KODALY SINGING CLASSES

Music For Singing The Kodaly Way

In our small group classes your child can discover the joys of music. We believe that the voice is our first, natural instrument – given to us at birth. Kodaly singing classes are based on singing, listening and movement games and activities, which develop the foundational skills of music – beat, rhythm, pitch and in-tune singing.  Because children learn through play, Kodaly singing classes are fun! Little do the children know that while they walk around the room to the song “Bell Horses” they are learning a sense of beat through gross motor movement; or while they rock their teddy to sleep singing “Starlight” that they are developing in-tune singing.

Kodaly singing classes provide wonderful musical experiences using voice, dance/movement, puppets, percussion instruments and books so that children are absorbing and experiencing the following elements:

• Pitch – high/low; up/down/ same
• Dynamics – soft/loud
• Speed – fast/slow
• Beat
• Rhythm patterns
• Gross motor movement
• Chanting
• Listening
• Text substitution
• Sequencing
• Memory
• Creating
• Taking turns, Sharing
• In-tune singing, imitation/listening
• Concentration
• Dramatic play
• Self-confidence

Kindergarten, 1st and 2^nd Grade Classes Available

KINDERGARTEN

• To develop a love for good quality music and an enjoyment in participating in musical activities.
• To enable children to perform the beat accurately in known songs and rhymes.
• To introduce the term “rhythmic pattern” and distinguish between beat and rhythm.
• To refine the children’s listening skills to distinguish between high and low (melodic) sounds at closer and closer intervals (from an octave to a minor 3^rd)
• To refine the musical concepts of soft/loud (dynamics) fast/slow (tempo) high/low (pitch)
• To develop 2 part work (doing 2 things at once, either individually or as a class) using singing and percussion instruments, beat, rhythm and ostinati (repeated rhythmic or melodic patterns)
• To extend the child’s experience of improvisation and musical creativity through dramatic games, role-play and question and answer songs.
• To extend memory, concentration and inner hearing skills (being able to hear the music inside your head) through singing, movement and dance.
• To teach the first elements of reading and writing music (music literacy) using beat and rhythm cards.

FIRST GRADE

• To extend the child’s appreciation of good quality music from a wide range of genres (classical, folk, jazz, traditional)
• To enable children to perform both beat and rhythm accurately.
• To introduce the first elements of reading and writing rhythmic patterns.
• To refine in-tune singing.
• To introduce the first elements of reading and writing melodic patterns, beginning with “so” and “mi”
• To introduce the concept of the “staff” (the lines on which music is written)
• To extend memory, concentration and inner hearing skills (hearing the music inside your head) through singing, movement and dance.
• To extend 2 part work (doing 2 things at once, either individually or as a class) using partner songs (2 songs that can be sung together) ostinati (repeated rhythmic or melodic patterns) canon (singing a song in a “round”) and percussion instruments.
• To develop a sense of musicality using soft/loud (dynamics) fast/slow (tempo) high/low (pitch)
• To develop listening skills using complex songs and recorded music.

SECOND GRADE

• To extend the child’s appreciation of good quality music from a wide range of genres (classical, folk, jazz, traditional)
• To encourage individual performance of in-tune singing with confidence.
• To enable children to perform both beat, and rhythm accurately and to demonstrate extended rhythmic skills (being able to clap or play back 4-8 beats of a rhythmic pattern)
• To introduce more complex elements in reading and writing rhythmic patterns.
• To extend the number of melodic elements for reading and writing on the staff, using “solfa”. The children will generally be able to sing, recognize by listening, read and write the sounds of “so, mi, la and do” by the end of 2^nd grade.
• To enable children to sight-sing (to sing a song without hearing it first) limited range songs from the staff.
• To encourage musical improvisation and creativity through word substitution, simple composition and tuned percussion instruments (tone bells, xylophones)
• To develop listening skills using more complex songs and recorded music.
• To extend 2 part work (doing 2 things at once either individually or as a class) with more complex ostinati (repeated rhythmic or melodic patterns) canons (songs sung in “rounds”) tuned and untuned percussion.
• To make conscious the concept of “meter” (how a song “moves” in walking or marching beats, or skipping or waltzing beats, as indicated by the time signature of a song) through a variety of song repertoire. For example “Bluebells Cockleshells” moves in “2’s” (2 beats to the bar) “Lavender’s Blue” moves in “3’s” (3 beats to the bar)
• To make conscious the concept of “form” (the structure) of simple songs.

WHO WAS Zoltan Kodaly?

Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967) a Hungarian composer, music researcher and educator believe that true music literacy (the ability to read, write and think music) is something that every child can acquire and enjoy. Singing is acknowledged as the foundation of all music education, the voice being the most accessible and inexpensive of all instruments.

Children’s songs and games are seen to be an integral part of music education. Games are used to enhance learning and enjoyment – from simple children’s games to others, which develop and test much more advanced music concepts. Rhythm skills are developed through movement and rhythm syllables; pitch skills are developed through solfa (do re mi fa so la ti do) and handsigns.