth of knowledge that I can apply to my music lessons and choirs at St. Cecilia’s.

Presenting at the conference was an exhilarating experience that pushed me beyond my comfort zone and allowed me to share my original ideas with like-minded music teachers from across Australia.

My workshop was titled ‘Music Manipulatives: A hands-on approach to Music Literacy’ and explored songs, games and practice activities that use concrete objects to manipulate and why they are useful for creativity and inclusivity in the music classroom.

What is the Kodály approach to music education?

The Kodály concept was inspired by the philosophies of the Hungarian composer and educator, Zoltan Kodály (1882 – 1967). Kodály believed that musical instruction should reflect the way that children learn naturally. Through singing games, fun and play children discover musical elements. The elements are presented sequentially and allow many opportunities to practise with repetition being of utmost importance. They learn to listen, respond, perform, read and write music as if it were another language.

It is globally researched by educators, psychologists and neuroscientists that the songs, rhymes and games used in the Kodály approach transfer into other areas of learning such as focus, memory, coordination, creativity, time management, communication skills, team work, listening skills, problem solving, patience, organisational skills as well as social and emotional skills. The list of benefits are endless.

What does this mean for the student’s of St. Cecilia’s?

The Kodàly approach is inclusive and accessible to everyone through its sequential and engaging nature. In my lessons students are engaged in music making from all around the world through the use of folk-songs, games, movement and activities while simultaneously learning to read and write music. In doing so they are becoming music-literate! My goal for every student when they leave St. Cecilia’s is that they will have the tools to continue their music journey into secondary school with confidence. I truly believe my Kodály inspired lessons allows this to happen and is evident as a music teacher from a local high school often remarks to me that she knows which students have come from St. Cecilia’s because they can sing and know how to read music already when they enter her school.

So I challenge you to regularly ask your child what they did in music each week. If they respond with “I played a game” they probably did! What you may not know is that these music based games lead to an array of other vital tools for not only learning music but developing the whole child. That’s the magic of music at St. Cecilia’s.