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NEC Summer School
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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
2009 NEC Summer School/Kodaly Courses and Concerts (PDF)
The Kodaly Concept
The Kodály Music Institute is based upon the teaching philosophy, concepts, and practices 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. Culture, aesthetics, and music history are 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 learn 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. In addition to developing a child's musical literacy, research suggests that Kodály training positively impacts a child's intellectual abilities needed for the learning of all subjects and aids in the development of socialization skills.
General 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-to-four levels of increasing musical and pedagogical complexity. Each level can be completed in one summer. In 2009-10, Level II participants may also elect to complete their course work during the academic year. Upon successful completion of three levels, as well as a personal song collection and retrieval system (which may be done separately as a level IV), 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 aimed at improving a teacher’s personal musicianship skills. All course work is highly interrelated and quality is stressed throughout—the best musicianship, the best musical materials to use with students, and the best instructional strategies for teaching one's students the skills, concepts, and elements which lead to the development of musical literacy and a life-long love of music. 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 all developed through singing. Movable "do" solemnization and fixed, absolute letter names are used to help develop both relative and perfect pitch. Training usually begins with simple unison pentatonic and diatonic melodies and leads 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 instruction at each level) - A daily class rooted in Kodály philosophy. Topics include tuneful singing development, learning styles, readiness methodology, rhythmic and melodic aural training and sight reading, and skill enhancement through all grade levels. The pedagogical process will be stressed with preparation, presentation, and practice of specific elements—concepts—skills, and long and short-term curriculum planning. 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 learned. Each participant will study the process of musical analysis, codifying musical materials and developing a permanent song collection and "retrieval system" for easy access of teaching materials.
Level IV Song Collection and Retrieval System: - This course will be primarily an independent-study project under the supervision of one of KMI's master instructors. Class members will work with the instructor and classmates both individually and in group settings weekly, with the bulk of the work being accomplished independently. The goal of the course is to develop a personal song collection and retrieval system that will enable a teacher to quickly access applicable teaching materials for nearly any element, concept, or skill area. Each participant will have a minimum of 125 songs and pieces of music (pre-approved by the instructor) relevant to one's personal teaching situation analyzed and filed alphabetically into a song collection. Every song or piece of music will then also be entered into an extensive retrieval system notebook, or via a computerized database, according to dozens of musical, pedagogical, cultural, and interdisciplinary categories.
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 musicianship 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.
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. More information...
Choral Conducting and Conducting Lab: (10 hours of instruction at each level) - This 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 various meters, proper choral conducting techniques and body stance, interpretation of unison through complex part music in different styles, and basic rehearsal techniques.
Special Topics: (7 hours of instruction at each level) - This 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 various meters, proper choral conducting techniques and body stance, interpretation of unison through complex part music in different styles, and basic rehearsal techniques.
2009-2010 Academic Year Courses
Level II Certificate Course
Sept. 2009-June 2010; 6 SCE Graduate Credits
Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of Level I Kodály coursework.
Highlights are Level II Conducting with David Hodgkins, Level II Pedagogy and Materials with Charlyn Bethel, Level II Solfège with Pamela Wood, Musicology African American Folk and Art Music with Betty Hillmon, Pamela Wood and Jonathan Rappaport, and the Boston Area Kodály Workshop Series.
Level IV Certificate Course NEW!
Sept. 2009-June 2010; 2 SCE Graduate Credits
Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of at Level II Kodály coursework.
Level IV Song Collection and Retrieval System Thesis Project with Jonathan Rappaport will be offered. This course will be primarily an independent-study project. Class members will work with the instructor and classmates predominantly online through web conferencing and email, with the bulk of the work being accomplished independently. The goal of the course is to develop a personal song collection and retrieval system that will enable a teacher to quickly access applicable teaching materials for nearly any element, concept, or skill area. Each participant will have a minimum of 125 songs and pieces of music (pre-approved by the instructor) relevant to one's personal teaching situation analyzed and filed alphabetically into a song collection. Every song or piece of music will then also be entered into an extensive retrieval system notebook, or via a computerized database, according to dozens of musical, pedagogical, cultural, and interdisciplinary categories.
updated 23 January 2009