Introduction to the Kodály Approach

Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was a Hungarian composer, philosopher, ethno-musicologist and music educator. His ideas led to the development in Hungary of a practical, sequential and holistic approach to music education, which can be summed up as Musicianship through Singing.

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The unaccompanied singing voice is the cornerstone of Kodály work, as it engages and develops the inner hearing and is a powerful aid to the memory. Through the Kodály approach a student can acquire well developed aural skills, and also high levels of musical literacy. This is the ability to read and inner-hear music from written copy, as well as notate music one has heard, without use of an instrument. (This is similar to being able to read and understand written language, and write down the spoken word, as all children to learn to do after they have first learned to communicate through speech).

The Kodály approach can be used with students of all ages, and is applicable to all stages of music education from absolute beginner to diploma level. Ideally music education begins with very young children learning simple traditional songs and rhymes by rote and repetition, just as the spoken language is learned. In this way children experience the first elements of music unconsciously through active participation. An early familiarity with songs and rhymes lays down fundamental musical patterns and structures like building blocks in the memory.

Kodály training is multi-sensory, which helps in training the musical memory. Practical musical skills build up, through the singing of songs and related pulse, rhythm and pitch activities. The teacher begins to make the children conscious of the elements in the music, in a systematic and planned progression from the simple to the complex. Students are taught to use the solfa names (do, re, mi etc) and rhythm names (ta, tete, etc), and begin to work consciously with musical pitches and rhythms, just as letters of the alphabet are used to teach the sounds of language. Handsigns are taught for the solfa pitches. After each musical concept has been made conscious it is introduced in stick notation, a simple form of written musical notation, the beginning of musical literacy.

According to Kodály music should be taught in the musical ´mother tongue´, in the same way that language is taught. Traditional songs and rhymes encapsulate the intrinsic rhythms of a language, and are therefore the most natural musical diet for beginners. As the student progresses, Kodály techniques can be used to study many types of music, including classical music, world music and jazz.

Read more about Kodály:

	Guiding principles of the Kodály Approach (PDF document, 46KB)
	Music education in the Early Years (PDF document, 109KB)
	The Kodály Experience (PDF document, 64KB)

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The Kodály Institute was founded in Keckskemét, Kodály's birthplace in Hungary, in 1975. Scholars, researchers and students from around the world go there to train in Kodály methodology and practice, and observe children at the Kodály School. The Kodály movement has gained world renown and Kodály societies have sprung up in many countries.

The British Kodály Academy works for the improvement of music education in the UK, and runs courses and workshops for all who wish to develop their own musical skills, or teach music to others, following Kodály's principles.