The Kodály concept is an approach to music education that “strives to achieve a synthesis of all the skills necessary to develop complete musicianship” (Bacon, 1993, p.75) and to cultivate a love and appreciation for music that is supported by understanding and direct musical experience (Choksy, 1999a). The approach was inspired by the philosophies of the Hungarian composer and educator, Zoltan Kodály (1882 – 1967).

The Kodály concept encompases two key elements.
1It is a philosophical approach to teaching music, and

2 It is a unique course of sequential musical instruction (Bacon, 1993).

Philosophy

Throughout Kodály's writings are the notions that a person cannot be complete without music and that music serves to develop a person on all levels – emotionally, spiritually and intellectually (Kodály, 1994). Kodály believed that musical aptitude is a characteristic of every person and that, ideally, a music education should begin as early as possible in a person's life - first at home and then later within the school curriculum.

He believed that children should first learn their own musical mother tongue - the folk songs of their own cultural heritage. It is through this musical mother tongue that the skills and concepts necessary to achieve musical literacy can be taught (Choksy, 1999a). As these skills develop, children are given the opportunity to study and perform Art Music of all periods and styles. “The process of children arriving at a conscious knowledge and understanding of masterworks of all cultures through the music of their own culture is a unique idea that comes directly from Kodály himself” (Bacon, 1993, p.77)

 Kodály believed that singing should be the foundation of all music education.

It is a long accepted truth that singing provides the best start to music education; moreover, children should learn to read music before they are provided with any instrument…even the most talented artist can never overcome the disadvantages of an education without singing. (Kodaly, 1974).

The use of the voice is one of the most defining features of the Kodály approach. The voice is the most accessible of all instruments and this makes it most suitable for musical instruction. It offers direct access to the world of music without the technical problems associated with the playing of an instrument. Moreover, singing without the aid of an instrument is a powerful pedagogical tool that, in the hands of a good teacher, can lead to a highly developed musical ear.

Kodály stated the principal goal of music education as “to make the masterpieces of world [music] literature public property, to convey them to people of every kind and rank” (1994, p.160). And later, in a lecture presented at the University of Toronto on the occasion of his being granted an honorary doctorate, he said “The final purpose of all this must be to introduce the students to an understanding and love of great classical music - of the past, present and future” (as cited by Choksy, 2003, p.4). In order to achieve these ends, Kodály envisioned a structured and sequential system of music education that would make music accessible to all students and affirm each student as being innately musical.

Sequential Music Instruction

The Kodály Method is highly structured and sequenced, with well-defined skill and concept hierarchies in every element of music. These sequences are both drawn from and closely related to child development – the way in which young children progress naturally in music – as shown through research (Choksy, Abramson, Gillespie, Woods, & York, 2001, p.83).

Kodály believed that musical instruction should reflect the way that children learn naturally. Just as one learns to speak first and then read and write later, so the sound should be taught first before the symbols. The developed inner ear will then be able to recall the sounds when they are presented later as symbols (Choksy, 1999a). He also advocated that musical skills should be carefully sequenced into patterns that reflect an understanding of child development. Great care is taken to lead the child from the known to the unknown and from direct experience to abstract concepts and symbols.

Traditionally, Kodály curriculums are structured by beginning with a repertoire of folk songs (Choksy, 1999a) and themes from Art Music (Choksy, 1999b). The teacher first analyses this repertoire, observing the frequency and occurrence of various musical elements such as rhythmic, melodic and harmonic patterns. Using this analysis as a starting point, pedagogical objectives are formulated and the musical elements are organized into a sequence that takes into account the developmental stage of the students, the musical abilities of the student, and the need to progress logically from the known to the unknown (Tacka & Houlahan, 1995).

 Children's songs, singing games and folk dances are an integral part of early training and are used to enhance learning and enjoyment.

Kodály musical training always involves active music-making. Musical learning evolves from a variety of experiences including singing games and dances, folk songs and art songs; singing songs in unison, rounds, canons and in parts; singing themes from great instrumental music; and listening and moving to music. All these are the cornucopia from which musical concepts are drawn and through which musical skills are practiced (Choksy et al., 2001, p.101).

Music literacy remains a key component of the approach and is developed gradually and sequentially. Kodály envisaged a deep literacy that went beyond just knowing letter names. Instead, the musically literate should be able to look at notation and think sound. “The good musician understands music without a score as well as understands the score without the music. The ear should not need the eye nor the eye the (outer) ear”  (Schumann as quoted by Kodály (1994)).

Sol-fa syllables and the moveable-do system are used to teach skills in pitch discrimination, intervals, harmony and analysis. These skills are reinforced with a system of hand signs originally developed by John Curwen in England. Rhythmic skills are developed by means of a system of rhythm duration syllables (French time names) in which common rhythmic patterns are given a sound name that reflects the way they sound.
Emergence

Although he was a major figure in the transformation of music education in Hungary during the early to mid 1900s, Kodály never set out to create a ‘Kodály Method.’ Instead, he sought to address what he saw as some major weaknesses in the music education offered in his country. These weaknesses were evidenced by a low level of musical literacy amongst Hungarian musicians, a glaring ignorance of the musical traditions of their own heritage and the inadequate training of music teachers (Wicks, 2002).

Under Kodály’s guidance, an approach to music education evolved that sought to address these weaknesses and that drew upon the best of educational thought from around the world. The approach was later codified by Kodály’s students and adopted in a great many Hungarian schools with remarkable success. As a result, the 1964 Budapest Congress of the International Society for Music Education held up Hungary's methods and achievements as worthy examples to be followed by music educators of the world (Bacon, 1993). The musical literacy of the generation of Hungarian youth that emerged now became a model and an incentive for educators all over the world to adapt the Kodály concept for their own culture and students.

References

Bacon, D. (1993). Hold Fast to Dreams: Writings Inspired by Zoltán Kodály. Masachusetts: Kodály Center of America.
Choksy, L. (1999). The Kodály Method I (Third ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.