Zoltán Kodály (1882 - 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, educator, author and philosopher who had a significant impact on the field of music education.
Kodály believed:
- Everyone has the right to be musically literate.
- Teachers should use the student's most natural instrument, the voice.
- Music education should begin at an early age.
- Children should begin by learning their musical mother-tongue (the folk songs of their own cultures).
- Only music of the highest quality should be used in the classroom.
- Teachers should follow the stages of child development in a sequential approach to learning music, using the known to discover the unknown.
- To be an excellent teacher, one must also be an excellent musician and scholar.
Kodály's involvement with music education sprang from his personal experience as a skilled musician and composer. He studied music teaching methods from around the world and synthesized the most effective ones into a unique approach.
For more information about Zoltán Kodály and the Kodály philosophy, visit:
Katalin Szutrély's choir rehearsal in Kecskemét, Hungary at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music. (Photo courtesy of Bahget Iskander and the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute.)