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NEC Summer School

Kodaly Music Institute

Join us for
Kodály Music Institute 2009

Kodály Music Teacher

Certificate Courses
Endorsed by the Organization of
American Kodály Educators

Mary A. Epstein & Jonathan C. Rappaport, Directors

Synopsis

The Kodaly Music Institute offers a certificate program in three levels with increasingly complex skill development in musicianship and pedagogy, an introductory course for those who want a "taste only," and a post-certificate course so that certificate holders may apprentice with renowned teachers and conductors. Additionally, it offers mini-workshops, concerts, and celebration events. Music teachers, NEC college performance majors, and music majors with career paths as solfege instructors, choral conductors, church musicians, curriculum supervisors, or arts management are strongly encouraged to apply!

Children:  The Kodály Music Institute sponsors its own children's choir program (3 choirs) so that participants may observe its philosophy in action by observing rehearsals and classes for children ages 7 - 18 (Vocal Vacation)

The Certificate for Kodály Music Teaching is nationally recognized and endorsed by the Organizations of American Kodály Educators and may be earned at New England Conservatory by completing an 18-credit three-level graduate program.

Options for degrees / credits:  Please inquire.  The Kodály Certificate Course graduate credits from New England Conservatory may be applied towards graduate teaching degrees at two university partners within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Fifteen (15) graduate credits count toward the Master's Program in Music Education with a Kodály Emphasis at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. All eighteen (18) graduate credits count toward and constitute fully half of the Master's Degree in Education with a Kodály Emphasis at Anna Maria College in Paxton.

Options for career advancement / non-credits: 
2008 Massachusetts Department of Education Content Institute Sponsorship:

Pending.We will post an update as soon as we know. Barring such funding, 2008 applicants may elect to apply for non-credit through a KMI scholarship program. This program is for participants seeking only Professional Development Points (PDPs) in the 3-week summer program. PDPs are awarded for good attendance, full participation, and successful completion of all coursework, homework, and projects. PLEASE NOTE: As of 2009 every teacher in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Public Education System is required to earn 150 PDPs every 5 years for teaching license recertification. These spaces are limited so please APPLY EARLY!

Housing: please call (617) 585-1126 for more information.

Application & Scholarship Forms - download forms

Table of Contents:

Levels I, II, and III Kodály Certification Course

You’ll Find . . .

  • Proven classroom song materials, games, and choral music—materials that work!
  • The famous Kodály pedagogy – techniques and sequencing that are effective with every student of any age
  • Application of pedagogy in live demonstrations of children on site
  • Expanded development of your personal musicianship skills and teaching potential
  • An internationally acclaimed faculty of master teachers from the United States, Canada, and Hungary
  • A unique choral experience singing under a world-class conductor
  • An exchange of ideas with supportive colleagues attending nationwide
  • Inspirational concerts

Hear what our past participants have said about KMI . . .

  • “A fabulous experience for me!”
  • “I loved it! The teachers all are wonderful, no fluff or filler in the classes, just solid teaching.”
  • “Course instructors were outstanding. . . Knowledgeable and presented the materials in a professional, supportive manner.”
  • “The opportunity to meet and share with other professionals; the camaraderie and mutual respect is totally appreciated.”
  • “A most rewarding, musical experience.”
  • “The quantity and quality of materials and classroom ideas was enormously helpful.”
  • “I loved the quality musicianship of all of the instructors.”
  • "Every minute was well planned, engaging, totally relevant, challenging, and sparked my interest in wanting to learn more."
  • "Had complete confidence in the faculty members as the best available on the subject."

Degree and Certificate Options:

  • Apply credits toward a M.M.Ed. in Music Education with a Kodály emphasis at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst; an M.Ed. with Kodály music emphasis at Anna Maria College, Paxton, Mass.
  • Earn a Kodály Music Teacher's Certificate by completing Levels I, II, & III (3 summers 3 levels) for OAKE-endorsed Kodály Music Teacher's Certificate (www.oake.org)
  • Earn graduate credits or Professional Development Points (PDPs) for partial fulfillment of Massachusetts music teacher licensure; NEW RELICENSURE GUIDELINES. As of 2009 the new MA DOE requirements are that each teacher earn 150 PDPs every 5 years to maintain music teacher certification.

KMI's Internationally-Renowned Faculty includes the following:

Valerie Becker, Charlyn Bethell, Margaret Callaghan, Karrie Chan-Lam, Susan Cleveland, Joanne Crowell, Mary Epstein, David Hodgkins, Martha Holmes, Brian Michaud, Tom Morris, Susie Petrov, Elaine Quilichini, Jonathan Rappaport, David Richardson, Gabór Virágh, Katalin Virágh, Pamela Wood. Guest Artist: Gilbert De Greeve, President International Kodály Society

About Our Conductor: David Hodgkins
Recently featured in Choral Director Magazine (Jan. 2006), conductor David Hodgkins has delighted audiences in the greater Boston area for over 15 years with "creative programs, sung with enthusiasm and tonal beauty" (Ed Tapper, Bay Windows). Mr. Hodgkins is the Artistic Director of Coro Allegro in Boston which Boston Globe critic Michael Manning deemed "one of Boston's most accomplished choruses", The New England Classical Singers in Andover, and is Director of Music at the Commonwealth School in Boston. His ensembles have been featured at ACDA and GALA Music Festivals, and collaborated with the Boston Cecilia, Handel and Haydn Society, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the Landmarks Orchestra. Mr. Hodgkins has also made numerous guest appearances as music festival conductor and conducting clinician, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of The Boston City Singers, Jane Money, Artistic Director. A champion of contemporary music, Mr. Hodgkins has conducted world premiere performances of works by Patricia Van Ness, Daniel Pinkham, Charles Fussell, Alan Fletcher, Kenneth Fuchs, Richard St. Clair, Aaron Rosenthal, and Ruth Lomon, and Boston premieres of works by Marianne Martinez, Rebecca Clarke, Arvo Part, and William Grant Still. He has released two critically acclaimed compact discs entitled "In the Clearing" and "somewhere i have never traveled" with Coro Allegro. Mr. Hodgkins received a BMus in voice, piano and harpsichord from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and earned his Master of Music in choral conducting from Temple University in Philadelphia. Mr. Hodgkins also was a conducting Fellow at both the Aspen and Sandpoint Music Festivals. His conducting mentors include Alan Harler, Wayne Abercrombie, Fiora Contino, Paul Vermel, James Roth, and Gunther Schuller. Mr. Hodgkins has been on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, University of Massachusetts/Amherst, Temple University and Clark University.

Please note: The Kodály Music Institute at New England Conservatory reserves the right to substitute instructors.

The Kodály Concept:
The Kodály Music Institute is based upon the teaching philosophy, concepts, and practices as developed by the Hungarian composer, linguist, philosopher and educator, Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967).

The Kodály (pronounced KÓH-dye) concept has spread and been adapted in over 40 nations throughout the world. It is a performance-based music education system that stresses learning via authentic multi-cultural folksongs, rhymes, dances and singing games, jazz and classical art music. Cultural, aesthetic and music history is interwoven with singing, movement, musical literacy, and instrument playing.

This approach begins by teaching children to sing in tune, combined with extensive physical movement to develop timing and rhythmic competence. Music is taught in a way that requires each child to learn via a variety of modes — kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. Kodály teachers are trained how to carefully analyze each song that is used in teaching. From this song analysis, common melodic and rhythmic patterns emerge, dictating the most appropriate teaching sequence for musical reading and writing. Children learn how to gradually hear and then sight sing standard musical notation through the use of these repetitive patterns, thus developing true musical literacy. Once children have acquired music-literacy skills, they are then able to easily apply this to instrumental study, making such lessons considerably easier and more successful. Research evidence suggests that Kodály training develops children’s intellectual abilities beyond music to those needed for the learning of all subjects, as well as developing socialization skills.

Course Descriptions:
Overview:  Main areas of study are pedagogy, solfège,- relative and absolute systems, conducting, and musicology. Rich in musical content and effective teaching strategies, the Kodály Music Institute has strong connections to the National Standards for Arts Education and the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework. Classes are interactive, small in size, and include chamber music performances and daily choir rehearsals. Special topics are taught as peer labs in conducting and pedagogy, lesson planning, teaching units, individualized curriculum, sequencing, and assessments. Participants learn repertoire of authentic multicultural folksongs, dances, and singing games, jazz, classical arts songs and choral literature. Students collect, research, analyze and codify a Music Retrieval System.

The Kodály Music Institute consists of three levels of increasing musical and pedagogical complexity. Each level can be completed in one summer. In 2008-09, Level I participants may also elect to complete their course work during the academic year. Upon successful completion of three levels participants will be awarded a nationally recognized Kodály Music Teacher's Certificate endorsed by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). PLEASE NOTE: Summers/academic years need not be consecutive in order to be awarded the certificate.

The course descriptions below give an overview of the skill development, content expertise, and teaching strategies that each participant will learn during the summer institute/academic year and beyond. Kodály believed that each teacher should strive to meet her/his highest potential as both a musician and educator. That is why Kodály training usually includes not only curriculum development courses in teaching pedagogy and materials, but also a wide range of subjects that improve a teacher’s musicianship skills. All course work is highly interlocking, stressing quality throughout - the best musicianship, the best musical materials to use with students, and the best teaching methods for teaching students skills, concepts and elements leading to musical mastery and literacy. This course work results in a synthesis of knowledge that has the potential to develop teaching artists of the highest caliber, which in turn translates to greatly enhanced student achievement.

Solfège (18.5 hours of instruction at each level) A daily class, solfège includes sight-reading, dictation, transposition, analysis, improvisation and ear training through the human voice. Both movable "do" solemnization and fixed, absolute letter names are used to develop both relative and perfect pitch. Training usually begins with simple unison pentatonic and diatonic melodies, leading to complex part music. Musical material includes folksongs through masterworks of all periods and styles, and includes many of Kodály’s composed exercises. All skills are developed simultaneously through live music making rather than chalkboard theory. (There are several sections of solfège, grouped according to previous training and background.)

Teaching Pedagogy (18.5 hours of instruaction at each level) A daily class rooted in Kodály philosophy. Topics include the development of tuneful singing, learning styles, readiness methodology; the preparation long and short-term planning. The pedagogical process will be stressed with presentation and practice of specific elements and concepts, skill development; and long and short-term curriculum planning. The pedagogical process will be stressed, with application to any age student or teaching situation. Incorporation of (1) the learning strands of the Massachusetts Arts Framework, (2) authentic assessment practices in the arts, and (3) the viewing and analysis of videos of master music teaching will be included.  All participants gather for Teaching Lab to design and teach lesson segments to their peers.

Music Materials (5-15 hours of instruction at each level) Participants learn multiethnic playground songs, nursery rhymes, folk songs, singing games, dances, canons, and art music of many periods. Well over 50 classroom-tested songs will be memorized. Each participant will study the process of how to analyze and categorize musical material and begin developing a permanent song collection and "retrieval system" for easy access.

Choral Literature and Performance (17 hours of instruction at each level) This class is a living chorus laboratory, which includes the entire group of KMI participants. The group studies high quality choral music, which expands each participant's personal musicanship skills as well as choral methods/materials, which can be used in school choral situations. A public performance is given each summer in NEC’s renowned Jordan Hall. Arts Curriculum Framework music standards 1, 2, 5, 6, 8.

Observation of "Vocal Vacation" (8 hours of instruction at each level.)
Participants will observe the instant, live application of Kodály philosophy and pedagogy. as children are taught by Kodály experts who demonstrate how to implement the materials and strategies in a classroom setting with children in grades 2- 12. Arts Curriculum Framework music standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10.

Choral Conducting and Conducting Lab (10 hours of instruction at each level) will consist of small-group conducting classes and all-institute conducting labs. Topics include how to prepare and memorize a score, correct conducting patterns in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 meters, proper choral conducting techniques and body stance, interpretation of unison through complex part music in different styles, and basic rehearsal techniques. Arts Curriculum Framework music standards 1, 2, 5, 6.

Special Topics (7 hours of instruction at each level) These sessions range from topics in science and music to vocal pedagogy, folk dancing, musicology i.e. African American Folk and Art Music, music and brain research, the National Arts Standards, MA Arts Curriculum Framework, and authentic arts assessment.

Mentoring
 Each KMI Certificate-course Participant may elect to have a master KMI teacher assigned as a mentor during the academic year. Twice during the school year the mentor will visit the participant, observe the participant's class(es) and give valuable feedback and suggestions about implementing the Kodály concept. All participants living within a two-hour drive of Boston and committed to the three-year Certification Program will be eligible to receive this benefit free of charge.

 

updated 11 November 2008