“Dalcroze, Kodály and Orff:

Unlocking the Keys to Literacy, Fluency and Artistry”

Part II: Teaching Music Inspired by the Ideas of Zoltan Kodály

Presented by:

Kelly Foster Griffin, President-Elect

Organization of American Kodály Educators
tomkelhay@gmail.com

Who was Zoltan Kodály?

 A worldwide recognized 20th Century composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, educator
and philosopher born in Hungary (1882 – 1967). His interest in music education
stemmed from a desire to improve the quality of singing and musical training of teachers
and children alike.

What are the main tenets of the Kodály Philosophy of Music Education?
 Singing – The voice is the first music instrument. It is free and accessible to all.
 Musical Literacy – The ability to read, write, and think music is the right of every human
being. Tools used: moveable-doh solfa, rhythm syllables, eurhythmics; much experience
precedes symbolization; melodic and rhythmic concepts are sequenced simple to
complex.
 Early Education –What a child learns in kindergarten he/she will never forget.
 Quality Music – Folk music from around the world, great masterworks, and composed
works with lasting appeal that elicit sincere emotions.
 Joyful Music-Making – The most important aspect. To kill the joy in music learning
would make any skills learned irrelevant.

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What do we teach?
 New repertoire, in-tune singing, inner hearing, readiness skills, rhythmic and melodic
elements, sight-singing, musical dictation, musical memory, listening skills, part work
development, improvisation, composition, social skills, vocal and instrumental technique,
cross-curricular connections and performance skills.

Long-Term Planning Considerations

 Balance all of the above musical goals, work from the well-known to the unknown; recycle
materials: students need a lot of repetition and enjoy coming back to familiar works.

Short-Term Planning Considerations:

 Begin and end each lesson with group music-making, include a variety of goals in each
lesson, vary the materials and tone sets within each lesson, keep pacing fast, but flexible so
that you do not “lose” students; alternate “concentration” activities with “relaxation”
activities, work toward smooth transitions between activities, choose comfortable keys and
starting pitches, be the best musical model you can be for the children and (most
importantly) make each lesson a fun, joyous and musical experience!

Strategies for Preparing, Presenting and Practicing “ticka-ticka”

 Preliminaries and Preparation
a. Find several song examples (4-7) that you can use to illustrate and demonstrate the
new rhythmic element such as: Dinah, Diggy Dong, Dance Josey, Paw Paw Patch,
Tideo, etc. Make sure there are no unknown elements that haven’t been introduced
yet. This may confuse a child.
b. Learn the songs and games well. Be able to clap the element accurately while
keeping a steady beat.
c. Get your students to hear the new rhythm by asking refining questions (i.e., “Do you
hear a new rhythm that is not ‘ta’ or ‘ti-ti?’” Did we clap it faster or slower?” “How
many sounds did you hear on that beat?” What words from the song fit that rhythm?”
etc.)
 Presentation Lesson
a. Use a song with the rhythmic element in a prominent place
b. Mark the beat and clap the rhythm
c. Review all important aspects of the element (4 sounds on 1 beat)
d. Show the symbol
e. Name the symbol (“ticka-ticka”)
f. Put it in the song and perform it on rhythm names
 Practice Activities
a. Find the rhythmic element in all known songs
b. Read it in unknown songs and in new contexts
c. Read it using rhythm cards
d. Rhythm conversations (improvisation)
e. “Add four, drop four”
f. Aural and written dictation
g. Perform it on instruments
h. Composition

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i. Listening –find it in art music, composed works, etc, etc.
Song Material

Poem: Tick Tock Ticka-Ticka Tock

Teacher transmitted (Learned from Judy Johnson, Queensland Australia)

Ding, Dong, Diggidiggi Dong, Carl Orff – Gunild Keetman

“Orff-Schulwerk Music for Children Pentatonic Book I” Schott & Co LTD

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Other Song Material: Star Light, See Saw

Musical Conclusion:

Lajos Bardos Canon

“Fly, fly, fly,

The leaves are leaving the branch
Cold are the winds
Winter is coming.”