mrfrederickmusic (2012, August, 3). Interview with Zoltan Kodály [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dow-m3BuuNk
Organization of American Kodály Educators (2018). The Kodály concept. Retrieved from https://www.oake.org/about- us/the-kodaly-concept/ J.I M (2015, July 7). Kodály summer school [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=VrTshUY1oko. Zoltan Kodály was a famous music composer and conductor. In 1906, after an intense study of Hungarian music, he published 20 Hungarian folk songs. He created what is now known as the Kodaly approach because he believed that music is meant for everyone and wanted to make what was known as “high-brow” music more accessible to a larger amount of people. His approach is the Kodály approach and it emphasizes singing as the primary tool to experience music, rather than through an instrument. Key components of his approach are that it progresses from simple to complex using small, attainable steps, it enables everyone the skills to do music, and focuses on the use of solfege to teach music. The aim of this approach is for students to learn basic musical skills aurally and then through reading and writing. The process of this approach is to sequentially teach materials starting with simple task and then developing skills through more complex experiences. Activities often associated with Kodály’s approach are simple melodies using solfege pattern sets (i.e. so, la, mi, do) that are then sung and played in conjunction with an activity. Some practical uses of Kodály's approach are being able to use the different tunes he collected and have classroom activities that go along with the songs sung. Another practical use is the emphasis of solfege and learning songs aurally, so learning new songs is easier during class period. Students also have improved pitch when singing together and in parts because this approach emphasizes singing. Some advantages of this approach is that the student always has a way to feel successful because it is broken into such simple tasks; in addition to this, the teacher will generally not move on to a more complex task in this approach until the student has accomplished the previous step. Another advantage is that the learner is always composing in some way because they have a set of pitches that are at their disposal and can easily sing through them, even though their compositions may be simple. A challenge of this approach is that the teacher must be good at sequencing and knowing when a student is prepared for the next step; it can be also be a long process because there is a decent amount of sequencing involved. Another challenge is that because of this amount of sequencing it can be difficult to fit all this knowledge into the little class time designated for music instruction. The teacher must also feel confident in their ability to sing and guide the class using their voice. If you were to adapt Kodály's approach to be sensitive to contemporary contexts, you would have to address the issues of nationalism and classicism. He took these songs used in his approach from Hungarian folk tunes, which was music of the more “lower class” people. As a teacher, you would have to address the backgrounds of these songs and that these songs were originally just intended for a Hungarian background. As a result, when we want to sing these songs in foreign countries, we must be respectful and understand the songs’ origins, as well as recognize that we must collect and sing our own country’s musical motives and background to be more well-rounded and aware musicians. This post summarizes Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 of Hammel, HIckox, and Hourigan's book, Winding It Back: Teaching to Individual Differences in Music Classroom and Ensemble settings and provides application for discussion based on this text. Hammel, A. M., & Hourigan, R. A. (2016). Winding it back: A framework for inclusive music education. In A. M. Hammel, R. A. Hickox, & R. M. Hourigan (Eds.), Winding It back: Teaching to individual differences in music classroom and ensemble settings (pp. 1-14). New York: Oxford University. Summary The term "winding it back" is a process that a teacher can use where they change the skill level requirements of the objective to one that is more attainable and meets the individual needs of the learner. Winding it back is important because it allows students to feel successful and safe to explore music in a classroom environment. It provides them multiple learning access points and meets their individual needs, helping them feel competent and constantly challenged in a way that is best suited for their learning. As a general music teacher, winding it back is extremely beneficial for my practice because students of all different musical backgrounds will be in the same music classroom. I cannot treat a 3rd grade class at a "3rd grade level" of music competency because some students will be further than that and some may not be as skilled. This allows me to meet the individual's learning needs and constantly keep all students engaged in the musical activity at hand. Application Questions
Russell, H. A., & Hickox, R. Y. (2016). Using movement to foster creativity and deepen musical understanding. In A. M. Hammel, R. A. Hickox, & R. M. Hourigan (Eds.), Winding It back: Teaching to individual differences in music classroom and ensemble settings (pp. 85-106). New York: Oxford University.
Summary This chapter emphasizes movement as a means to demonstrate and strengthen musical understanding, and helps foster musical creativity. The chapter then provides examples of activities to do this in a elementary or secondary setting. It also explains how to create a safe classroom environment where students feel free to do whatever movement they feel represents the music. This is important because students should be using multiple means, such as kinesthetic learning, to reinforce the musical concepts they already know or to explore new ones and then label them as a result of their movement. As a general music teacher, movement would allow students to physically engage with music and develop motor skills outside and potentially inside a music setting. It would also be an easy means to differentiate learning for students because they have the choice of what movements they would like to use. Application Questions
Allsup, R. E., & Baxter, M. (2004). Talking about music: Better questions? Better discussions! Music Educators Journal, 91(2), 29-33. In Allsup and Baxter’s article “Talking about Music: Better Questions? Better Discussions!” they explain different questions and frameworks teachers can use in classroom discussions. There are three types of questions they address: open, guided, and closed. An open question is one that has no definite answer and helps the teacher understand what the student knows musically after the listening or activity. For example, in my past class teaching I might have asked “What does this song sound like to you?” or “How would you describe this musical activity to someone who was not here?” A guided question is one that focuses on a more specific part of the music that the students may not have initially brought up. Two examples of guided questions are “What similarities or patterns did you hear throughout the song?” or “How would you describe the style of the piece?” A closed question is one where there is one that only have a single answer and is used by teachers to address an important topic the students may have missed. Examples of this are “What was your first movement in the chorus section?” and “What instruments are playing in this song?”
Allsup and Baxter also discuss three different frameworks: analytical, judicial, and creative. The analytical framework is where students can learn musical vocabulary on the spot by talking and understanding about how musical elements and feelings interact. An example question in an analytical framework is “How does the chorus fit into this song?” The judicial framework is more subjective and allows students to share their feelings and reactions. A question could be “What did you like about this song?” The creative framework is the application portion where teachers encourage students to take what they have learned and use it in a different context. An example question would be “What instrumentation would you change in this song?” Allsup and Baxter state that a good reason to use questioning in teaching rather than only direct instruction is because “discussion includes the kind of critical-thinking skills that invite students to defend or redo their work” (Allsup & Baxter, 2004). I agree with their statement and also believe that questioning allows students to discuss the topics for themselves and discover new vocabulary as they are articulating their thoughts. Questioning can be potentially problematic in teaching when the students do not feel comfortable enough in the setting to speak out and answer the questions or if there is a single student who answers the questions all the time. It can also be difficult from a time-management perspective because you can never be certain how much time they will take to discuss, especially if the conversation gets interesting and more time should be spent on it. |
Davina MiawOn this page, I will present examples of my scholarship in the form of reflective essays and philosophical assignments. Archives
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