The Kodály Method: A Simple Way to Learn Music and Rhythm for Violin, Viola, and Cello

Who is Zoltan Kodaly?

After hearing performances by local music students, he decided to try to reform music education in Hungarian schools. He thought students' singing sounded terrible and wanted to provide music educators with better ways to teach music.

Overview of the Kodály Method

The Kodály Method is a music teaching method based on musical concepts such as group study, folk music, and internalized rhythm. Kodaly believes students can gain a deeper understanding of the music if they learn their own native folk music, especially songs they have already been exposed to. He also advocated the use of sight-singing and rhythmic syllables as a means of understanding pitch relationships and rhythmic patterns.

Let’s get into the details of the Kodály Method!

Group learning

A key concept of Kodaly is group learning and collaboration. Students are taught in small groups rather than in the traditional one-on-one format.

Music students are asked to create music together as a group through rhythm activities and choral singing, and sometimes they break into groups to try out singing exercises.

If you walked into the Kodály Music Room, you might see groups of music students singing in circles, practicing improvised melodies, or playing hand-clapping games. This musical collaboration can enhance many important social skills and memory development; and will help them collaborate on music, even within the classical tradition.

Sing

Kodaly's idea for teaching music in a new way was inspired by poor performances he heard from student choirs. He believes that strengthening music education programs in Hungarian schools will help improve their singing and musical abilities.

Naturally, singing became a very important part of the Kodály method. Composers also believe that voice is our first and most innate instrument, so developing it is an important foundation for all other musical creations.

Movable Do Solfège and the Kodály Method

Solfège is a syllable system that represents pitch. The syllables are Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti and then back to Do. We can use them in two ways: Fixed Do and Movable Do.

The Fixed Do system means that no matter what key you sing in, the syllables are always at the same pitch. Therefore, Do is always C, Re is always D, and so on.

In movable Do, the syllable Do becomes the tonic, then Re the next higher, and so on. This means that the syllables of every song you sing are not always at the same pitch.

Take a look at the comparison of a fixed “do” and a moving “do” in the image below.

Movable Do is often the preferred sight-reading system in most music education settings, especially within the Kodály method, because syllables show you how each note in a piece of music relates to each other. Using this system helps develop your students' musical ear: knowing the distance between pitches will help them sight-sing (a form of sight-reading) and help them understand musical ideas more quickly.

Sight-singing and ear-training gestures

Sight-singing ear training gestures were created by John Curwen, a British educator whom Kodaly admired. These provide a visual aid for understanding how the pitches in a song work together.

These gestures, in addition to showing solfeggio, also show position in the musical scale; each sign has a specific position in front of the person's body. The lower Do is the lowest and is kept at the waist, and the higher Do is kept at the top of the head. This helps students visualize where pitches lie within their range and can help them better judge the intervals between notes.

rhythmic syllables

In addition to assigning syllables to pitches, the Kodaly method also makes use of rhythmic syllables. Each type of note value has a different syllable attached to it to help students sing the rhythm pattern and maintain the note value for the intended length.

syllable:

• Whole note: "to-ooo"
• Dotted half note: "to-oo"
• half note: "to-o"
• Quarter note: "ta"
• Eighth note: "ti"
• Four sixteenth notes: "ti-ka-ti-ka"

I've prepared a chart for you with the most commonly used Kodály rhythm symbols that you can print and use when practicing. You can download it below, or click here to download the full chart of 32 rhythms (Julia Violin Academy members only).

Zoltan Kodaly believes that students have difficulty internalizing rhythms and understanding them. In his approach to music education, rhythm is taught through these syllables and movements (based on the teachings of Émile Jacques Dalcruz). These concepts are taught to music students aurally, allowing them to understand them before teaching them how to notate music. You may notice that this is similar to the teachings in the Suzuki Method!

creative skills

The Kodály Method highly encourages expressive and creative skills. By using sight-singing ear training and rhythmic syllables, music students can feel empowered to improvise melodies and rhythms because they have the tools to do so. This concept may be difficult for some musicians who have experienced more traditional methods of music education.

Staying creative and practicing creativity is especially important for students who are exposed to the Kodály Method at an early age. Exerting creativity can help young children learn music and truly enjoy music without knowing it, laying a good foundation for their future music training and developing a natural and instinctive understanding of music concepts.

folk music

Kodaly music education requires teachers to emphasize folk music, especially music in the student's native language. Teaching students to understand the basic musical elements that make up the songs they naturally encounter will help them gain rich musicianship and understand the unique sounds of local music.

Kodaly's early musical education was taught with musical materials from Hungarian folk songs, as that was where his mobile music school was based. The students are Hungarian, so the teaching methods focus mainly on Hungarian music.

Now, the system can be adapted to students of any country, following their own unique folk traditions.

Comparison of the Kodály Method and Traditional Music Education

There are some big differences between traditional music lessons and group music lessons and Kodaly style activities. While one-on-one instruction is helpful in music education, group study providesCreate and collaborate togetherChance.

While traditional music courses are primarily designed to teach skills on a specific instrument, the Kodály Method begins with using the voice as a universal instrument and gradually expands musical learning to any instrument.

Advantages of using the Kodály method

The Kodály Method of Music Education is a great way to teach children music in early childhood. This can be a very sensory experience that helps many children learnBe faster and gain a deeper understanding of the material.

Very young students are supported through lessonsfeel the rhythm of music. In small groups, music students observe different sounds: human and instrumental; and how to feel the beats of different types of music. They learn folk songs using drums, rhythm sticks, and other beginner instruments.

Incorporate the Kodály Method into your own practice

Now that you know what the Kodály Method is, you might be interested in trying it yourself. Although the Kodály method is suitable forof any ageMusic students, but it's hard to find classes for adults. An easier option is to try incorporating some of these music education concepts into your own violin practice.

Rhythm skills

One Kodály concept worth learning is rhythmic syllables, which can help you internalize and learn rhythmic patterns faster. Using Kodály rhythm syllables when learning a specific rhythm can help you understand it faster and play it more easily.

A great way to practice this is through rhythm flashcards. I've included over 100 flashcards, each with a different rhythm that you might find at some point in your violin music. Try saying the rhythm on the flashcard using Kodály rhythmic syllables and notice if it feels easier. You can even try playing a game with these cards (instructions here!) while using syllables to make rhythm. This is a fun way to enhance your musical skills!

This is a proven method for learning and understanding rhythm faster than traditional counting. You can also try using syllables to speak through the rhythmic patterns in the piece you're composing. It might just get you going!

The Kodály Method of Learning to Read Notes

The Kodály method is also a great help when you start learning to read notes. I use this method when teaching note reading classes at my online school, Julia Violin Academy, and my students love it! We practiced together, repeating syllables in different rhythms. Saying the Kodály syllables out loud helps my students remember how to count the lengths of different notes, especially those that are dotted.

If you are a member of the Julia Violin Academy, click here to view the Notes Reading Course, which includes 16 lessons and a full set of rhythm cards and other resources such as Kodaly Syllables.

Final note

The Kodály Method is a thoughtful form of music education especially suited to children, helping them learn and internalize music. Thanks to Zoltán Kodàly, children all over the world have access to music and a comprehensive musical education.

As adults, we can also learn great practice techniques and learning concepts from this approach, including ways to enhance roll call learning and rhythmic skills. Download the Rhythm Syllable Chart and Rhythm Flashcards (or upgrade directly to the full set of 10 levels) and see for yourself how they can help you!