Hi all!

I have a new job starting in September, teaching early years music. There is a lot of talk about two methods of teaching in particular, Dalcroze and Kodaly. I know a bit about Kodaly but nothing about Dalcroze....

Are there any 'experts' on here that would give me a hand on which books to read? Does anyone teach Early Years music with these methods or any others that I should be thinking about? This is a new career move for me really, and I want to make sure I'm well read on everything.

Tips greatly appreciated!

Did someone mention two of my favourite words???

Well, in a nutshell they do, IMHO, provide the very best music experiences for young children. (However, both can be studied to the highest, conservatoire level and I'm always keen that they should not be seen as approaches 'just for children'!)

The bad news is that it's almost impossible to either get a full understanding of what the whole approach is about, or how to teach it, from a book.

The Dalcroze Society is VERY wary of putting much down on paper, purely for the reason that people could go off, follow a couple of lessons slavishly without real understanding, and then pronounce themselves to be 'Dalcroze teachers'. They take a very dim view of people advertising themselves as Dalcroze teachers unless they have done the Certificate. At present I believe you can study for this over two years and it consists of two weekends per term (currently held at a school near me in Sunny Croydon). I know several people who are doing it at the moment who travel considerable distances (dark corners of Kent, Norfolk, the North-East etc) and stay over on the Saturday night if the travel is too far.

To be successful teachers of either approach requires a considerable amount of experience and training - however, this is not, of course, to say that you can't start to learn some of the ideas and techniques and start to try them out with your students!

The Dalcroze Summer School is either next week or the week after, I believe. It's held in Canterbury (Christ Church) and I think the basic course is Mon-Fri although there was an option for two extra days, I think. They do have an open day when anyone can attend any of the classes so if you could get to that it would give you a taster and also you would be able to look at what books they have available.

Off-hand I can't remember the website but if you Google 'Dalcroze Society' it will come up and give you an e-mail addy for the administrator.

The British Kodály Academy also runs a Summer School (12th-19th Aug in Leicester) and courses throughout the year. There are two very good weekend courses in Godstone, Surrey (just off J6 of the M25) in November - one for Early Years and one for KS1/2 (I'm teaching on the latter). I run evening classes which are not specifically for the teaching of it, more for the development of your own musicianship using the Kodály principles (very necessary so that you know where all the early work is heading). Again I have students who come quite a long way - they are very dedicated! One of them comes from Herne Bay to Croydon and is also doing the Dalcroze certificate *phew*.

If you want to know any more details about any of these courses please just PM me.

Regarding books - as I said, there's no substitute for courses - but Lois Choksy's 'The Kodály Method 1' would give you an overview. It's a USA publication (Prentice Hall) and VERY expensive but you might find it second-hand or in a library. Lucinda Geoghegan's 'Singing Games and Rhymes for the Early Years' (there's also a Middle Years book) are excellent collections but don't really go into the approach itself.

One of my Big Plans should start to come to fruition early next year and may be of help to you - again please PM me for details!

Finally, I'm always very happy for anyone to come and observe my classes. I teach in a state primary in Kent (near Bromley) and at the Guildhall School of Music on Saturdays.

Sorry for the essay but you hit upon my specialist subject!

I do hope the above is helpful and please get in touch if I can be of any further help. Both Kodály and Dalcroze are wonderful ways of developing the musical potential that we all have. They are creative and deeply rewarding ways to teach. You never stop learning how to teach better and the benefits for you and your students are endless.

ENJOY!!!

Hi
You could try going to www.nycos.co.uk and then under education click on kodaly - lots of info and links.

Also look thoough their shop!!

I agree that the Summer School is expensive but you DO get an awful lot for your money!

I don't think the weekend or year courses are particularly expensive, though.

I dread to think how many thousands of pounds I have spent on my own training over the last *ahem* years...but it was something so important to me and that I really wanted to do, so somehow I managed.

I couldn't afford to go on the Summer Seminar in Hungary this year - not the time nor the money - but I'm saving already for 2009!

If I can help at all, David, please PM me.

The Chosky books are fab - I bought them both and they were worth it. One of them was on ebay last week for under a fiver!!!! So keep an eye out for them = you could be lucky.

Findlay has a good book on Dalcroze method.

There are other books but Im not at home at the moment and I can't remember their names off hand. When I get home and look through my books I will put up the list of the ones which I use.

There is also the books which you can buy from the BKA - I think it is by David Vinden - I could be wrong on the author however.

Ill post again when I have more info.

YOu will enjoy the two methods - I also use some Orff but I won't confuse you just yet with a different method.

Children, young and old enjoy these methods.

Yes, David Vinden self-publishes quite a few books - look on the BKA website.

Choksy for a fiver???!!! Wow. I think new it's about £60 now!!! Good old eBay

Anything here of any interest?


http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/0...ywords=dalcroze

Wow, well done, organgrinder! I suspect most of these originate in the USA. Lots to get stuck into there!

And what about here and subsequent pages:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/0...keywords=kodaly

Woooooow.... so many brilliant replies! Didn't expect to get much on this one to be honest, I am totally in the dark about these techniques but would love to know more. And with all this information I can go ahead and read more about everything, thank you so much!

Hmm, the books are fairly expensive aren't they? Might take time out to research in my local library this summer before investing in books; I want to make sure I'm investing in the right ones if you see what I mean. But Organ Grinder, the links on to Amazon are fabulous, thank you so much!

Cyrilla..... you know so much!!! I'm so impressed! You live so close to me it's ridiculous, can I come and meet you one day and have a chat about all this once I've started to get my head round it? I'd really appreciate it as it is all so new to me!

And do PM me about this fabulous 'plan' of yours... I'm all ears!!!

Your welcome.

Also check out

http://kodaly.org.au//component/option,com...d,21/Itemid,65/

http://kodaly.org.au//component/option,com...d,19/Itemid,65/

http://kodaly.org.au//component/option,com_docman/Itemid,65/

Some useful stuff there!

Organgrinder strikes again! Very many thanks.

Again I think all of these books are either American or Hungarian, and of course the last links are to the Australian site.

I had a wonderful book once - 'The Selected Writings of Zoltan Kodály' - I lent it to someone (naturally, I don't have a clue who ) - I knew it was out of print but I see on Amazon you can buy it for the bargain price of £127.71 *faints*. Perhaps I'll buy two...

Aspiringmusicteacher, please PM me and I'm sure we can get together - absolutely no problem and I'm delighted to be able to help.

Er -I've been studying and teaching Kodály (intermittently to begin with) since the Paleolithic Era which is why I know a bit...

[quote name='Cyrilla' date='Jul 30 2007, 11:41 PM' post='561618

I had a wonderful book once - 'The Selected Writings of Zoltan Kodály' - I lent it to someone (naturally, I don't have a clue who ) - I knew it was out of print but I see on Amazon you can buy it for the bargain price of £127.71 *faints*. Perhaps I'll buy two...

[/quote]

Oh, how I sympathise! I've lost count of how many piano books I've lent out over the years and never saw them again. And, yes, I know I should have written down who borrowed them, but I always trust the person to return them. My husband once lent out a very much treasured (and irreplaceable) record - many years ago, obviously! - and never saw it again. He just couldn't remember who'd borrowed it.

How was the Dalcroze Open Day, BusyBee???

Hi Cyrilla,

I am undergoing a 48 hour recovery time at the moment! I will report back later today - have got to go and organise a 9.00am lesson first. (I always leave planning to the last minute)

I'll leave you all in suspense........

P.S. I couldn't find Moo !

Ah - recovery time quite understandable!

I had an e-mail from one of my Elementary students to say that she had been realising a Stravinsky piece in movement and was just about to crawl into a hot bath!!!

Am off on hol for a week but look forward to reading your report on my return.

Pity you couldn't find Moo - obviously she wasn't mooing loudly enough!

Hello!

Just wondering about the Lucinda Geoghan books, was looking at buying the Early Years one on Amazon and discovered there is also one for Tiny Tots...the kids i teach range from 3 years to 6/7years...should I invest in both?

Have been doing a small bit of solfa with them, and would like to develop my tactics and get more repertoire! I hope to do a course next summer/during the year.

Yes, pianodub, I would highly recommend you get both the 'Tiny Tots' and 'Early Years' Lucinda Geoghegan books.

I would agree that you really need to go on a course to start to learn the methodology - the 'how' to teach Kodály - maybe I'll see you on next year's summer school???

There is going to be a course in Belfast next year, which I know is a long way from you (we did have someone come up from Shannon for this year's, though).

There is also a book of lesson plans for the 4-7 age group coming out next year, if that would be of interest.

BusyBee, I never heard about your Dalcroze day experiences!!?

Ah - great, noodle - what it is to have a sleeve large enough to fit all these Big Plans into!

It's okay - I'm here! Hope you had a good holiday

I thought the Kodaly session was great (with Katie) and I want to do more. It was so enjoyable to be able to sing with others and learn how to modulate and change key using the voice as an instrument. There was only time for quick examples though. Also fun and challenging was the use of the tennis ball to signal intervals mid-song. Bounce for a falling 3rd, throw into the air for a rising 4th etc. Sounds easy but you have to 'image' those sounds immediately to be able to respond at the right time.

The day started at 9.00am so we (someone came with me) were on the road by 6.30. We arrived in good time and the first session was in the gym for a dance class warm-up for the day. I was fine with that (being an ex-dancer). The next session was Rhythmics, whihc involved feeling pulse and beat with body movements and moving around the room responding to different time changes, improvising layers in the music eg high and low.

It was an incredibly packed and intense day. Briefly, we had an improvisation session with pianos in the music block and later a very intense improvisation session using dance and voices, developing our use of space in groups. I think some of us had difficulty in distinguishing between a choreographed presentation and a truly improvised one. Some of the contributions were fantastic, mostly from those who had been there all week.

Absolutely amazing was a children's demonstration class. Age ranges from about 5 to 9 years old. They did so well learning how to repsond to signals from the piano as they moved around the room. Discussion afterwards. We left for home about 8.00 in the evening.

Sorry I have been so long replying - I actually have been in the wars a bit this week but feeling better today. I will be in touch Cyrilla as I would like to do some more Kodaly. I found the eurhythmics a bit too intense for me. There is a related dance education organisation called Margaret Morris which I intend to investigate further.

Hope this is not too long

No, of course it wasn't too long! You gave a real flavour of the day! I know dcmbarton is becoming very interested in Dalcroze so for him and others who are interested your account was really helpful.

I know what you mean about the intensity, though! It can all be a bit overwhelming at first - especially when you're cramming so much into one long day. I think people DO build up a movement vocabulary which they can then use in [/i]plastique[i] - realising a piece of music through (initially) improvised movement. It certainly gives another whole aspect to responding to music and showing what you hear with movement. My Kodály-trained teenagers had a couple of sessions with an extremely talented Dalcroze colleague of mine and simply loved it - it was a real delight for me to watch them at work.

I'm delighted that you really enjoyed the Kodály aspect and that you'd like to learn more. Just PM me whenever you want.

I'm glad you're feeling better now. I too was in the wars a bit at the beginning of my holiday but have perked up now...

Off on the Kodály Summer School tomorrow...*no peace for the wicked*

Thanks Cyrilla

The 'plastique' session was the very last session of the day and we just had to go (2 hours back) as it was already 8.00! I wondered if was something to do with mime or theatre I haven't dismissed futher Dalcroze study completely as I love anything to do with dance, and there are the weekend courses in the autumn I could look into. I think Kodaly first though, as it will help towards developing LRSM teaching skills and info for essay writing etc.

Enjoy Summer School - they are a bit of a marathon aren't they?!!

Best wishes

Glad you enjoyed your dip into Dalcroze, BusyBee!

Am slowly recovering from the Kodály Summer School - I was teaching pretty much all day and kept going while I had to but since coming back have felt exhausted and unwell...people always tell me how calm and serene I seem when I'm teaching but, believe me, it's at a price! It's why I get so exhausted teaching - even though it doesn't look it, I'm expending a huge amount of mental energy and just collapse afterwards. It was a great week, though - laughed more (with Hammerklavier, aka My Slave, mostly ) in one week than in the whole of the rest of the year, I think!

Just get in touch, BB, whenever I can help with Kodály-related matters.

And, Dulciana (in answer to your comment on the 'responding physically to music' thread - yes, Dalcroze focuses on this and of course you play more expressively (and with more understanding) after you have moved to a piece (as you do after you have sung it, too).

Thanks a million Cyrilla! I look forward to meeting you in Belfast next summer (fingers crossed!) Am off to Amazon to spend a fortune on books!

Have fun spending lots of money !

Spent a great day today with David Vinden - doing some Kodaly work - had lots of fun!!!!!!!!!

I've been going to Margaret Morris Movement classes for nearly 12 years and really enjoy them. Margaret Morris was a dancer and teacher, a contemporary of Isadora Duncan, and also a trained physiotherapist. She devised a big progressive scheme of exercises for the whole body including special ones for children and therapeutic ones. They exercise the brain as well as the body, as most of the exercises involve a sequence of movements including a specific breathing pattern. Everything is done to music. MM specified the music (Schubert and some specially composed pieces), though I think most teachers now use a lot of other music too. The class I go to now is for older people, and I think our oldest member is over eighty! I originally got involved when I was asked to play the piano for three local classes, but I quickly got interested in the exercises and found another pianist for one of the classes so that I could join in. Sadly none of our local classes now uses live music. You lose the freedom to adjust speeds quickly when the music is recorded. I discovered recently that a local prep school employs a MM teacher.

Oh, woo, brilliant! Was this in Scotland or NI? I can never keep up with him but I knew he was off to both in the near future (and I think Madrid next week!).

He tends to get a bit carried away sometimes and whizzes along quite fast but is soooo enthusiastic that people tend to get carried away with him!

What did you cover with him, organgrinder???

It was in Armagh for the Charles Wood Summer School.

Warm up techniques for a choir using solfa - great fun
Flashcard work for rhythm practise
Pentatonic scale work
singing canons
singing other beautiful works to solfa
Basic conducting skills
conducting canons


Lots of fun.

He's off again - to Barcelona I think he said.

He mentioned he's coming to Belfast at some stage - I must look out for that.

Ah, terrific - glad you enjoyed it so much, organgrinder! I spoke to David yesterday and he was on a 'high' as it had gone well and been such a good event.

Yes, David and I between us will be over in Belfast (dates not yet finalised) during the coming year, running an Elementary level course (with exam at the end for those who want this). Will keep you posted - would be good to meet you!

I think it's Madrid he's off to next...he certainly was teaching in Barcelona last year...he gets around a bit!

Do let me know the dates when you find them out.

Thanks!!

Certainly will do, organgrinder!