Curriculum
In order to love music, Kodaly believed that a deep knowledge and understanding of music
must be obtained. The presentation of materials, concepts, and development of skills will be
more meaningful to the learner if the curriculum is revealed one step at a time through a
sequential process, using the concept of "sound before symbol." The four stages that must be
applied to Kodaly's approach include the following:
Prepare: The teacher prepares the child for new material through new songs that contain the
new material to be learned. The teacher actively engages the child through musical activities,
allowing the child to experience the new material firsthand. The musical activities include
rote singing, singing loudly or softly, clapping the rhythm, stepping to the beat, singing faster
or slower, and playing singing games. This stage is complete after learning a core of songs.
Make Conscious: The teacher provides a musical opportunity for conscious awareness of a
new concept through one particular song. The children are asked specific questions to
promote discovery of the new musical element of rhythm or melody. When the questions are
answered, the teacher identifies the new element and presents it either through hand signs,
showing the new rhythm, or notating the element on a staff.
Reinforce: In the reinforcement stage, the teacher reverts to some of the techniques in the
first stage. The new element is identified in each of the songs learned during the preparation
stage and the children are now reading from notation, using rhythm syllables and solfege. In
addition, the children may even notate certain phrases of the song that contain the new
element. They are exposed to more music to practice using the new element.
Assess: The last stage allows the child to read new songs with the melodic or rhythmic
elements so that the element is internalized and remembered. The child applies or generalizes
the new melodic tum or rhythmic motive to other situations or musical activities that include
improvisation and composition. Each of the four stages is repeated for each of the new
rhythmic and melodic elements to be learned. For each melodic tum learned, the teacher
overlaps by preparing a new rhythmic element. This learning process provides the
opportunity for material to be ingrained in the mind, thereby allowing the student to acquire a
deeper knowledge of music (Boshkoff, 1991; Choksy, 1999).