Singing Technique for Young Children in the Kodály Music Classroom: A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate singing practices and vocal pedagogy in the music classroom and the applications of these with the Kodály concept in the early childhood years. Stories of Kodály teachers whom I interviewed provide glimpses into the various applications (teaching techniques) of this method. Although the teaching philosophies originate from the 1940s-80s, singing remains in focus. It is clear from the narrative of Kodály teachers today that the application of the method has changed from its origin to relate to modern society to be more relevant to current contexts. How are today’s children different, if at all, from the ones who filled the music classrooms decades ago? Singing activities may not come readily to teachers and they start to dissipate from the early elementary music classes. Is there room to sing and play circle games with the efforts to sing throughout the music class in the early childhood years? Motivating and encouraging children to sing, through activities such as circle games, with healthy vocal habits leads me to the question, how do voice techniques fit into the musicianship classroom? I conducted interviews with music teachers to generate the summary of their narrative. In this qualitative research study, I summarized and translated my findings of the inquiry into a methodology that may serve as a practical guide for music teachers who wish to explore this method.