2009 Summer Institute - Register now!

41st HNU Kodály Summer Institute - July 6-24
Kodály Certification Levels I, II, III
Holy Names University
3500 Mountain Blvd. Oakland, CA 94619

The Kodály Summer Institute offers an introduction to Kodály philosophy, including musicianship training, conducting, curriculum development, pedagogical techniques, and materials for teaching. Course work within the institute can be applied towards Kodály Summer Certification, the Master’s Degree in Music Education, or the Kodály Specialist Certificate. Classes meet daily, Monday-Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Faculty: Gemma Arguelles, Helga Dietrich, Judit Hartyányi, Anne Laskey, Hélène Matters, Ildikó Salgado, Fran Smith.

For more information or to download a registration form, click here and select the link "2009 Summer Institute Brochure".

You may also email laskey@hnu.edu or call 510-436-1234.

Early Childhood Music Workshops Summer 2009

The Role of Singing Games in Early Childhood Education (MUSCX 208)
Helga Dietrich, Instructor
Saturdays, July 11 & 18 9:30 am – 5:00 pm 1 unit

Nurturing Musical Creativity in Young Children (MUSCX206)
Helga Dietrich, Instructor
Monday-Friday, July 6-10 6:00-8:30 pm 1 unit


Holy Names is delighted to announce the return of Helga Dietrich, internationally recognized as one of the most creative and dynamic figures in the field of early childhood music education. In these sessions, she will present materials for teaching, techniques for developing musical responsiveness and creativity, and goals for music education in early childhood inspired by Zoltán Kodály’s philosophy. Videotapes of work with children will allow participants to observe these techniques in practice.

The workshops will explore the use of age-appropriate and playful musical activities for the development of social, emotion, cognitive and musical skills. Guidelines will be presented for selecting, analyzing and organizing song and game collections, as well as identifying songs for listening. Participants will be challenged to develop their own musical creativity by developing activities based on the ideas presented in the workshop.

For those who are new to the Kodály Center, we also recommend enrolling in a musicianship class offered during the HNU Kodály Summer Institute (July 6-24, M-F, 9:30-10:40am).

2008 Kodály Summer Institute Review by Student Kerry Rehn (Australia)

Photo: Kerry Rhen (second from left) with Level 3 classmates

The first day of the Summer Institute starts with the dreaded written music placement test, and a sight singing assessment with one of the lecturers. While scary, these tests have a very good reason - to ensure that students are placed in appropriate musicianship/solfege groups for the next three weeks. After that comes morning tea, a very welcome coffee and a chance to meet your classmates - people from around the world and across the USA who gather to study during their summer break. There were musicians and teachers from Poland, Thailand, Phillipines, Australia, Scotland, Canada. Mexico and the USA both near and far. There was a wide range of music pursuits represented, including classroom music specialists, choir singers, choir directors, professional violinists, instrumental teachers. Everyone is there with the purpose of learning as much as possible. Many of the students are doing the course to gain the Holy Names University Kodály Certificate. Several of them are in the process of achieving their Masters in Music Education Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names, and some were "auditing" the course - ie attending but not for accreditation.

Holy Names University has a very strong connection with Hungarian music educators, and features them in the Faculty each year. Mrs. Erzsebet Hegyi is a Hungarian teacher who was actually a student of Zoltán Kodály, and speaks with great warmth of him as a wonderful human being as well as a great icon of music philosophy. This is her 17th residency at the Summer Institute and she holds a special place in the hearts of her students. Ms Judit Hartyanyi taught solfege, conducting and also conducted the Institute choirs throughout the course and at the final concert. Helene Matters, originally from Brisbane and now residing in the US was on staff to teach pedagogy to the second year students. Also on staff were Gemma Arguelles (music specialist from San Francisco) and Anne Laskey (director of the Kodály Centre at Holy Names) Ildiko Salgado and Fran Smith.
Each day of the course includes an intensive programme of conduction, solfege, choir, pedagogy, practicum and folk music. Then the student toils up the hill and starts the homework.

As in all well run and rigorous courses, at the time it seems all too much. It is in retrospect that one can see and feel the benefits of the intensive burst of effort - the ears are sharper, the eye is quicker and the voice - well, more tired, but also hopefully more accurate. Probably the best benefit for me has been a new way of looking at my own teaching practice - am I respecting each song?, am I helping the students think in pattern? Am I presenting the "whole music" to the student, rather than isolating an element and simply using it for (sometimes slightly irrelevant) practice activities.

In summary, the course was very worthwhile. While similar in structure and standard to the UQ Summer Institute, the cultural differences with the American and international students and faculty made the experience even more interesting. I would like to put on record, also, my appreciation to the Townsville Chapter of KMEIA for the financial assistance I received.

MacArthur Metro Article Features COVA Music School and Kodály Program Alumna Kate Offer

The November issue of the MacArthur Metro features an article about COVA (charter music school) and Kodály program alumna Kate Offer who teaches vocal music at the school.

Please click here to read the full article.

13th Annual HNU/NCAKE Children's Choral Festival

Holy Names University and the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators are pleased to announce the 13th Annual HNU/NCAKE Children’s Choral Festival for elementary and middle school choirs, to be held on Saturday, May 9, 2009 in the Regents’ Theater at Holy Names.

David Xiques, Assistant Professor of Music at San Francisco State University, will be the guest conductor of the 2009 festival. Mr. Xiques instructs all levels of Ear Training and Musicianship, conducts the University Chorus and teaches private voice lessons at San Francisco State. He is also a faculty member of New York University’s Summer Kodály Certificate Program in New York City. He is the assistant director for the San Francisco Symphony Chorus.

Two sessions will be offered, 9:30-12:30 and 2:00-5:00. Each session will consist of three parts:
1) Choral warm-up and rehearsal of the mass pieces, prepared and memorized, under the direction of Mr. Xiques
2) Rotation of activities including a brief clinic for each choir with Mr. Xiques; listening to other choirs perform; and singing games led by HNU Kodály graduate students
3) Performance finale, with each choir performing their pieces (5-6 minutes: one art song and one a cappella piece), followed by all choirs performing the mass pieces.

The public is welcome to attend the performances at 11:45am and 4:15pm.

For more information, please call (408) 267-2615 (Peggy) or (510) 436-1234 (Anne) or email: pmspool@pacbell.net or laskey@hnu.edu.

Photos from 40th Anniversary

Photos taken during the 40th Anniversary Celebration can be viewed and ordered at: tinyurl.com/kodaly

40th Anniversary Celebration Program 7/24/08 - 7/26/08

Panels:

HNU Kodály Center History
Sr. Mary Alice Hein, Erzsébet Hegyi, Toni Locke
Moderator: Anne Laskey

The Meaning of Literacy: Kodály's Philosophy and the Role of Music in Education
Jerry Jaccard, Anne Comiskey and Gail Needleman

Music in Elementary School
Valerie Abad, Leslie Hites, Victoria Schmidt
Moderator: Nancy Linford

Issues in Higher Education
Jerry Jaccard, Rita Klinger, Georgia Newlin
Moderator: Anne Comiskey

Forum on the Future Direction of the Kodály Center at HNU
Sr. Rosemarie Nassif, Georgia Newlin, Judit Hartyányi and Anne Laskey
Moderator: Gilbert de Greeve

Demonstrations:

Early Childhood Demonstration
Helga Dietrich, with students from the Renaissance School

Third Grade Demonstration
Kate Offer, with students from COVA (Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts)

Sessions:

The Music Educator as a Fieldworker: Discoveries in the Field
Miriam Factora

With the existence of diverse ethno-linguistic groups in many countries and of course in the Philippines, the question could be posed whether the Kodály Concept can truly be successful in schools where students are a product of diverse cultural backgrounds. The lecture, which includes a video-clip presentation, will discuss multiculturalism and how countries wishing to adapt the Kodály Concept have dealt with the issue.

"Hidden Treasures" - A search for Australian folk music to be used in Australian classrooms
Judith Johnson

The initial search resulted in the discovery of a collection of field recordings which had been given to the University of Queensland in the 1950s and promptly forgotten. This paper gives some of the detail of how that collection is being collated and analysed.

The Kodály Concept of Music Education in Practice
Sarolta Platthy
Presentation of the DVD published by the Foundation for the Kecskemét Kodály Institute in 2007. The DVD contains a representative selection of demonstration class videos from kindergarten to secondary school and methodology lessons.

Bringing the Joy of Kodály to Spanish Speakers in the Americas
Lydia Mills and Arwen L. de Castellanos
Lydia and Arwen will discuss the makings of a Latin American Kodály movement. Two facets will be considered: both to make available appropriate children’s songs and games in Spanish for Kodály teachers in the US with Spanish speaking students as well as to help instigate a Kodály movement in Latin America.

Smithsonian Global Sound
Rita Klinger
We will tour a small portion of music of the world's cultures on SGS- Smithsonian Global Sound website. We will examine a lesson template for world music cultures and challenge ourselves to explore the challenges and possibilities presented when attempting to apply Kodaly's pedagogical principles to musics that do not necessarily meet our traditional criteria of materials leading to music literacy.

Zoltán Kodály and Shinichi Suzuki
Caroline Fraser
Zoltán Kodály and Shinichi Suzuki shared a common vision: a better world through music. This presentation will demonstrate, with student performances and activities, how their approaches to music education can be integrated in instrumental teaching.

Hearing in Color: Case Studies of Musicians with Absolute Pitch
Ivy Ward
Individuals with absolute pitch identify pitches by their "chroma," or tonal color. While it is relative pitch that is indispensable to understanding music, a look into the world of those with absolute pitch gives us additional insights into how music is perceived and invites us to reflect on how music is taught.

The melodic world of Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus
Erzsébet Hegyi

The composition unites marvelously the 16th century text with Kodály's 20th century Hungarian melodic world. The Rondo-theme appears 6 times with different variations. The Episodes sounding between the Rondo-themes have a certain relationship with the principal melody but still accomodate to the text. Our aim is to become acquainted with the theme and with the Episode-melodies and formal construction of the piece through active singing.

Songs from the Courtyard
Kate Offer, Matthew Walsh, Arwen L. de Castellanos
Graduates from the class of 2008 share folksong arrangements from their class and a selection of arrangements by previous graduates.