So you saw that I was out in Lubbock taking a two week class, and then you stuck around to read Part II about Orff Schulwerk. Now, the thrilling conclusion... Part III, all about Kodaly!
Before I tell you about Kodaly, let's start with how to pronounce it. It sounds like "co-dye" with emphasis on the first syllable.
Alright, now that you know how to say it, let's get on with the show. The Organization of American Kodaly Educators has a wonderful outline of everything that is Kodaly. In a nutshell, the Kodaly Concept is that singing is the foundation of musical learning. The voice is an instrument we all have, and that we can use throughout our lives. Through singing, children learn how to read and write music, improvise and create. In a Kodaly elementary music classroom, children use folk songs, singing games, and chants to have these experiences.
Zoltan Kodaly was a Hungarian composer who spent much of his life advocating music education in Hungary. He believed that if people are well-educated musically (starting in early childhood), they become more informed and appriciative listeners of professional musicians. Kodaly also saw folk music as being important for continuing a culture's traditions. Along with Bela Bartok, another Hungarian composer, he gathered folk songs from villages all over Hungary. In fact, many of his compositions were inspired by Hungarian folk songs.
In my opinion, music teachers don't have to, and shouldn't, see themselves as solely "Orff" or "Kodaly." Both can and should be used in the elementary music classroom. In my own class, for example, I use singing games, rhymes, and folk songs. But with these songs, I also have my students play on Orff instruments, create, and move. All of these activities together make my students well-rounded musicians. Yes, they enjoy playing singing games to learn musical concepts, but they also love playing instruments. Why should I deprive them of one or the other, just so my teaching falls into someone's strict guidelines of what an ideal music class should be?
"Shady Grove" is one of my favorite folk songs, and is one that often will randomly pop into my head. Here it is as sung by Jean Ritchie, who sang many, many folk songs for children on her mountain dulcimer. Enjoy!
