Music Lessons: The Kodaly Method in the American Classroom

Synopsis

Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály believed that music could be taught to children as readily as reading. The method he developed uses a child's own natural instrument, the voice. Beginning with simple musical intervals, the child progresses from folk tunes and children's songs to the complex notes and rhythms of composed music--from Bye baby bunting to Bach. [The film] is a look at the Kodály method of music training in public elementary schools in San Jose, California, and West Hartford, Connecticut. Ordinary children are shown in the film, but they exhibit extraordinary self-confidence, discipline, concentration, and an eagerness to learn. There is no such thing as failure in a Kodály classroom; in fact, the children are able to correct their mistakes themselves. Moreover, the children will bring much of 'how' they learn in their music lessons--counting and problem-solving, left-to-right progression, following directions--to their study of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Main Cast

Tom Cole

Narrator

Age : N/A | Popularity : 3%

Crew

Department	Role	Name
Camera	Director of Photography	Fred Murphy Joan Weidman Peter Aaron
	Assistant Camera	Mitch Dubin Jan Kroze Mindy Johnson
Directing	Director	Joyce Chopra
Editing	Editor	Joyce Chopra
Production	Producer	Joyce Chopra
Lighting	Gaffer	Bill Sheehy Roger Dean
Writing	Writer	Tom Cole
Sound	Sound Recordist	Maryte Kavaliauskas Morning Pasternak
Department	Role	Name

Join the discussion