1. The Kodaly Method It’s much more than so-mi & ta ti-ti!
It’s a Joyful, Sequential, & Comprehensive
Process of Literacy Development
For ALL musicians.
Dr. Steve Oare, Wichita State University
(316)

2. AGENDA Kodaly Philosophy Preparation of a Concert Piece
Teaching Principles
Kodaly Tools
Strategies –
Movement
Solfege
Writing
Ear Training
Theory
Preparation of a Concert Piece
Prepare
Present
Practice

3. Teaching starts with a philosophical foundation. What’s yours?
What is musicianship?
expression –communicate
Create a good tone
Natural / learned
Ears – harmonic, melodic, rhythmic
What is music literacy?
Decode & Comprehend
The ability to take in information & use it
The ability to hear what you see & see what you hear
Who should learn music?

4. Kodaly Philosophy Music education belongs to ALL students
Start teaching music as early as possible
Music education should start 9 months before birth of the mother!
Music education should be joyful
"Teach music and singing at school in such a way that it is not a torture but a joy for the pupil.”

5. Kodaly Philosophy Music starts with singing & movement
“It is the development of instinctive perception and training, and not sophisticated lectures, that brings people nearer to music.”
Music learning is like language learning
We heard before we spoke & spoke before we read
Use the folk songs of a child’s heritage
Use only the best music to develop taste
“Instill a thirst for finer music in him, a thirst which will last for a lifetime.”

6. Kodaly Teaching Principles For All Levels The aim is a literacy in which you are able to hear what you see and see what you hear
Conceptually Based (to aid transfer)
Learning through experience (teaching isn’t telling)
Patterns in context rather than individual pitches & intervals (words over letters)
One thing at a time (isolate rhythm & pitch)

7. Discovery through Modes of Representation
Kodaly Teaching Principles For All Levels The aim is a literacy in which you are able to hear what you see and see what you hear
Discovery through Modes of Representation
Enactive, Iconic, Symbolic
Use multiple modalities to learn
Singing, playing, naming (solfege & counting syllables), writing, moving, inner hearing, dictating, creating

8. Kodaly Teaching Principle: Prepare-Present-Practice
Prepare: Building the foundation
Students are directed to attend to key concepts within the music
Done through active learning
Present: The quick naming and defining
A quick hit once students show readiness for the new thing
Practice: Refining fluency & expectation
Address the new skill/concept in multiple ways
Use movement, notation, dictation, memory, audiation, improvisation, composition over multiple songs

9. Tools of the Trade Solfege Counting System Movement:
Movable do with la based minor
Curwen/Glover hand signs
Counting System
Chevé is traditionally used but any system works
Do you want a function-based or note-based system?
Movement:
Conducting, folk dances & movement
Folk Music & Masterworks

10. Tools of the Trade Inner Hearing Creating as a means to learning
Can they hear sections in their heads and come in on pitch and in time?
Audiation is to music what thinking is to language
Creating as a means to learning
Manipulatives
Flashcards
Staves (felt, tag board, velcro, tape, etc)
Solfege Discs

11. Strategies - Movement Move – to contour, to rhythms, to phrases. . . .
Can you play in time if you can’t move to music?
Heavier movements seem to internalize more
Rhythm must be accompanied by PULSE
Conduct to show meter & tension/release
Great for ties & rests on beat 1
Move to show & assess student anticipation of events & where to breathe
Meter; New phrases; chord progressions;
Move to show & assess perception of pitch direction
Move to the direction
Show hand signs

12. Strategies – Name Patterns
Counting – name the patterns
Helps the development of a pattern vocabulary
Focus on the function of the note
Flashcards: Read ahead, Identify the card
Note Names, Solfege & Handsigns – naming the patterns
Focuses on intervalic function
Move to a new key quickly (Concert Bb to C)
Solfege Ladders help with building scales & chords
Great for communicating pitches without transposing to 4 keys

13. Before Reading, the notation is prepared by:
Playing by ear
Dictating rhythm using “beats” & stick notation
Dictating pitches using white board then personal boards
Reading first measure & writing the rest
Singing with note names
Before Reading, the notation is prepared by:
Singing the song
Tapping beat/clapping rhythm
Moving hands to show contour
Singing “home tone”
Singing in solfege with hand signs

14. Stick notation separates rhythm from pitch.
Questions focus on knowledge
Notating shows how well students comprehend symbols
Transposition teaches note function, aural development & need for # & b

15. Written in Phrases to aid in chord changes
Development of bass line teaches harmonic anticipation
This aids intonation
Form aids in learning repeated spots
This can be played in many keys

16. do’ _C_ ti _B_ La _A_ so _G_ fa _F_ mi _E_ re _D_ do _C_
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E
Sax Bb Instr F Instr C Instr
Teach scales by teaching how they’re built. Then notice two things:
Each new flat is fa
Each new sharp is ti
_G_ _F_ _Bb_ _F#_ _E_ _A_ _E_ _D_ _G_ _D_ _C_ _F_ _C_ _Bb_ _Eb_ _B_ _A_ _D_ _A_ _G_ _C_ _G_ _F_ _Bb_
do’ _C_ ti _B_ La _A_ so _G_ fa _F_ mi _E_ re _D_ do _C_
Moveable do &
la-based minor
Teaches note function in tonality

17. Strategies for Ear Training
Scales, Arpeggios & Patterns – sing then play
Sing & play after me (pattern based) to engage the ears
Aural Dictation
Rhythm Cards & Felt Staves
Which flash card?
King of the Hill
Find the tonic (helps with intonation & key)

18. Strategies for Ear Training
Iconic Representation (on board & enactive)
Icons are more understandable than abstract symbols
Inner Hear
Trade measures or phrases
Play or not play only the important notes
New pitch; downbeats; accidentals; long tones
Drop out when you do/don’t have melody
Mystery Tune & Sight Singing
Learn Songs by Ear

19. Developing harmonic understanding
Strategies for Theory la
sol sol sol
fa fa
mi mi
do do do
ti,
Developing harmonic understanding la
sol sol fa mi do
sol fa mi
mi re do do
I IV V I

20. Inner Hearing & Harmony Bass Lines
do sol, do do sol, do sol, do
sol, do do sol, do sol, do
Why?
Intonation
Anticipating harmonic progression
Playing by ear
Creativity through arranging
Do it with chamber groups
Process
You play melody – I play bass
Show bass on board
I play melody – you play bass
Split the band
Next tune, you tell me where I changed then write on board
Next tune, you figure out the bass

21. Preparation of a Concert Piece
Do they have the concept of the genre?
Articulation, Tone Quality, Harm
Harmonic Vocabulary
Cadence patterns
Do they have the skills for the piece?
Rhythm Patterns
Fingering Patterns
Articulation styles
Dynamic range
Note Range

22. Analyze a score as a conductor & as a teacher:
Interpretation of meaning
Phrasing & part function
Teacher:
What should be memorable?
What’s stylistically new?
Where will the problems be? Why?
Where are the rhythmic & tonal surprises?
Where are the fingering & range issues?
Burlington HS
Freiburger Barokorchestra
Presidio Middle School
NYSO Sinfonia (has a harpsichord)

23. Piece Preparation Activities
Listening lessons to prepare the genre
What’s the Instrumentation?
Meter? --- move to it; recognize it in other examples
Articulation Style? --- play it in a scale
Texture – describe it
Phrase lengths --- do something to show new phrases
Tonality
Play the scale, patterns, & interesting chord progressions
Rhythm Patterns
Count, clap, play, & dictate

24. d’d’ ss mm dd d’
t t l s f m r d s ff m rr d
t,t,
s,s,

25. Scales – Baroque bow style
D major Arpeggios
A major using a G# accidental
Cello line doubled by all
Duet line – bow distribution, phrasing, & rhythmic accuracy

26. Presentation & Practice
Do they know the form?
Can they identify compositional devices?
Sequences, Augmentation/Diminution, motivic development, etc
Do they see the traps?
Ties over bar lines & rests on beat 1
Accidentals that move the tonal center
Slightly changed repetitions (especially 3rd time)
Do they know part function?
Do they know where climaxes & releases are?
Can they identify referential elements?

27. Steve.oare@wichita.edu (316)978-6434
Thank You!
WSU Summer Kodaly Program
June 4-16, 2017
& Youth Choir Camp (ages 9-16)
June 4-9
(316)