Introducing the K The Kodály Approach is in many ways traditional - often teacher-led, knowledge rich (at least procedurally), at times formal, as you would suspect from an approach which Kodály started to form nearly 100 years ago. However, at other times the approach is very progressive, based as it is on inclusivity, play and being very conscious of holistic child development. A Montessori teacher may use the tools and sequencing in a very different way to an educator of a more Govian disposition, but their Kodály practice will share common elements. How far down the rabbit hole you want to go is up to you. Whether you’re a deep diver who studies precise methodology for a decade in Hungary or someone who dips their toes in more casually and goes to the odd course, there are some very useful tools and strategies from the Kodály Approach which you can start to use straight away. Many principles are shared by other effective approaches to early music education, such as Orff Schulewerk and Dalcroze. There is a world of several lifetimes of learning out there, but here is a quick run down of some of the fundamentals of the Kodály Approach.
Learning through play Playful learning is at the heart of all good early music programmes. Kodály said that music education should always be joyful and “never a torture”.
Jimmy Ro
