Kodály EnvoyQuarterly of the Organization of American Kodály Educators VOL. 36, NO. 2 • Winter 2010

Kodály and Violins Teaching Improvisation

Sight-Singing Patterns Research

Kodály Summer Institute 2010Monday, June 28-Friday, July 16Orientation: Sunday, June 27

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Experience the teaching and learning of music using Kodály methodology. Studies in

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Developing Ideas and Applications, June 28-July 1.

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Visit www.steinhardt.nyu.edu/2010kodaly, e-mail jk23@nyu.edu,

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M U S I C A N D P E R F O R M I N G A R TS P R O F E SS I O N S

The Kodály Envoy (ISSN# 1084-1776) is published quarterly by the Organization of American Kodály Educators. © 2009 Organization of American Kodály Educators. All rights reserved.

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Mícheál HoulahanMillersville, PA

Sandra MathiasColumbus, OH

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Sheila J. ScottBrandon, Manitoba, Canada

Kodály Envoy Contents Winter 2010

VOLuME 36, NuMBER 2

Features 4 Violins and Voices, Eyes and Ears, Folk Songs and Fingers: Applying Kodály’s

Principles to String Instrument Pedagogy. By Cynthia Richards and Jerry L. Jac-card. The authors have developed a Kodály-based method for improving string students’ musicianship.

11 In Memoriam—Seán Matthew Deibler, 1947–200914 Book Review: Ruth Boshkoff—Music Alone Shall Live

Columns 2 Message from the Editor: Elizabeth Pontiff—Kodály and Instruments

3 Message from the President: Georgia Newlin—Erring on the Side of Music16 Classroom Connections I: Lucinda Sexton and Erin Rosa—I Is for Improvisation21 Classroom Connections II: Meredith Napolitano—The Key to Effective Assessment25 Research Connections: David Gadberry—Patterns for Sight-Singing: Are We Sure?

News and Information from OAKE 2 OAKE Donation Form 13 OAKE Sustaining Members 22 Financial Reports for Fiscal Year 2009 23 News from the National Office: Joan Dahlin 24 2010 Summer Courses and Workshops 27 New Members: Third Quarter 2009 28 OAKE Legacy Campaign Donations and Pledges 30 News from Divisions and Chapters 36 2011 OAKE Awards: Call for Nominations 37 News from the OAKE Board of Directors Fall Meeting 38 2010 OAKE National Conference: Registration Brochure 42 News from OAKE-Endorsed Certification Programs 45 International Kodály Society 46 OAKE Board of Directors, Past Presidents, Award Recipients, and Founders 47 Membership Information and Application 48 Publication Information

Cover: Mixer dance at the 2009 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Youth University. Photo by Don Garrett.

OAKE Mission stateMentThe mission of the Organization of American Kodály Educators is to

enrich the quality of life of the people of the u.S.A. through music education by promoting the philosophy of Zoltán Kodály.

v v v v v

OAKE is an affiliated member of the International Kodály Society.

v v v v v

OAKE is an Associated Organization of MENC: The National Association for Music Education.

KODÁLY ENVOY2

MEssAgE FrOM thE EDItOr: ELIzAbEth PONtIFF

Please take a minute to look at the cover photo. It was taken by Don Garrett, who was the second place winner in our photo contest. Don is retired after teach-ing 30 years with the Cleveland and Brad-ley County (Tennessee) school systems as both music specialist and elementary band director. He is currently on the faculty of the Kodály Institute at the university of Tennessee at Chattanooga (uTC).

The picture was taken at the 2009

Youth university, a children’s summer enrichment program. Participants and instructors from the Kodály Institute at uTC worked with children every after-noon for 45 minutes on songs, games, and dances. This photo is of children and adults in a scatter mixer dance from Denmark called Sascha. It was being lead visiting dance instructor Robbin Marcus, who lives in Atlanta, is an OAKE mem-ber and works with two other summer Kodály programs.

I’m always looking for ideas for the

Envoy. Do you have a suggestion for a Classroom Connection? Something you’d like to see changed? An opinion you’d like

to share with your fellow OAKE members? If so, just drop me at note at pontiffedit-ing@comcast.net.

using the Kodály philosophy to teach

instrumental students is a growing area of interest. I hope you will enjoy this months’ article on using Kodály to teach violin.

As you may know, advertising is one

of the things that allows OAKE to publish a high-quality journal like the Envoy. If you attend a class, purchase something, or otherwise interact with any of our adver-tisers, please let them know you saw them in the Envoy. Supporting our advertisers supports OAKE.

Kodály and Instruments

Winter 2010 3

MEssAgE FrOM thE PrEsIDENt: gEOrgIA NEWLIN

“And … scene!” is a phrase commonly heard around the Performing Arts Center at the university where I work. With these two words, people are allowed to stop, think about what just happened, self-critique, and—most amazing—try it again and again until they get it right for the performance. Ah, if life were only like that! If we could just go back and correct our mistakes before they happen.

But, we can’t, and we will all continue to make mistakes no matter how hard we try to avoid them. However, we can think ahead to minimize long-term mistakes in our teaching. For example, if you err in your planning, always do so on the side of music. If you forget to tell children that J. S. Bach had two wives and 21 children, they can learn that later in a short amount of time. If you tell them too much about Bach, making them memorize facts about his life, and for-get to have the children hear, sing, feel, and move to Bach’s music, they can learn how to listen to his music later too, but will need significant time to ingest it, with much of that time spent coaxing and cajoling them to join the fun. For, as Kodály wrote,

Basic training missed in youth can-not be made up for later on. Hap-py is he who is young and has not missed anything yet; but time flies swiftly, and he who has not learned to read and write fluently by the age of fourteen, can learn to do so later only with great difficulty if at all. (Selected Writings, p. 198)

To plan well and to avoid gross mis-takes in our teaching, Kodály’s words guide us: “On the basis of what has been said, the characteristics of a good musician can be summarized as follows: (1) A well-trained ear, (2) A well-trained intelligence, (3) A well-trained heart, (4) A well-trained hand” (Selected Writings, p. 197). Kodály based his thoughts on Schumann’s ideals:

Ear and intelligence—basic train-ing in solmization, achieving

rhythmic accuracy, analysis of form, understanding harmony, having varied musical experiences of playing chamber music and singing in chamber choirs, know-ing the spirit of intellect of each particular musical work, theoreti-cal and practical knowledgeHeart—reading works of great writers, studying creations of great artists across the disciplines, comprehending the sciences, com-plete immersion in one’s own art, performance of great masterworks cultivating the richness of feelings from eachHand—training of the physical characteristics of performing on an instrument or with the voice, familiarity with musical literature (Selected Writings, pp.198–199)

What does this mean for us today as we rush to meet our elementary students only once every six days, our middle school stu-dents who must choose between instrumental and choral instruction because scheduling does not permit them to take both, or our high school students who are overburdened with homework assignments and numerous activities on their way to life’s overachiever track? It means we are obligated as music educators to offer only the best instruction to our students. It means, first and foremost, our curriculum must be based on singing that includes physical participation in the music so that students are able to look at a page and hear the sounds of the tune before being asked to play it on an instrument. It means that we are compelled to work with the other specialists and classroom teachers in our school to insure that connections across the curriculum are being made and, especially, are being made conscious to the children. It means we are obliged to choose music of the mother tongue of our students—and in some places that is a huge call to duty to learn music that did not belong to us as children.

It means we are accountable to our students’ families and the community through our personal support of local libraries, museums, performing arts centers, historical places, and cultural events. It also means that it is our re-sponsibility to bring those families and com-munity members to an understanding that they also must support the very same things for all the children in the local area. It means we must offer safe spaces and quiet time for our children to be alone to dream, think, and assimilate the depth of connections be-ing made for them. It means we are charged with being the best teachers possible. Not just teaching our subject matter, but helping raise the children that we meet, through our jobs and our volunteerism, with educated taste.

For, “a good musician knows what good music is. He is guided by his familiar-ity with literature, his theoretical and practi-cal knowledge, and his educated taste—all acquired over the course of many years” (Selected Writings, p. 199).

Lest this charge feels burdensome to you, remember that,

For every person’s worth is mea-sured by how much he can help his fellow men and serve his country. Real art is one of the most power-ful forces in the rise of mankind, and he who renders it accessible to as many people as possible is a benefactor of humanity. (Selected Writings, p. 199)

A benefactor is defined as one who pro-vides a gift (http://thesaurus.reference.com). In your lifetime, many people have shared their gifts of music with you and others their gifts of teaching. Enjoy the opportuni-ties you have to share your gift of music—in the largest sense of the word—with others.

Erring on the Side of Music

KODÁLY ENVOY4

Background Two voices are evident in this article.

The first-person singular practical experi-ence voice is that of Cynthia Richards, a professional violinist, university and private studio teacher, and mother of eight adult children, whose five daughters perform variously as a family string quartet or quin-tet and in other chamber music configura-tions. Four of these are also professional string teachers, one of whom holds a Kodá-ly certificate. Richards holds an OAKE-endorsed Kodály certificate from Brigham Young university and has extensively researched and observed Kodály-inspired string pedagogy in Hungary and Finland. She is the author of How to Get Your Child to Practice without Resorting to Violence.

The historical-pedagogical voice in this article is that of Jerry L. Jaccard, who first began to research and observe Hungarian wind, string, and piano pedagogy and cur-ricula in 1980 under the auspices of a Ford Foundation Individual Research Grant awarded to him and Lois Choksy. Funded by a variety of grants, Jaccard has expanded this research to include observation and cur-riculum analysis of music teaching systems in China, Finland, France, England, Hun-gary, Korea, and Switzerland, with a special focus on after-school instrumental teaching as an extension of in-school music classes.

Richards, Jaccard, and their colleague Monica Call, a professional cellist and pedagogue who also holds Kodály certifica-

tion, have published a multiyear string cur-riculum as an extension of Kodály singing musicianship and have developed in-school and after-school delivery systems for that curriculum. At the beginning of their ini-tiative, Michele Winter, a graduate of the Holy Names university Kodály Masters Program and a member of NCAKE, gener-ously shared her experience and insights as a string educator at Lowell High School in San Francisco, the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi.

The Educated EarOver the years in my violin teaching,

I began to search for ways to improve the musicianship of my students. Their technique was not the problem; rather, I felt that they had to rely too much on me to figure out how to read a page of music. I lacked a sys-tem for teaching them how to hear in their head what was on the page. It has been my observation that most of the time students in North America, including myself, don’t ac-quire such aural musicianship skills until long after they have become proficient on their instruments and are in college music courses. I always wished that somehow I had received this training much earlier, and could have enjoyed becoming a “real” musician sooner, instead of after I learned to be a violinist. It would have made becoming a violinist much easier, quicker, and smarter.

I relate to the thoughts in an essay written by the late Mary Jo Sanna Barron

(1977), noted American music educator and ethnographer. As a college music graduate, she was fluent on two instruments, but she could not “hear” music inside her head in the same way that you hear the words you’re reading in your head. Further, she could not remember music previously heard and sing it later. Like most musicians, she depended entirely on instruments to demonstrate how notated music sounds. And like many of us, she just knew “real” musicians could “hear music inside their heads” and assumed that she couldn’t because of her own deficiencies, not because of a lack of proper musical edu-cation. She later developed such an educated ear through Kodály teacher education and became one of its enthusiastic proponents.

Musicians need an educated ear to develop pure intonation as a string player, or a player of any instrument that doesn’t operate by keys or frets (and even keyed wind instrument players come to favor certain notes). Lyman Bodman, retired professor of string pedagogy at Michigan State university, wrote this in his Essays on Violin Pedagogy:

No one, but no one, who cannot hear melodic intervals can play a violin in tune … This is another string teacher responsibility, and a way must be found to fill this need … There was once an almost golden age of training when those privileged few in Europe were

By Cynthia Richards and Jerry L. Jaccard

Violins and Voices,Eyes and Ears,Folk Songs and Fingers

Winter 2010 5

given, at a very early age, a thor-ough training in solfège. There was also a time in our own country when in many elementary schools solfège was in the curriculum. We might wish that present day music education in America could learn from that era and do more to es-tablish fundamental musicianship for our children. As it stands at this time, the violin teacher must teach much more than the violin. It may be true that our country is now leading the world in training instrumentalists, yet there is a glar-ing shortcoming, namely teaching children music fundamentals and sight-singing (2002, p. 21).

I discovered how to teach my students these musical basics when I became acquaint-ed with the teaching principles and practices of Zoltán Kodály. His concept of the educat-ed ear as a tool for achieving true musician-ship was the piece of the puzzle that had been missing from my education all along.

Kodály had much to say about instru-mental education, including specific advice for American music educators, during a 1945 lecture in New York City:

No other country has done as much for the popularization of

instrumental music as here. If the right balance can be restored in the united States between singing and instrumental music, and between activity and passivity, I think they can achieve the best possible results sooner than any other country because whoever studies an in-strument should sing first. Free singing without instruments is the most deeply effective way of train-ing musical abilities. We have to educate musicians before bringing up instrumentalists. We should give an instrument to a child only when he can already sing. His ear develops only if his first notions of sound are formed from his own singing and are not connected with any external visible (visual) or hand movement (motoric) mo-tions. (in Vikár, 1969, npn)

We can gain significant insight from this statement: playing an instrument does not create musicianship, rather the combined and well-focused activity of the ear, mind, and voice produce musicianship and can be applied to an instrument. Along these same lines, Kodály often quoted Robert Schumann:

So, who is the good musician? You are one if the music lives not only

in your fingers, but in your head and your heart, too. To try to pick out small tunes on the piano is charming. But it is a matter for real rejoicing if they come by themselves without the piano, because then the inner sense of sounds has stirred. The fingers should follow the will of the head and not the other way round. (in Bónis, 1964, p. 191)

Creating that “will of the head” is one of the pedagogical aims of Kodály’s vision for music education. The goal is to match children’s natural musicality to appropriate music so that children may first, experience the music; second, tease out its individual components based on hearing and feeling; then third, give them a name and a symbol. This opens the way to the development of literate musicianship based on fluent, ac-curate musical hearing derived from actual music making. Kodály elaborated upon this point in his speech to graduates of the Liszt Academy in 1953:

The characteristics of a good musician can be summarized as follows: (1) A well-trained ear; (2) A well-trained intelligence; (3) A well-trained heart; (4) A well-trained hand. All four must

Applying

Kodály’s Principles

to String Instrument Pedagogy

Photo by Miriam

A. Kilmer. U

sed with perm

ission.

KODÁLY ENVOY6

develop together, in constant equilibrium … So far most of you have met only the requirements of the fourth point: the training of your fingers has left the rest far behind. You would have achieved the same results more quickly and easily, however, if your training in the other three had kept pace. (in Bónis, 1964, p. 197)

With the goal of reforming music educa-tion in the schools of his native land, Kodály researched the most effective systems for teaching music that existed in Europe at the time and brought them together into a na-tionalized school curriculum. To this day, his former students and their protégés continue to collect and adapt new compatible peda-gogical practices to their teaching situations. At first, Kodály had no idea that what he and his associates created in Hungary for Hungar-ians would have international impact. The movement in America continues to gain mo-mentum as music teachers recognize its value. I view it as a restoration of what musicians used to be taught before beginning an instru-ment: active music making through group singing, rhythmic movement, aural acuity development, and note reading. This kind of complete musicianship often seems to have been sacrificed in favor of instrumental technique first and musicianship later—now one can even learn to play instruments with lighted keys or fingering by number without reference to notated sound and symbol.

Zoltán Kodály as a Complete Musician

We so strongly equate Zoltán Kodály with the reform of school music, relative solmization, and choral music that we often forget that he was essentially an instrumen-talist himself, albeit one whose foundation was singing. Perhaps if we could understand more about Kodály the instrumentalist we would find some clues as to how he envisioned the relationships among sing-ing, hearing, solmization, and instrumental study. Kodály’s own words from an inter-view with Lutz Besch of Bremen Radio-Television are insightful:

We always had music in the house. My father was a passionate violin-

ist. He always organized chamber music in order not to have to play alone. My mother played the piano some; she played sonatas with my father. I still remember that some-times he would come back to the house and play between the dis-patching of trains. [Kodály’s father was a railroad station master.] Mozart and Haydn occupied first place. One event is unforgettable to me: in the afternoons as the setting sun had bathed the whole house in flames of fire, my parents would just play their instruments, and to this day, I associate that piece of music with that illumina-tion. It was only much later that it occurred to me that it was a Mozart sonata that my parents had been playing. [My mother] also learned to sing a little in her youth. For a long time, I have had in my possession [her] old edition of Schubert’s Schwanengesang.Although there was a piano, I had no particular desire to set about playing it. I did sometimes plunk around on it, but I preferred to sing for myself alone in the open air, and indeed without words. I always remembered whatever I heard somewhere. My parents also had me perform in front of guests when I was only three or four years old—I earned many coins for my-self by doing it. In this early time it was already apparent that I was not born to be a practicing artist, for I always preferred to sing behind the door or from another room.I first began to play the violin at the age of ten, and even though after several years I more or less arrived at playing Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, I also had no particular desire to play. But I did like to play with the school chamber quartet, and we had no cellist, so I simply concluded that I would have to learn this instru-ment. I ordered a cello book and worked through all the exercises in order—there weren’t any [cello]

teachers in Nagyszombat at that time—and I learned it so rapidly that we were able to play Haydn quartets. A couple of years later I then resolved to take up the violin again because, coincidentally, a better teacher for this instrument appeared on the scene. So I just played cello one day and then vio-lin the next. In this same quartet we even changed [instruments]—I began on the cello, then handed it to another and played viola. Any-way, it was good enough for the quartet. (Kodály, 1966, pp. 1–26, translated, edited, and annotated by Jaccard for continuity)

Besch then asked Kodály to comment on how folk song and classical music were the two sources that had so richly informed his musical education in those early years. Kodály responded: “These two trends al-ways ran parallel. I always tried to establish a balance between them, and at the end of my life, I believe that something is still emerging about how both combine” (p. 17). Anyone who has ever heard or played Kodály’s Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello, or his Peacock Variations for orchestra might be able to judge whether or not he succeeded in combining the two influences.

One of the principal tools employed in Kodály music education is the study and use of relative solmization:

To teach a child an instrument without first giving him prepara-tory training and without develop-ing singing, reading, and dictating to the highest level along with the playing is to build upon sand … Only the well-conducted teaching of sol-fa can develop the ability to con-nect tone-image with written note to the point where the one will evoke the other instantly. (in Bónis, 1964, p. 197, emphasis added)

In other words, sol-fa helps students to hear what they see and see what they hear. It simultaneously reveals tonal relationships and gives them a name and symbol. It is

Winter 2010 7

quite simply the thousand-year-old original, easiest, and best means of comprehending the architecture of music. We are not talking about singing everything before playing it on an instrument, but we are talking about helping a child connect singing based on ac-curate musical hearing to their instrument, especially in the crucial first years of study.

Music as a Subject within Itself

Much of the public has a general mis-conception that music resides in an instru-ment. Many people who play an instrument consider themselves able to “read music,” even though they often cannot accurately sound out a single interval without their in-strument. Ask any music teacher about the struggle of trying to teach beginners to play a string or wind instrument who have no music in their “hearts and heads.” This is an all-too-common experience for teachers and children and often results in discouragement and discontinuance. As a consequence, many school and studio music teachers go to great lengths to “simplify” music instead of increasing the musicianship of the learn-ers. This quickly becomes counterproductive as the technical demands of an instrument begin to outpace the musical maturity of a student.

Another misconception is that simply “reading music” is sufficient for developing musical maturity and technical proficiency. In reality, music reading is only a basic skill upon which depends the more critical skills of form and stylistic analysis, ap-plied performance practices, and informed interpretative creativity. Many composers and performing musicians throughout his-tory have consistently understood what is at stake in the music-learning process and that there are no shortcuts or magic bul-lets: music is the primary subject and an instrument is the secondary subject. That is why they are called “instruments”; they are a further means of expressing what already exists within the musician. In this context, Kodály envisioned how musicality and musicianship instruction and an ongo-ing study of music as a body of literature would begin before, continue during, and always inform a student’s instrumental study. In his book, National Music and

Other Essays, Ralph Vaughan Williams made it clear why this must be so:

The composer starts with a vision and ends with a series of black dots. The performer’s process is exactly the reverse; he starts with the black dots and from these has to work back to the composer’s vision. First he must find out the sounds that these black dots rep-resent and the quicker he can get over this process the sooner he will be able to get on to something more important. Therefore though a good sight reader is not neces-sarily a good musician, it is very useful for a musician to be a good sight reader. The performer has to learn how best to make these sounds … then he must learn to view any series of these black dots both as a whole and in detail and to discover the relation of the parts to the whole, and it is under this heading that I would place such things as phrasing, sense of form, and climax—what we generically call musicianship. When he has mastered these he is ready to start and reproduce the composer’s vi-sion. Then, and then only, is he in a position to find out whether there is any vision to reproduce … Thus we come round full circle: the origin of inspiration and its fi-nal fruition should be one and the same thing. (1987, pp. 13–15)

Edgar Willems (1890–1978), Belgian music psychologist and pedagogue, under-scored the matter with the following quip: “Bad musicians cannot hear what they are playing; mediocre ones could hear it, but they don’t listen; average musicians hear what they just played; only good musicians hear what they are going to play (1956, 1987, p. 90).

So, how to go about developing the inner musician in every student? How to awaken and cultivate the ear, heart, and mind of the learner, that wellspring of liv-ing musical experience for the instrumental teacher to tap into and relate to an instru-

ment? Such practical concerns are thorough-ly discussed in the large corpus of literature about the many facets of Kodály music teaching,1 and especially in coursework of-fered at OAKE-endorsed certification pro-grams and at various Hungarian institutions of higher education. Kodály’s intention was for individual music teachers to continually study music as a body of literature to create self-renewing personal methodologies for guiding their students through the litera-ture. This perspective casts music teaching as an individualized creative process framed by certain universal principles common to musicians and pedagogues. In other words, “method” is the domain of the individual teacher whereas pedagogical systems can be shared among groups of like-minded teach-ers without prescribing exactly how they should teach their particular students.

Practical ApplicationsFor about the last ten years or so, I,

along with my colleagues Jerry L. Jaccard and Monica Call, have been developing a violin and cello curriculum that integrates well with Kodály-based singing curricula for elementary schools. We have studied models in other countries that are based on the above-mentioned principles, including Colour Strings, which is popular in Finland and England. As far as we know, our cur-riculum is the first outside of Hungary2 to actually correlate with the singing musician-ship curriculum that all of the children in a community are receiving. Taking advantage of what the children know from their singing classes is a tremendous help when it comes to the instrumental transfer of that knowledge. They already have much music in their ears and minds that putting that knowledge and its associated skills onto the instrument is a fairly rapid and intuitive process.

This string curriculum has been used both in small classes of violin students at the elementary school level and in private studios. The ideal setup would include a supplemental singing musicianship class, a private lesson with an involved parent, and a weekly instrumental group class. After several years of planning, we have recently begun an after-school conservatory attached to the local public school district to imple-ment this plan.

KODÁLY ENVOY8

For the past four years, I have been teaching a pilot group class at one of the local elementary schools where twice-weekly Kodály music instruction is well established. It has grown into a four-year program, be-ginning in the third grade for the first-year violin class, fourth grade for the second-year violin class, and fifth grade for the third-year violin class, with sixth grade combining instruments into an orchestra. I had wished when I was raising my family of musicians that somehow the elementary school could provide an ensemble experience that would be meaningful for youngsters taking private lessons. I’m happy to report that we have been able to accomplish that with this pilot structure. Orchestra is held after school, so mixing grades is possible, as is mixing those who learned their instrument at school and those who learned from a private teacher. Playing in an ensemble is an opportunity that private teachers are not always able to provide and one that they welcome.

We have adapted some aspects of Paul Rolland’s3 technical sequence for learning the violin to the Kodály singing musician-ship sequence used in our schools, a merger that has been no easy task. For example, even though sol-mi is the usual beginning point for children who are beginning to render sound into sight and vice-versa, it is not a good starting place for violin fingering. For beginning string students, skips like sol-mi are more difficult than steps like do-re-mi and crossing strings is more difficult than staying on the same string, which is again facilitated by step-wise tones. However, the challenge has been a rewarding one. As it turns out, doing so has led us to discover certain technical advantages for students besides a more complete musicianship based on a well-trained ear. Songs with limited tone sets provide opportunities to focus on a specific finger; for example, for violinists, spending a little time with songs using only the pentachord allows time for shaping the left hand while also strengthening the fourth finger. Then, too, knowledge of intervals and their sounds makes learning a new position easier through interval reading instead of learning a whole new set of fingerings for the same notes. Likewise, the study of harmonics is greatly enhanced when a student under-stands the relationship of the partials of the

overtone series to the string fingerboard.The first musical instrument is the

voice, so beginning instrumental study is most often successful if children begin with songs they already know from their singing classes then continue with supplementary melodic material that closely parallels the singing curriculum. The children who have been at the school since kindergar-ten already have undergone three years of preparation through the singing classes. I require at least one year of that program for students to be eligible for the violin class. With this preparation, it is easy for the chil-dren to connect what they know in their heads and ears to what their fingers must do on the instrument.

I did learn not to mix children who had this preparation with those who had not had it. I made the mistake one year of not prequalifying students who wanted to participate in the first-year class at school. At least after having done so, I had a clear picture of the difference between the two groups in terms of readiness and ability to make those connections.

Playing melodies begins with two step-wise notes (do–re) and increases one note at a time and one finger at a time until the four-finger pentachord of each string is learned. One would think that not starting with a D-major scale as most methods do would be a handicap, especially in find-ing materials and advancing technique. However, introducing each finger one at a time both for its sound and its shape has definite benefits, particularly for preventing “fourth-finger phobia”! This is an all-too-common habit students develop when they are allowed to avoid using the fourth finger because they can more easily find that same note by playing an adjacent open string. This ultimately weakens the fourth finger and delays the development of a properly-shaped left hand necessary for progressing through the demands of violin literature.

Two Basic Learning ProcessesThere are two learning processes em-

ployed here, which work independently but concurrently. The first, sound to sight, fosters rapid technical advancement through engag-ing the child’s intuition. The second, sight to sound, takes the understanding of musical

structure that the child gains from the first process and converts it to the staff where the child learns to decode musical elements at sight on the violin. When teaching chil-dren, we use sound to sight to identify the elements of music, and then sight to sound to read them. These combined processes maintain a consistent link with the singing musicianship classes.

Sound to SightSongs that the children learn through

singing are written in sol-fa notation and are for reference only. Students do not learn them by looking at the page of music; they learn them from their own and the teacher’s singing model. Sometimes the children learn the songs as singing games. These songs, along with knowledge of their rhythmic and melodic structure, are in the children’s heads and ears before they take them to the instrument. The students then relate the sol-fa to the fingering and the rhythm to the bow, giving them quick, intuitive access to actually playing the instrument, similar to a Suzuki way of teaching, but with the added understanding of the structure of the music. In typical Suzuki teaching, the student hears the music from the teacher or a parent or from a recording. He or she then calculates a fingering to produce the note (a step that a singer can bypass), and then produces the sound by plucking or bowing: this is sound-finger-sound. Players can achieve remarkable technical results using this approach.

A more Kodály-like solution is to have the student learn to sing a song first to inter-nalize its sound relationships and rhythmic flow. Then its rhythmic motives can be de-rived, named with syllables and given sym-bols. In like manner, its melodic elements can be discerned and given sol-fa names, which constitute the phonics of music and serve as sound symbols away from the staff, while also revealing the melodic structure of any tune at any pitch. By understanding the structure of the music through his or her educated ear, a student finds the note with the finger and produces the sound with the bow or by plucking: sound-symbol-finger-sound. This way of learning the instrument is equally efficient for quickly acquiring technique. The fact that symbols are in-volved automatically transforms it from

Winter 2010 9

sound to sound to sound to sight, allowing reading to be taught earlier in a way that fulfills Kodály’s mandate of keeping the ear, heart, mind, and hand in proper balance.

Many advantages accrue to the children as they participate in the above-described learning processes:1. They can play a song right away with no

reading required (as in Suzuki instruction).2. They can immediately focus on matters of

technique.3. Through the use of sol-fa, they have a

consistent system that transfers from one song to the next for finding notes on the instrument while developing their aware-ness of melodic structure.

4. They can be independent learners because their own singing provides the sound model they are learning to play.

5. They can easily transpose songs to all strings even before staff-reading is re-quired because of the flexibility of move-able-do sol-fa.

6. They easily learn to transpose known songs to other fingering patterns because the ear drives the fingers to the new pat-tern being mastered.

7. Their regular singing musicianship classes continually cultivate their musical ear ahead of technique so that the learning of technique makes sense without theoreti-cal explanations.

Sight to SoundThe sol-fa symbols, previously learned

as sound relationships, connect to the staff, which is a pictorial representation of those relationships. In other words, the students read from staff notation as a picture of the phonics of music. The finger goes down, the sound is produced: symbol-staff-finger-sound. This is the linking of sound symbol to picture symbol originally invented a thousand years ago by Guido d’Arrezzo. Songs using this learning process are written in staff notation. The children learn these songs through reading, using a step-by-step process: rhythm, sol-fa, absolute pitch names, pizzicato (plucking the string, which resolves left-hand issues), and arco (playing with the bow). Most of these songs are un-familiar to them, although at first they will see a familiar song on the staff so that the symbols learned from rote songs help them

connect more easily to the written page. The advantages here are: (1) students relate what they know from sound to staff using relative sol-fa; (2) they learn to hear the music in their heads before they finger it on the in-struments; (3) they learn to imagine a tonal image against which to judge the sound the finger makes.

An interesting incident recently oc-curred during a private lesson I was giving to a ninth grader. She had received a Kodály music education at her elementary school and had grown up using the violin curricu-lum described in this article. She was having trouble playing the descending three-octave A-melodic-minor scale in tune. In the top octave, the fingers have to be really close together. She was playing flat. I asked her to sing the scale in sol-fa. She sang it perfectly in tune. Then I asked her to play it slowly and carefully. She made the necessary finger adjustments to find the right pitches. I asked her, “What was different?” She replied sheep-ishly, “I listened.” I thought to myself, “What was she listening to? I wasn’t even playing with her.” The answer is that she was listening to her own inner hearing that had been de-veloped in elementary school singing classes.

I have another ninth-grade student who didn’t have the good fortune of attend-ing singing musicianship classes who, even though she is doing well technically, is still unsure when it comes to finding notes from the page on the instrument, both rhythms and intervals. I feel handicapped when I work with her, because I can’t use the same set of tools that I can with the first student. I am trying to help her catch up, but the foundation is not there, and it is a challenge to find ways to put something in place that should have been established long ago.

High-Quality LiteratureZoltán Kodály often spoke about the

critical need for high-quality music and high-quality musical experiences in the education of young people: “Teachers must overcome the notion that only watered-down art can be learned by children. Children are actually the most appreciative of all pure art. Therefore, their musical cur-riculum must be selected from only the best, undeniable masterpieces” (in Dobszay, 1992, p. 19). For him, only the best was

good enough for the children. Fortunately, the transition from folk song to art song is easily made using music of the masters.

The search for quality string literature using limited tone sets is a challenging one, but also rewarding because such literature does actually exist. It is true that the delayed learning of a complete diatonic scale is lim-iting at first, but not for long. And the stu-dents’ technique does not seem to be slowed down. It is important that they take their learning from the folk song to beautiful solo literature as soon as possible so that they will experience the high level of musical enjoyment that will help them to endure the work of practice. It is also important that students have the opportunity to connect what they are learning to different contexts, a need nicely filled by recital pieces with piano accompaniments gleaned from vari-ous collections.

Musical-Skill Development for Everyone

I have learned a lot over the past decade about a new way to teach. To me, the results are exciting. Students who complete this program in elementary school are musically literate. And it’s not just visual literacy; it’s connected to their inner hearing. I can talk with them about keys, intervals, changing tonalities, musical form, and structure, and they understand what is being discussed. I can teach music on a much deeper level, and as they come to understand the music they are studying, they also come to understand that the necessary technique must be mas-tered to serve the music. As my son, Dale, told me recently: “Students with these skills will not only understand what a leading tone is and how to play it; they will want to lead with it.”

Because of the successful and ongoing dissemination of good Kodály music educa-tion in our country, we are increasingly in a position to begin to fulfill his challenge to that 1945 New York audience cited above. A step we can all take is to recognize that Zoltán Kodály’s vision for musical educa-tion was not limited to K–6 general music classes, but was rather intended for the bottom-to-top reform of musical life for an entire society. Our students do not have to wait until they take college music classes to

KODÁLY ENVOY10

acquire literacy skills—how many would take such classes anyway, especially if they do not plan to major in music? We advocate musical skill and knowledge development for everyone, starting as early as possible. It’s all about music and people—people making music in as many ways as possible, knowl-edgeably and enjoyably exploring music as a vast body of literature with all of its rich reflections of life. We aim to see the forest and the trees!

Endnotes1. The reader is especially referred to the

many writings of Lois Choksy, who observed and transcribed the teaching practices of several Hungarian master teachers over long periods of time to articulate a concise view of Kodály mu-sic teaching processes, which in their turn, are historically rooted in the legacies of European pedagogical innovators such as Guido, Luther, Comenius, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Weber, Glover, Curwen, Piaget, and others.

2. In the early 1950s, a handful of prominent Hungarian string, wind, and piano pedagogues collaborated with Kodály on developing beginning instrumental materials and teaching techniques that correlated to the school singing musicianship curriculum. Archival research and interviews with those early authors show that their initiatives and publications were strongly censored by the regime in attempts to suppress them.

3. Paul Rolland was born in Budapest, became first violist of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, later taught at the university of Il-linois, was a founding member of the American String Teachers Association, and was the first editor of its journal, American String Teacher. He researched and published widely about beginning string pedagogy.

ReferencesBarron, M. J. S. (April, 1977). unpublished

essay. Watertown, MA: Kodály Musical Training Institute.

Bodman, L. (2002). “Ear training and sight-singing.” In Essays on violin pedagogy. Lan-sing, MI: Author.

Bónis, F. (1964). The selected writings of Zoltán Kodály. New York: Boosey & Hawkes.

Dobszay, L. (1992). After Kodály: Reflections of music education. Kecskemét, Hungary: Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music.

Kodály, Z. (1966). Mein Weg zur Musik—Fünf Gespräche mit Lutz Besch [My path to music—Five conversations with Lutz Besch]. English translation by Jerry L. Jaccard, publica-tion pending. Zürich: Peter Schifferli Verlags AG «Die Arche».

Vaughan Williams, R. (1987). National music and other essays. 2nd edition. Oxford, Eng-land: Oxford university Press.

Vikár, L. (1969). Folk music and music edu-cation. unpublished paper presented at the Dana School of Music Teacher Training Workshop, Boston, MA.

Willems, E. (1956, 1987). Les Bases Psy-chologiques De L’Éducation Musicale [The psycho-logical foundations of musical education]. Eng-lish translation by Jerry L. Jaccard, in press 2008. Bienne, Switzerland: Éditions «Pro Musica».

Cynthia Richards teaches violin and string pedagogy at Utah Valley University. She coauthored The Complete Musician violin and cello series with Jerry L. Jaccard and Monica Call. She is the mother of eight children, all successful musicians. Her experi-ence in teaching them served as the foundation for her first book, How to Get Your Child to Practice without Resorting to Violence.

Jerry L. Jaccard is an associate professor of music education in the School of Music at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. He serves as vice president of the International Kodály Society and Chair of the IKS László Vikár Folk Music Research Forum. He does curriculum research and writing focused on music as a significant body of literature.

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It is with extreme sadness that we an-nounce the passing of Seán Matthew Deibler, 62, on August 19, 2009. Collected here are some memories from his friends and col-leagues. Seán taught in numerous Kodály courses across the United States and Europe; he founded and directed two premiere cho-ral ensembles in Philadelphia; and he was guest conductor of the Slovak, Warsaw, and Budapest Philharmonic Orchestras and the National Chorus of Hungary. In 1998, Seán received the Medal Pro Artibus, Artist of Outstanding Merit, for the promotion of diversified Hungarian music abroad from the Ministry of Cultural Arts of the Republic of Hungary and the Board of Artisjus Music Foundation. In 2001 he received an Honor-ary Doctorate of Fine Arts from his alma mater, Susquehanna University. He was fluent in German, Hungarian, French, and Italian and passionately promoted the works of Kodály, Bartók, and Bárdos—as well as newly commissioned works—with great musi-cal understanding. Many readers will recog-nize Seán as the author of the English text for “We Gather Here Together,” sung at many Kodály courses and OAKE conferences.

William GattiExecutive DirectorThe Music Group of Philadelphia

The death of Seán Matthew Deibler is a terrible loss, not only to music education, but also to the greater musical community world wide. His influence and reputation were international in scope as a conductor, solo performer, and pedagogue. His numer-ous and highly developed talents inspired musicians and teachers from North America to Europe to Australia.

A native of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Seán Matthew Deibler received his degree in clarinet and voice from Susquehanna

University in 1969. As his senior year at Susquehanna drew to a close, he was hired by the Haverford School, a prestigious, private K–12 boys’ school just outside Philadelphia, and was given charge of the Lower School (K–6) music program.

During that summer he attended a seminar at the recommendation of the mu-sic department head at Haverford. It was directed by Denise Bacon at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Little did Seán realize that those studies would reform his concept of music education completely and provide the early build-ing blocks for what became the first K–12 Kodály music program in the United States.

For that seminar, Ms. Bacon had assembled a faculty that would do nu-merous institutions of higher education proud. At that time she was exploring whether or not the Orff and Kodály con-cepts could work side by side using the best elements from each. To that end she invited the most renowned experts in both concepts from Austria and Hungary. The course was to run for six weeks and was divided into two-week segments, one on Orff, one on Orff-Kodály, and one on Kodály alone (by the end of that summer, Ms. Bacon had decided to devote her en-ergies to Kodály exclusively).

Seán was completely enthralled with the entire six weeks of courses and deeply inspired by the first-rate faculty, all of whom were superb musicians and peda-gogues. The challenges of the new posi-tion, however, would be many. Few of us Kodály teachers have avoided inheriting a music program that has “gone to seed,” and such was the case at Haverford. None-theless Seán forged ahead and over the next five years completely rebuilt Haver-ford’s Lower School music program.

Seán continued his studies during that time as well. In 1970 the Kodály Musical Training Institute opened its doors and, instead of holding its own summer course, encouraged all interested parties to attend the first international Kodály seminar in Kecskemét, Hungary. Seán attended and received much acclaim from the faculty, many of whom had been at Dana Hall the previous summer. He returned to summer courses in the United States and Hungary and in 1973 was made a faculty member in Solfège and Chamber Music at the KMTI course at Wellesley College. He remained on that faculty and later on that of the Kodály Center of America through 1984.

By the summer of 1974, Seán’s work at Haverford had blossomed into a nation-ally known boychoir that included middle school students with unchanged voices. Every student in the Lower School had music twice a week, and a pilot class had been formed having music every day. This pilot class gave a demonstration lesson at the National Association of Independent Schools convention in Washington DC that year. Seán was rightly proud of his accomplishments and had shared his work with hundreds of summer course students, but he felt strongly the urge to improve his own skills and reach higher levels of musi-

In Memoriam—Seán Matthew Deibler1947–2009

Seán Deibler in the 1980s. Photo courtesy of Lilla Gábor

KODÁLY ENVOY12

cianship and performance.In the spring of that year, he was ac-

cepted by the Liszt Ferenc Académia in Budapest and began studies in Septem-ber. In spite of the added hurdle of the Hungarian language, as well as that of cramming five years of study into one, Seán earned the Liszt Academy Diploma in conducting, chamber music, clarinet, and voice. During that time he toured Eu-rope with pianist Katalin Komlós as both clarinetist and baritone soloist. Contacts made during his Liszt Academy stud-ies would open many doors for him as a conductor, performer, and educator in the years to come.

In 1975 he returned to the United States and continued his work at Hav-erford. By 1984 the Haverford School Boychoir was internationally known for its performance of the most challenging litera-ture for treble voices, including opera. The music program at Haverford had grown to encompass grades K–12. Seán had been made head of the music department and played a major role in the design of a state-of-the-art performing and visual arts facility for Haverford’s campus. It boasted a six-hundred seat opera house/theater/auditorium, facilities for classroom, choral, and instrumental teaching/rehearsal, and practice rooms as well as spaces for teach-ing and displaying visual arts. To this day it rates among the finest performance venues in the Philadelphia region.

1984 also saw him begin a profes-sorship at University of the Arts where he headed the musicianship, voice, and cham-ber music programs. He conducted the orchestra, several choral ensembles, and opera performances and taught musician-ship and voice as well as heading several faculty committees.

In parallel with his Haverford and then UArts duties, Seán taught and con-ducted in Kodály summer courses at KMTI/KCA as well as other universities and Kodály training programs worldwide. He founded two premiere choral en-sembles, the Music Group of Philadelphia in 1978 with cofounder Bill Gatti and the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia in 1982, which became the resident chorus of the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton

of Riccardo Muti. In addition, he main-tained a highly successful reputation as a guest conductor of orchestras, choruses, and opera as well as a frequent performer as both a clarinet and baritone soloist in North America, Europe, and Australia. He remained active and in demand in these activities well into the new century.

Perhaps the most remarkable and precious achievement among these many successes is the myriad hearts and spirits he touched, nurtured, and inspired. As condolences are continually received, the prevailing theme is the life-changing influ-ence he had on so many, be they students, colleagues, or friends. This writer knew Seán for forty years, witnessed many of his achievements, and was fortunate to have known him as a cherished friend and mentor. Few have lived who, in a rela-tively short lifetime, have led so many to love music, excel in their profession, find personal happiness, and bring good to all whom they encounter.

Jonathan RappaportCo-Director, Kodály Music Institute, New England Conservatory, Boston

It was a steaming hot July day as I ex-ited the train in Kecskemét, Hungary, in 1972. Little did I know that the train was full of other people attending the second International Kodály Seminar. I soon saw many people warmly greeting old friends from past courses as they left different cars. In particular, I noticed a charismatic young man about my age to whom oth-ers seemed to flock by the droves—it was Seán Deibler.

Our paths were to cross many times over the ensuing decades, at the Kodály Musical Training Institute (KMTI) courses at Wellesley College (1973–1977), our aca-demic year together at the Liszt Academy in Budapest (1974–1975, in which I was fortunate to take voice lessons from Seán), at the Kodály Center of America (KCA) courses at Southeastern Massachusetts uni-versity (1978–1984), and at New England Conservatory (2000–2001).

The OAKE conference committee for the 1989 Boston Conference decided it was time that OAKE included a resident chil-dren’s chorus as part of the conference. My

first thought was to invite Seán Deibler, who did a magnificent job leading the singers in OAKE’s very first national children’s choir.

Seán personified Kodály’s maxim to al-ways be close to real music and expressed con-cern that Kodály programs not get so bogged down in pedagogical detail that the music was lost in the process. As a result of his leader-ship, KCA instituted “music day” each Thurs-day of its four-week summer course. Only musical activities took place: solfège, conduct-ing, singing in the choir, chamber music, concerts, and master classes. Participants were immersed in glorious music all day.

Seán had an infectious zest for life and lived it to the maximum. His uncanny ear for both music and languages was extraor-dinary. Because of it, he was able to mimic almost any person or accent, often with devastatingly funny results. He loved telling good jokes, and he was frequently pestered to repeat his glib recitation of the spooner-ism-filled “Prinderella.” His musicianship was of the caliber that followed Kodály’s highest expectations. During our year at the Liszt Academy, he pursued a completely independent program, studying in Hungar-ian classes at the Academy, while I and my classmates were in special classes taught in English arranged through KMTI. He was the first American master teacher at KMTI, beginning teaching there in 1973 at the age of 26 with an otherwise completely Hungar-ian faculty. He was a total, well-rounded musician—superb singer, clarinetist, com-poser, and conductor. Some of the most exhilarating choral experiences I have ever had were singing under Seán’s direction at KCA, particularly Kodály’s Laudes Organi, and Durufle’s Requiem.

William John DeiblerSeán’s brother

When I was a young boy, I remember Seán having me hold 1,000+ flash cards with Hungarian words on them as he went through each one, testing his memory and pronunciation of each word. His desire to learn the language was intense. Seán told me that some of the best professors at the Franz Liszt academy did not speak English, and it was important that he be fluent in the language so he could attend their classes. He also found Hungarian to be challenging and

Winter 2010 13

fascinating and wanted to master as much of it as he could on his own.

That’s the thing about Seán. He always had and never lost his intrinsic love of learn-ing that served him so well as an educator, mentor, and performer.

As much as he loved learning, I believe he loved sharing even more. It’s the love of sharing his knowledge and skills that made him such a wonderful mentor to many.

Katalin KomlósProfessor, Liszt Academyof Music, Budapest, Hungary

During the early 1970s, when Seán was active at Haverford School, I heard one of his concerts with the Boychoir there. Among other items on the program, they did Mountain Nights by Kodály. It was the most wonderful performance of the piece I have ever heard. Another un-forgettable Kodály interpretation of his was Laudes Organi with the Music Group of Philadelphia.

Seán was a fantastically gifted and versatile musician. His rare abilities were discovered at once in Hungary, when he had come for an academic year to study at the Liszt Academy of Music. He was a most

popular member of the Franz Liszt Cham-ber Choir (conducted by István Párkai), and he made lifelong connections and friendships in Budapest. Later he conducted several concerts here, and paid regular yearly visits to his much-loved city.

A person of radiant musicianship and an enormously warm heart, he will always be remembered with love by his numerous friends in Hungary.

Pamela WoodSenior Lecturer in Music,Massachusetts Instituteof Technology, Cambridge

I remember Seán as a vibrant, buoy-ant person! The consummate musician, he was one of my solfège teachers in Wellesley at KMTI. I remember when he made us take the children’s role and walk to the beat while clapping the rhythmic patterns.

In a different summer, we studied with him in the Jewett Hall auditorium, where he’d write on the board challenging ostinati for us to clap while singing from the Kodály Choral Method series. I also remember performing with him. Was it Mozart’s Requiem? Seán sang the bass solos with magnificent poignancy. In fact, Seán’s

high degree of musicianship was influential in my choosing to develop the Scholar and Teacher within; his teaching was instru-mental in my discovery that I wanted to teach solfège. Seán Deibler may not have known it, but he was a positive influence in my life. Thank you, Seán.

Lilla GáborFounder and Director, Central Eu-ropean Academy of the Arts

I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to have known Seán Deibler over many years both as a friend and as a colleague.

Seán has represented a unique com-bination of a superb overall musician with an extraordinary intellectual and cultural background, an outstanding performer, and a most inspiring teacher and lecturer. His exceptional qualities, talent and versa-tility, his charismatic personality, and mag-netic sense of humor have made a powerful influence on his students, colleagues, and audiences.

Seán projected a passion for life, for beauty, for friendship, creating the warmest spirit around him. He was a dreamer and a most loyal friend. I will cherish forever the memories we have shared.

OAKE sUstAININg MEMbErs

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Macmillan/McGraw-HillRose Presley-Alstonrose_presley@mcgraw-hill.com

MacPhail Center for MusicDianne I. Babcockdbabcock@macphail.org

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KODÁLY ENVOY14

Levitin, Daniel J. (2008). The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Cre-ated Human Nature. New York: Penguin Group. 368 pages.

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession was Daniel Levitin’s first book about music and the brain. Now Levitin has scored another hit with his sec-ond book, The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature.

Daniel Levitin has been making and studying music for most of his life. For many years he was a successful music pro-ducer, working as a sound engineer with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Blue Öyster Cult. During this time he became increasingly interested in questions about music, pondering where human creativ-ity comes from, why music moves us, and what the role of human perception in mu-sic is. This led him to return to Stanford university where he earned a doctorate in cognitive psychology. He is currently James McGill Professor of Psychology and Behav-ioral Neuroscience at McGill university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with additional appointments in theory, computer, and edu-cation. He has written widely about music, the brain, and perception.

Levitin’s first book, This Is Your Brain on Music, is a beautifully written, lucid dis-section of music perception in humans, fo-cusing on the neural processes of the brain. using MRI imaging of the brain, scientists have found that listening to music requires the coordination of almost every part of the brain and playing music involves even more areas. Because music has many components (hearing, affect, singing, playing, reading, writing) many parts of the brain must work in concert. For example, “at a neural level, playing an instrument requires the orches-tration of regions in our primitive, reptilian brain—the cerebellum and the brain stem—as well as higher cognitive regions of our frontal lobes, the most advanced region of the brain” (p. 57).

In the final chapter of This Is Your Brain on Music, Levitin considers the evolutionary origins of music. Echoing Darwin, Levitin makes the case that our brain and music developed through natural selection. Not all scientists agree with him, however. Cogni-tive scientist and psychologist Steven Pinker argues that, just as birds evolved feathers to keep them warm and then used them to fly (making flying the by-product of feathers), so music was an evolutionary by-product of language (p. 106).

Now, Levitin’s second book, “The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature,” expands on these evolution-ary ideas. This newest book provides a bio-logical explanation for the ways music made human brains what they are today. Levitin quotes the wonderful old round “music alone shall live, never to die” and suggests that “the music that will never die has been with the world since we first became humans. It has shaped our world through six types of songs: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love” (p. 40). In this case, Levitin uses the word “song” to represent music in all its forms—music with and without melody and with or without lyrics. As to the theory that language preceded music, he quotes Ian Cross, an important scientist in the field of music cognition, who says: “Whether music preceded or followed language is not really the point, as they have both existed for tens of thousands of years, and evolution, the brain, and culture would have accommo-dated both” (p.145).

Why does Levitin think that music has been a shaping force in our mutual history and a core element of our identity as a spe-cies? To begin with, scientists know that there is no known human culture now or anytime in the recorded past lacking music, and some of the oldest artifacts in human and protohuman excavation sites are musi-cal instruments. Levitin expands on this with chapters on friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love, to lay out his case for music and evolution.

In “Knowledge” he asks us to imagine that a caveman, just playing around with sounds, found that others joined in. This experience, repeated often, would have the effect of promoting group bonding. Our caveman also might have discovered that loud sounds warded off predators, and this could help to prepare his group in meeting and defeating enemies. In addition, music and movement could reduce tension and pro-mote group cohesion. Thus, music and music making became an important way to convey knowledge to others in the group that might signal them to run, hide, fight, cooperate, or share. A group that had this knowledge was able to survive when other groups did not. This allowed the surviving group to pass the characteristics on to their children. In this way certain genes would be naturally selected over tens of thousands of years.

In “Friendship,” Levitin posits that synchronous song and movement created strong bonds between humans, allowing the beginnings of social groupings. Music and movement seemed to make group work easier. And, in addition, since sing-ing together releases the chemical oxytocin, a neurochemical known to be involved in establishing bonds of trust between people, this feeling could act to cement group bond-ing through feelings of pleasure. The brain adaptations that enabled early humans to as-sume leadership roles in this way were those that helped humans find food, conserve energy, ward off predators, circumvent dan-ger, and ensure the maturation of offspring. Through evolution, these characteristics would also be selected over time.

Humans naturally celebrate happy oc-currences with songs and poems. Levitin suggests that the very first songs that early humans sang were possibly songs of joy. The

bOOK rEVIEW: rUth bOshKOFF

Music Alone Shall Live, Never To Die

Winter 2010 15

of fascinating footnotes and an ample in-dex in the back of the book.

This is an important book for all music teachers. With the ascendance of teaching and testing reading and math, we often find ourselves fighting for the inclusion of music in the curriculum. We need to be able to articulate the importance of music, not just for recreation, inspiration, and pleasure, but also as something that opens neural pathways in every part of the brain, thus helping us to read, write, and think better.

Daniel Levitin, combining his love for music with 20th-century science, has given us this wonderful book about our brains and music. It confirms Kodaly’s statement that “Real art is one of the most powerful forces in the rise of mankind.”

Ruth Boshkoff holds a bachelor of music degree from Oberlin College and a master of education from the University of Buffalo. She has earned both Kodály and Orff certifications and is a frequent composer, instructor, and cli-nician in those disciplines. She can be reached at ruth.boshkoff@gmail.com.

recent discovery that dopamine, the feel-good hormone, is stimulated by playing and singing music, leads scientists to the conclu-sion that an ancient evolutionary connec-tion exists between music and mood. It may be that the ability to make others happy also provided our early ancestors with an advan-tage in their ability to forge social bonds, defuse tense social situations, and convey their emotional states to those around them.

Darwin described the process of evolu-tion of the brain in The Descent of Man: “In order that primeval man … should become social, they must have acquired the same in-stinctive feelings which impel other animals to live in a body. They would have warned each other of danger, and given mutual aid in attack or defense. Selfish and contentious people will not cohere. Thus, a tribe rich in these qualities would spread and be victori-ous over other tribes. In this way, the genes of these tribes would survive” (quoted in The World in Six Songs, pp. 261–262).

Levitin thinks this is exactly the way that music and language became important ways of communicating information to others. However, he also says that music is an even better way than language because music “provides a more powerful mnemonic force for encoding knowledge” Also, music is considered to be something ethnologists call an “honest signal,” meaning that it is more difficult to fake sincerity in music than it is in language (p. 141).

In considering songs of sorrow, Levitin tells us that neurobiologists have discovered that the chemical prolactin is released when a person is sad, acting as a tranquilizing hor-mone and changing our mood. As in songs of joy, early humans who had the gift of singing songs that made people sad would be able to promote cohesion in the tribe.

In the chapter on love, he suggests that natural selection acted to select altruism, fidelity, and bonding, all qualities of mature love. Again, we find that releases of oxytocin, dopamine, and norepinephrine happen dur-ing the first few months of a relationship, aid-ed and abetted by love songs. The ability to form these attachments has clear evolutionary advantage for the survival of the species.

An interesting chapter details the hu-man use of language versus that of other primates. For example, the Macaque mon-

key shares 93% of its DNA with humans and has existed for 20 million years. It can-not sing, however. This is partly due to the way that its larynx is formed. Additionally, animals lack what Levitin calls the three cognitive components of a musical brain: perspective (the ability to think about one’s thoughts), representation (the ability to think about things that are not present), and rearrangement (the ability to combine or recombine objects in different ways). No animal is known to be able to use their brain in this way.

Levitin writes simply and eloquently for the lay reader, using contemporary examples (Sting) as well as classical ones (Rachmaninoff.). His style employs a scintillating mixture of science, personal anecdote, and musical examples. In each chapter he returns often to his compel-ling argument that music, movement, and song have made our brains, and ourselves, what we are today. He often cites the work of other scientists and musicians and uses concrete musical examples to buttress his arguments. In addition, there are 42 pages

July 11-23, 2010

In-State Tuition for all participants Housing available

For information, contact:Dr. Carla Maltas 660-543-4160maltas@ucmo.edu

Kodaly Summer Institute

KODÁLY ENVOY16

CLAssrOOM CONNECtIONs I: LUCINDA sEXtON & ErIN rOsA

I is for Improvisation: A Classroom Primer

What Is Improvisation?We decided to focus on improvisation,

an important, if neglected, skill this year in general music. We defined musical impro-visation as spontaneous composition, or the art of making up music spontaneously.

What Musical Styles Feature Improvisation?

All music traditions feature improvisa-tion. Throughout the history of Western music, singers added improvised parts to chant, pianists and violinists improvised cadenzas in concertos, organists improvised in church, Liszt extemporized freely, and opera singers were idolized for virtuosic im-provised cavatinas. Improvisation is promi-nent in more recent performance traditions: silent film music, pop music, rock music, and of course, jazz.

What Are Characteristics of Good Improvisation?

If we take Beethoven as a model im-proviser, we would agree that he had great piano technique, and he mastered the harmony of the classical era. Furthermore, his personal expressive style and spinning motifs made his music uniquely identifiable as Beethoven’s. It is safe to say that a master improviser demonstrates fluency of com-plex musical skills. Improvisation requires technical facility as well as an understanding of musical language. Good improvisation should convey expression and be valued for its spontaneity. As Duke Ellington said, “If it sounds good, it is good.”

The Elephant in the ClassroomIf improvisation is such an important

part of our musical tradition, demonstrates fluency in the musical language, and is ex-

pressive and creative, why is it conspicuously absent from our lesson plans? Improvisation is third in the National Standards for Music Education, right behind singing and play-ing (“Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments”).1 Shouldn’t it be at the heart of our music making in the general music classroom?

Why Is Improvisation Difficult for Teachers?

Most often, the lack of training is the biggest reason we, as music teachers, are hes-itant to try improvisation in our classrooms. Other reasons include fear of making mis-takes and fear of losing control of the class. Most musicians are not trained to improvise unless they are trained in jazz or church mu-sic. If teachers have not learned to improvise as part of their musical training, it is a big risk to improvise in the classroom.

Building Blocks in General Music

We suggest using your own musical materials (singing games and folk songs) and breaking down your materials into the following elements: form, rhythm, melody, speech, and movement. In this article, the following improvisational activities will be explored: question-and-answer form, call-and-response songs, elemental forms, quick-response games, and incorporating improvi-sation into folk songs.

Question-and-Answer FormMost music teachers improvise while

modeling creative movement in primary grades or by singing questions to students while students sing conversational responses. Develop this a step further by improvising eight-beat phrases starting with body percus-

sion (stamp, pat, clap, snap). We have includ-ed the sequence that works best for us, which can be used with any media you choose. We like to start with body percussion, since it is the least intimidating for the students.

Before you start to improvise, echo four- and eight-beat patterns using all four levels of body percussion. After students are comfortable echoing these patterns, you may start to improvise. At first, keep the “tone set” small by using only one level of body percussion. We like to start with clap-ping and gradually add the other levels of body percussion. Clap an eight-beat rhythm pattern and ask the students to make up a different pattern, or “answer,” to your “ques-tion.” Do this twice, so the form is QAQA.

Next, divide the class into two groups and assign one half the Q, the other half the A. Switch groups, so each has the opportu-nity to be the Q and the A.

After a few times, ask students to find partners and practice their Q and A. Then, half of the class performs while the other half listens, then switches. This is an impor-tant step in the process, because while the students are not technically performing as soloists, they are very aware that someone is watching them.

On another day, ask individual sets of partners to perform. Don’t force anyone to solo at first. They’ll get there! Note: it is criti-cal to give each experience plenty of time. Students get experience performing in a safe large group and gradually develop confi-dence and skills for solo improvising.

When the QA form is familiar to stu-dents, it is easy to use it to build successful improvisation with unpitched percussion instruments, barred instruments, recorder, rhythm syllables, or sol-fa syllables. The key is to follow the same sequence described above.

Lucinda Sexton Erin Rosa

Winter 2010 17

corders using whatever tone set you prefer. For this example, we used G, A, B, C′, and D′. However, we have also used it in the third grade with B, A, and G, and it works very nicely.

Ask students to chant the poem while keeping a steady beat. Students then decode the rhythm as you write the stick notation on the board. Have the students play the rhythm of the poem on a G.

Then, add high D and have students play the rhythm of the poem again using G and D' as they choose, making sure they start and end on G. It is helpful to model each step of this process so the students are aware of your expectations. Be careful to insist that the given notation is used by cautioning students to “think the words.”

Add B to the tone set and then A. When you add re, tell students to only use it a few times, like a fine spice in cooking.

Finally, add C′ (G, A, B, C′, D′). Again, fa is a fine spice, so only use it sparingly and as a passing tone. If students learn the func-tion of the pitches they are more likely to produce more musical improvisations.

Elemental Form as a Building Block

Display the elemental forms in your classroom (see figure 2).

Melodic Question-and-Answer Improvisation on Barred Instruments

To do melodic question-and-answer improvisation on barred instruments, use the same sequence as listed above. Start by having students echo your sol-fa patterns on a barred instrument. This will create a bag of tricks for the students to pull from when they begin to improvise.

When you start to improvise, use a small tone set (e.g., do, re, mi) before adding more tones, and assign a starting and end-ing pitch (probably do). This will help with musicality, because if you offer the entire range of the instrument, you will most likely get what we call “monkeys on a typewriter.” Students will hear the difference if you model musical, stepwise playing and then model wildly random playing of unrelated skips and leaps.

Above all, continually ask students to make their improvisation memorable. See if students can echo their own phrase by playing it a second time. Can they sing it back? Can their partner echo it as well? Keep it simple, keep it singable, and keep it memorable.

Call-and-Response SongsCall-and-response songs are perfect

vehicles for authentic improvisation, since the caller would have been improvising text in the original work context. We used “Step Back, Baby”2 with our fourth-graders (see figure 1).

After students have learned the song well and can sing both parts independently, improvise new text in the call as students sing the response. For example:

Wish I had a candy store, Step back baby, step back.

I’d stock the shelves and sweep the floor Step back baby, step back

Snickers, Twizzlers, Kit Kats galore, Step back baby, step back

Lots of chocolate in my candy store, Step back baby, step back

Explore student ideas for text improvi-sation. Students can pair with partners and trade off improvising the call with the other singing the response.

Model singing the original text with improvised melodic variants. On another day, vary both the text and the melody or sing the call on scat syllables.

During the next lesson, teach students to play the response on the recorder. Per-form with you or a student singing the call.

On another day, model a freely impro-vised call using a limited tone set (A,C′,D′), as students play the response. Teach students to play the call using only A on their record-ers, and you play the response. Eventually, add C′ and D′ to the tone set.

Divide the class in half for call and re-sponse, then into partners, and finally have soloists perform the call. Note: initially ask for individuals to volunteer as solo improvis-ers. However, all students must know they will be asked to perform solo improvisation for your assessment.

Melodic Improvisation Using a Given Rhythm

A simple text from a song or poem provides a nice structure for melodic im-provisation, and since the students are familiar with the poem, the rhythm and tempo are already established. We used “Pease Porridge Hot” for recorder improvi-sation with upper grade students.

Start with echoing patterns on the re-

Daniels Run Elementary students improvise on barred instruments. Photos from Sexton and Rosa’s session on improvisation at the 2009 OAKE conference. Photos by Beth Pontiff.

KODÁLY ENVOY18

AAABAABAABABABBAABACA

figure 2

Begin to build awareness of form in primary years with movement exploration (AAAB = run, run, run, jump).

Build forms with shapes (AABA = cir-cle, circle, triangle, circle) as students make shapes with their bodies.

Rhythmic Speech Improvi-sation with a Given Form

Teach students a fun poem, such as “Alli-gator Pie”3 by Dennis Lee while you keep the beat on a large drum. The first two lines are:

Alligator pie, alligator pie,If I don’t get some, I think I’m gonna die.

After students have learned the poem well, ask students for names of four dif-ferent animals and decode the rhythms of the names. To save time, you can also supply animal names and the correspond-ing rhythms. We used alligator, cheetah, ostrich, and humpback whale. Note: This is a great way to practice the current rhythm in your curriculum. For example, cheetah was ti-tom (re.. ).

Ask students to echo patterns using the animal names, keeping the same tempo as the “Alligator Pie” poem. Example: “alliga-tor, cheetah” (students echo). See figure 3.figure 3

Then, ask students to guess the form from a pattern that the teacher improvises. Example: “ostrich, ostrich, cheetah, ostrich” (AABA). Ask an individual to make up a

pattern using any of the elemental forms, and have the class identify the form.

Quick-Response GameDivide students into groups of four

and determine a leader and the direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). Choose one form to practice (AABA), and go around in the circle saying the animal names to match the form. Example: the leader begins with cheetah (a), next student says cheetah (a), next says alligator (b), and the final student says cheetah (a). Try this with different forms.

Performance: All chant the poem, one round of improvisation using a form, poem, another round, poem, and so on. During the game, the teacher should simply play eight steady beats and “cue” the entrance of the poem.

Extensions: Students clap and say the words.•Students can inner hear the words and •clap the rhythms.Students can play the rhythms on un-•pitched percussion instruments.Play this game using rhythm or sol-fa •syllables.A simple grid drawn on the blackboard

with icons or sticky notes can give a visual map of the form (see figure 4).

Improvisation Game: Drop 1/Add 1This is a great game that is listed in

The American Methodology by Ann Eisen and Lamar Robertson that uses rhythm syllables.4 You can also play this game with

text and sol-fa syllables. First, we will share a way to play it with text improvisation.

1, 2, 3, 4I spy Eleanor,Sitting on the kitchen floor,Eating chocolate candy.

After students know the poem, have them come up with names of candy bars and notate the rhythms on the board (see figure 5).

Start by echoing patterns using two and four candy-bar names.

Then, say the names of four candy bars, and have the students echo the last two and make up their own two to finish the pattern.

Example: Teacher: Butterfinger, Milky Way, Milky

Way, TwixStudent: “Milk Way, Twix, Kit Kat, Twix.”figure 5

Practice this form, progressing around the circle. Choose a leader and a direction. You say four candy-bar names, the first student starts with last two, adds his or her own two, and the improvisation continues around the circle.

Performance: All chant poem, one round of improvisation, poem, and so forth.

Digging Deeper with Melodic Improvisations

When students know the Drop 1/Add 1 game with text, play it with sol-fa syllables. This is much more difficult for students, so we have included our teaching sequence.

1. Start with echoing sol-fa patterns, using whatever tone set you prefer.

2. When students are ready to impro-vise, give them “think time” to think of a pattern that only uses mi, re, and do (or whatever tone set you are using.).

3. Ask all students to sing their pattern aloud at the same time for four beats (group

Rosa keeps a steady beat.

Winter 2010 19

babble). Give four beats of silence and tell them to either think of a new pattern, or mentally prepare themselves to sing their pattern again. Repeat a few times to build confidence.

4. Go around the circle and have stu-dents sing their mi, re, do pattern, which all students will echo. Note: Sometimes the stu-dents will sing a pattern where the pitches do not match the sol-fa syllables. We found that sometimes we would correct the pitch and other times the label, which was confus-ing for the students. ultimately, we decided to honor the pitch the student sings, so we correct the sol-fa syllable. For example, a student sings “do–re–mi” while singing the pitches E, D, C. We would correct the student’s error by singing back “mi–re–do,” honoring the student’s inner hearing over their cognitive labeling mistake. We tell our students “the sound you hear in your head is the most important.”

After many lessons where this step is practiced and becomes comfortable for stu-dents, have the students start their melodic pattern on the previous student’s last pitch. Example:

Student 1: so–mi–re–do (class echoes)Student 2: do–la,–so, (class echoes)Student 3: so,–la,–do–re–do (class

echoes), etc.

We found that we needed to spend a lot of time practicing this step. When the students are very comfortable starting on the last pitch and have had many lessons

practicing it, try the traditional Drop 1/Add 1 game. Sing an eight-beat sol-fa pattern, and the first student in the circle starts with the last four beats and improvises his or her own four beats to finish the eight beats. Continue around the circle. Warning: the first time you try this, it will probably be a train wreck! Don’t give up. Keep practicing, and they will get better.

Putting It All Together Using Song Literature

Any singing game which has double circles and changing partners is a perfect vehicle for improvisation. A few good ex-amples are “Tideo,” “John Kanaka,” “Bow Wow Wow,” and “Valentine Dance.” To incorporate improvisation with these games, simply insert an improvised QA between the verses. We used “Bow Wow Wow”5 with our second graders (see figure 6).

1. Sing and play the game until it is familiar.

2. Practice QA improvisation with part-ners using body percussion for eight-beat phrases using the sequence discussed earlier.

3. When the above steps are familiar and comfortable, you are ready to add im-provisation into the game. Designate “ques-tion” students in the circle of partners with a ribbon worn around their necks (to be “answered” by the non-ribbon student). Of course, switch halfway through so all stu-dents have the chance to be Q and A.

4. All sing the song with the dance. After the students jump to face their new

partners, the ribbon students start by impro-vising eight beats of body percussion, fol-lowed by the partner improvising eight beats as the “answer.” After the second person improvises, the song starts over.

Melodic Improvisation with Folk Songs

Create a rondo form (ABACADA) in which the folk-song refrain is the A section, and the alternating sections are individual student improvisations on barred instru-ments. We used “Shady Grove”6 with our fifth and sixth graders. We chose this be-cause we found ourselves always in do penta-tonic and wanted to challenge our students (and ourselves!) with a different tonality.

1. Teach students the song.2. Since “Shady Grove” is in re penta-

tonic, set the instruments up in re penta-tonic. Echo singing and playing patterns on the instruments with re as the tonality. use the same sequence we listed previously for QA improvisation.

3. Tell the students to be their own question and answer. Model this, and ask the students to notice where the question ends and the answer begins. Give them a chance to practice being their own question and answer as a full group first, then small groups, and finally, soloists.

4. The form is now ABACA, etc., where the A section is students singing the refrain of the song with a simple accompaniment played on the barred instruments, and the alternating sections are improvised with students playing sixteen beats of their own question and answer. Note: when students sing and play the refrain between the im-

figure 4

Students improvise in pairs.

KODÁLY ENVOY20

provised verses, the refrain itself establishes the tempo and phrasing. This helps keep the momentum going.

Final ThoughtsImprovisation is a learned skill. Like ev-

erything else, improvisation improves with practice. It probably will not sound great the first time you try these activities, but do not give up. Keep practicing!

Students need to listen to others when learning to improvise. This includes teach-ers. We must be comfortable improvising ourselves to be able to model musical ex-amples for students so they can know what is expected of them.

Improvisation should be assessed.When students create their own music,

there is a new joy and satisfaction in the music classroom.

Happy improvising! As Duke Ellington said, “If it sounds good, it is good.”

Endnotes1. Consortium of National Arts Education

Associations, National Standards for Arts Educa-tion (Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference, 1994).

2. Denise Bacon, Ida Erdei, and Faith Knowles, My Singing Bird (Capital university, OH: The Kodály Center of America, Inc., 2002).

3. Dennis Lee, “Alligator Pie.”4. Ann Eisen and Lamar Robertson, An

American Methodology (Lake Charles, LA: Sneaky Snake Publications, 2002), 229.

5. Peter Erdei, 150 American Folk Songs, (u.S.A.: Boosey & Hawkes, 1974), 18.

6. Jill Trinka, The Little Black Bull (Drip-ping Springs, TX: Folk Music Works, 1996), 40.

Lucinda Sexton received her Master of Arts in Music Education from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Bach-

elor of Music Education from Indiana Uni-versity, Bloomington. Her Kodály certification was done at James Madison University and Orff certification at George Mason University. She is the past president of VOKE and teaches grades K–6 at Daniels Run Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia. She can be reached at Lucinda.Sexton@fcps.edu.

Erin Rosa currently teaches K–6 gen-eral and choral music in Fairfax County

figure 6

figure 1

Public Schools, Virginia. She holds a Master of Arts in Music Education with a Kodály concentration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Bachelors of Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University, in Bloomington, Il-linois. Rosa completed her Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk certificates at the University of St. Thomas, and she studied at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary.

21

The Key to Effective Assessment

CLAssrOOM CONNECtIONs II: MErEDIth NAPOLItANO

in a day, and I’ll cycle through the class in a 2- to 3-week period. I can easily focus on a quarter of the class at a time with this video.

As for rubrics and scoring systems, experiment to find out what is meaningful to you. For many tasks, I use our district report card. If I have to transfer everything to the district levels, I may as well make sure I know what they mean to me, and recording data in that format saves time later. For other tasks, I develop a five-point rubric that fits me and what I’m looking for. I’ve tried some I’ve liked and I’ve tried some I’ve hated. You need to know what works for you. By glancing down a class list and seeing all the kids on 4s or 5s, I know I can move on. But a wider spread or a lot of 1s means I need to adjust my instruction. And if someone is consistently low, I can see what tasks I need to modify or assist with.

Collecting data doesn’t have to bog us down. Diving into data really can be enjoy-able (no, I have not been brainwashed!) and has truly improved how I teach my classes and my individual students. The setup may take a little work, but the growth you’ll see is worth it.

Meredith is currently a K-5 Vocal Music teacher at Braeburn Elementary School in West Hartford, CT, where she teaches general music and a voluntary grade 4–5 choir. In 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 she served as manager of the OAKE National Children’s Choir. Meredith also serves as the secretary for KESNE. She is presently a member of the OAKE National Choir committee and Scholarship committee, and is slated to manage the choir in Dallas in 2010. Meredith has her B.S. in Music Educa-tion and her B.M. in Vocal Performance, both from the University of Connecticut. She will complete her M. S. in Reading and Special Education at Southern Connecticut State Uni-versity in December 2009.

I was listening to patterns with my pen. However, the recorder, especially once they were allowed to experiment with recording and hearing the tracks on my computer, is a fun tool for them.

On certain days, I choose a task and record the students. I record the younger students more often since there is a lot of change in how they sound compared to the older ones. I wear the recorder around my neck and turn it off and on as needed. The students know what it is, but are to-tally unconcerned about it. They are much more likely to perform well with this than when my grade book is out! In addition, if a certain student is shy about singing alone, I can allow him or her to sing with a buddy, but only the student I’m assess-ing sings into the recorder. This allows the student to feel comfortable and perform the way he or she normally would and still gives me the data I need. My only caveat is to make sure you always say the student’s name on the recording before they perform or have some other system so you know which class it is and who is singing (I’ll use my seating chart for quick echoes). Otherwise, you can have a recorder full of random children. When I get five minutes here or there, I either pull a recording onto my computer (the recorder has a built-in uSB) or I play one back and transfer the assessment marking to my record book. I’ll admit that pulling off an entire day’s worth at once can be time consuming, and I have done that a few times, but taking a few minutes here and there makes it easy.

I also make use of a flip video camera (about $150) for beat, rhythm, and move-ment tasks. My school has a few, and I’ll use them for performance-based tasks. I take a 5-minute or less clip of whatever concept I’m assessing and transfer it to my computer to look at closely later. No wasted time. Typically, I’ll only look at four to five kids

These days, it seems like everything in the classroom needs to be data driven and data supported. For many teachers, that means an increased focus on collecting data. We need more of it, and we need to make it more meaningful.

Because assessment and data-driven decisions not only should guide our instruc-tion as teachers but really are better for the students, I’ve spent some time looking at how and why I collect what I do. My goal is to collect an appropriate amount of meaningful data—without interrupting my teaching or causing me to cut out activities.

The first thing to decide is what you actually need to collect. I start each grading period by looking through both my curricu-lum and the report card. I mark what I can reasonably cover in that reporting period and highlight what of that I need for the re-port card. Then I decide how much data I’ll need. Is once enough (they get this or they don’t). If I were a parent or student, what would I consider enough to be fair? I usually try to get three to five pieces of evidence on anything I’ll be grading. Then I highlight my record book to indicate the amount of evidence I’d like. That way, when planning, I can look and see what I’ve done, and more important, what I haven’t done yet. I use a color system: red for singing tasks, green for rhythm, blue for solfège, and purple for anything else. Then I can easily see where I’m heavy and where I’m light.

The second thing I do, and what has made the biggest difference, is to make use of technology. I invested in a simple digital recorder. It’s the size of a small MP3 player and has over 1 gig of memory. using very simple controls, you can record multiple audio files and store them in dif-ferent folders. I use this for all singing and rhythm tasks. Stopping to get my record book was taking too much time out of my day, and the students would notice when

Winter 2010

22

Financial reports For Fiscal Year 2009Financial Statement Prepared for OAKE by Widmer and Roel, PCstAtEMENt OF FINANCIAL POsItION As OF JUNE 30, 2009

ASSETSASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 14,879 Investments 520,391 Pledges receivable, net 23,020 Accounts receivable 2,985 Inventory 11,455 Prepaid expenses 5,505 Office equipment, net 3,132

Total assets $ 581,367

stAtEMENt OF ACtIVItIEs FOr thE YEAr ENDED JUNE 30, 2009

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETSLIABILITIES Accounts payable $ 15,757 Accrued expenses 2,062

Total liabilities 17,816

NET ASSETS unrestricted undesignated 475,441 Board designated for OAKE Leaf Fund 16,948 Temporarily restricted 28,902 Permanently restricted 42,260 Total net assets 563,551 Total liabilities and net assets $ 581,367

UnrestrictedTemporarily Restricted

Permanently Restricted Total

SUPPORT AND REVENUEConference Income $ 248,337 $ - $ - $ 248,337Membership dues 119,387 - - -Envoy revenue 7,185 - - -Publication, shipping and miscellaneous 7,619 - - -Contributions 2,453 15,453 15,873 33,779Investment earnings 22,058 645 - 22,703Realized gain (loss) on investments (232) 538 - 306unrealized gain (loss) on investments (98,941) (3,975) - (102,916)

RECLASSIFICATIONSTransfers to permanently restricted net assets (12,290) (14,097) 26,387 -Net assets released from restrictions 7,561 (7,561) - -

Total support, revenue and reclassifications 303,137 (8,997) 42,260 336,400

ExPENSESSalaries 85,668 - - 85,668Bank fees 3,546 - - 3,546Committee 6,685 - - 6,685Conference 202,322 - - 202,322Chapter bonus and grant 14,557 - - 14,557Depreciation 1,842 - - 1,842Division bonus and grant 8.039 - - 8.039Envoy 29,938 - - 29,938Equipment rental and repair 2,070 - - 2,070Insurance 6,971 - - 6,971Legacy fundraising 2,555 - - 2,555Miscellaneous 1,756 - - 1,756Office rent 6,600 - - 6,600Postage 4,984 - - 4,984Professional fees 7,111 - - 7,111Publication 1,794 - - 1,794Scholarships 6,078 - - 6,078Supplies 3,363 - - 3,363Telephone and internet 1,553 - - 1,553Travel and officer 11,293 - - 11,293

Total expenses 408,725 - - 408,725CHANGE IN NET ASSETS (105,588) (8,997) 42,260 (72,325)NET ASSETS, beginning of year 597,977 37,899 - 635,876NET ASSETS, end of year $ 492,389 $ 28,902 $ 42,260 $ 563,551

23Winter 2010

Division/ Net gain/loss EndingChapter 2007–2008 Assets

EASTERN $ (222) $ 12,513 BAKE (1,909) 2,298 KEEP (25) 1,187 KESNE 467 6,650KNJ 259 3,563 KONY 1,088 7,002 MUSIC (323) 1,938 VOKE 2,965 2,573 Division Total 2,299 37,724

MKMEA (2,437) 27,080 AWAKE 39 7,684 CAKE 906 5,346 CCKE 236 1,151 CMKE (854) 3,290 Conference 9,918 9,918IKE 8 2,962 KAKE 44 44 KCM (1,842) 5,373 KEI 142 1,922 KMEK 1,368 2,339 KOZ 347 1,853 NOCKA 1,171 3,971 NPKC (138) 2,035 PSKOR 244 2,003 SEMKE (3,209) (354)SLAKE (787) 1,141 TRIKE 56 6,089 Division Total 5,214 83,848

OAKE DIVIsION AND ChAPtEr FIsCAL rEPOrts sUMMArY

Division/ Net gain/loss EndingChapter 2007–2008 Assets

SOUTHERN (326) 3,572 KEGA (132) 1,232KENC 91 2,954 KET (1,029) 8,305 LAKE (2,164) 1,520 OKE 278 4,499SECKE (1,125) 723 Division Total (4,407) 22,806

WESTERN (1,908) 4,929 AKTS 1,122 2,727 BYUFOLKS 152 256 CCAKE (1,054) 1,080 EEK 663 663 KASC 1,813 4,202 NCAKE (550) 6,716 NKE (833) 5,497 ROCKE (445) 634 SWOKE 819 5,067 UFOLKS 176 2,032 Division Total (45) 33,802 Aggregate Total $ 3,062 $ 178,180

NEWs FrOM thE NAtIONAL OFFICE: JOAN DAhLIN

Holiday time is here! It has been a busy fall with board meetings, work-shops, and membership recruitment. Together we can build OAKE’s mem-bership—keep up the good work.

Also keep in mind during the holidays that you can purchase a mem-

bership for a fellow student, coworker, student teacher, or friend. A great gift for the Kodály-inspired teacher! Contact the office for details.

The Legacy Campaign is going strong. A great gift idea: a donation to the fund! You can make a donation in

your name or in honor of your mentor, teacher, or friend. Your donation would be a fulfilling way to give back to OAKE through a scholarship donation.

Have a great holiday season, and take some time to rest and relax.

KODÁLY ENVOY24

2010 sUMMEr COUrsEs AND WOrKshOPs

Colorado Kodály InstituteColorado State UniversityFort Collins, COOAKE endorsedDates: July 16–30Levels I, II, IIICourses: Methodology, Solfège, Conducting, Choir, Pedagogy, MaterialsFeaturing Edward Cetto, uOP Conservatory of Music, guest conducting clinicianContact Kendra Abernathy, Program DirectorKendra.Abernathy@colostate.edu

Holy Names University42nd Kodály Summer InstituteOakland, CAOAKE endorsedDates: July 12–30Levels/Credits: I, II, III; 6 graduate credits per level, including daily classes in musician-ship, conducting, choir, pedagogy, and folk musicFaculty: Judit Hartyányi, Gemma Arguelles, Anne Laskey, Hélène Matters, Ildikó Thesz Salgado, Fran SmithApplication Deadline: June 15Special Session: July 7–9 Judit Hartyányi: Musicianship in the High School Setting Other Information: Level I studies apply towards summer certification or towards the Master of Music in Music Education, a 36-unit academic year degree that includes supervised teaching in local schools. $6500 Kodály Fellowships are available for the mas-ter’s degree program.Contact: Anne Laskey, 510-436-1234; laskey@hnu.edu; www.hnu.edu/academics/gmusicmm.html

KASC Summer Certification Program at Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CAOAKE endorsedJuly 6–23Levels I and IICourses: Pedagogy I and II, Pedagogy Litera-ture I and II, Musicianship I and II, Choral Ensemble, Choral Conducting, Folk Song Research I and IIDistinguished American and Hungarian Fac-ulty: Laszlo Cser, Katherine Hickey, Marilyn Sousa, Nike St. ClairContact: Kurt Cereske, Certification Coordina-tor, KCereske@aol.com

The Kodály Institute at CapitalColumbus, OHOAKE endorsedDates: Summer I June 28–July 16; Summer II July 19–August 6Levels: I–III; Master’s degree and certificate, elementary and choral tracksCourses: Conducting; Chamber Music; Methodology, Folk-Song Research, Musician-ship, ChoirFaculty: u.S. and international master teachersContact: Tracy Herrmann; 614.236.6267; therrman@capital.edu; www.capital.edu

New England Conservatory Kodály Music InstituteBoston, MAEndorsed by OAKE/ Accredited by NASMDates:Summer Program: June 28–July 17Academic Year Program:September 15, 2009 –June 8, 2010Registration Deadline: May 15Levels/Credits: I–IV, 20 grad creditsFaculty: Katherine Athanasiou, Kathryn O. Bach, Charlyn Bethell, Margie Callaghan, Karrie Chan-Lam, Susan Cleveland, Joanne Crowell, Mary Epstein, Nomi Epstein, Elizabeth Higgins, Betty Hillmon, David Hodgkins, Martha Sandman Holmes, Faith Knowles, Brian Michaud, Tom Morris, Susie Petrov, Constance Price, Elaine Quilichini, Jonathan Rappaport, Wendy Silverberg, Gá-bor, Virágh, Kati Virágh, Pamela WoodContact Mary Epstein, 617-585-1125; mary.ep-stein@necmusic.edu; www.necmusic.edu/kodaly

The 37th Kodaly InstituteSilver Lake CollegeManitowoc, WIOAKE endorsedLevels/Credits: Kodaly I, II, III; 6 G/uG credits per levelCourses: Levels I, II, III; Methodology, Solfège, Conducting, Choral Ensemble, Folk-Song History and ResearchAdditional Courses: Advanced Solfège, Build-ing Musical Bridges from School to Commu-nity, Caracol Caracolito: Traditional Mexican Songs and Cultural Identity, Conducting Techniques for General Music Teachers, Con-versational Solfège, First Steps in Music, Grad-uate History Review, History and Philosophy of Music Education, Research in Music Educa-tion, Smart Board in the Music Classroom, Teaching Piano to Kids with DisabilitiesFaculty: Beatriz Aguilar, Lisa Brandl, John Feiera-

bend, Lillie Feierabend, Donna Gallo, Frank Gallo, Brent Gault, Teresa Schroepfer, Sr. Marella Wagner, Sr. Lorna Zemke, Lynn ZimmermanDates: Kodaly courses June 28–July 9; other courses various datesOther: Most courses apply to the Master of Music in Music Education: Kodaly Emphasis degree program.Registration Deadline: June 14Contact: Sr. Lorna Zemke, lzemke@silver.sl.edu; 920-686-6161

University of Nebraska at Omaha Kodály Program

Omaha, NEDates: June 14–25Levels: I, II and IIICourses: Kodaly Methods and SolfegeFaculty: Elizabeth Arcaro, Linda Hulsey, Tom Michalek, Katalin Viragh and Gabor ViraghContact: Melissa Berke, mberke@unomaha.edu

The University of North Texas/Plano Kodály Institute of North Texas

Denton TX, uNT campusDates: June 28–July 15. Dates for the Satur-day option are pending.Faculty: Kendall Allen, Gay de Montel, David Gadberry, Karen Gentry, Lenke Igo, Cecile Johnson, and Kathy KuddesContact: Julie Scott, Julie.Scott@unt.eduor, or Kathy Kuddes, Kathy.Kuddes@pisd.edu;http://music.unt.edu/musiced/ccsme.php

University of OklahomaNorman, OklahomaOAKE endorsedJune 21–July 2Levels I and IIIFaculty: Lenke Igo, Joy Nelson, Sandra Knudson, Anita Roesler (autoharp)Contact; Joy Nelson, School of Music, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; 405-325-5804 ejnelson@ou.edu

University of Oklahoma, Tulsa campusTulsa, OklahomaOAKE endorsedJune 7–18Level IIFaculty: Joy Nelson, Sandra KnudsonContact: Joy Nelson, School of Music, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 405-325-5804 ejnelson@ou.edu

Winter 2010 25

rEsEArCh CONNECtIONs: DAVID gADbErrY

Patterns for Sight-Singing: Are We Sure?

in sight-singing exercises using note-head-only staff notation. The patterns in the study were limited to four notes; a tone set of do, re, mi, sol, and la; starting pitches of either do, mi, or sol; and a moveable-do system. Ad-ditionally, there were no clef signs, key signa-tures, or accidentals used with the notation. One new pattern was introduced per class period, and all known patterns were prac-ticed as well. There were a total of 16 lessons in the initial phase of the study. The teacher used flashcards for note reading and gave a starting pitch from a resonator bell. The stu-dents audiated the pattern and then sang it aloud. The teacher modeled the pattern after the students sang it. Then the students sang it aloud again, and the teacher modeled the pattern once again.

The students were assessed individu-ally three times: a pretest before instruc-tion, a posttest after the 16 lessons, and a retention test after an 8-week period of no practice. The posttest and the retention test both included some unfamiliar patterns along with familiar ones. The assessments were recorded, and a general music teacher listened to the recordings in random order. The teacher did not know which test he or she was hearing.

After collecting the data, Reifinger rated each pattern according to pitch and melodic contour accuracy. The difficulty index ranked the patterns according to the percentage of participants that sang accurately while reading the notation. The easiest pattern during the pretest assess-ment was so–mi–so–mi followed by do–do–do–mi. Interestingly, the patterns do–do–do–re and do–do–re–re were more difficult during the pretest. Reifinger offers as a possible explanation that repeated notes were ranked as more difficult through-out the data. After instruction, these do–re patterns were ranked as easy based on the students’ performance. Another interesting finding concerns the pattern so–so–mi–la. This pattern was among the

most difficult for the students, although it is found readily in taunting chants and spontaneous singing.

Reifinger asserts that, according to the results of this study, pattern difficulty is unaffected by how many different pitches it contains, which notes of the pentatone are included, how melodic the pattern is, or how harmonic the pattern is. He lists pos-sible issues such as secondary accent and final notes other than the tonic as problem-atic for students’ sight-singing accuracy.

It is important to remember that these patterns contained only four notes, and readers should use care when generalizing these findings to other patterns or music tasks besides sight-singing. The task in this study was notation reading, and teachers should consider what task is to be per-formed when planning learning sequences and creating song materials.

The results of this study seem to chal-lenge some long-held beliefs concerning appropriate song patterns for sight-singing. While the generalization of these results may be argued (and Reifinger readily ad-mits this), they do underscore a need for diligence in investigating best practice using data as a guide. The more we know as edu-cators about what works and why, the better we can approach Kodály’s vision for a musi-cally literate society.

ReferencesChoksy, L. (1999). The Kodály method I:

Comprehensive music education (3rd ed.). upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Consortium of National Arts Education Associations. (1996). National standards for arts education: What every young American should know and be able to do in the arts. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

(cont. next page)

Sight-singing is obviously a corner-stone of Kodály’s vision for music educa-tion. MENC: The National Association for Music Education highlighted sight-reading’s importance by including singing varied repertoire as well as reading and no-tating music in its National Standards for Music Education (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, 1996).

In a recent article, J. L. Reifinger, Jr., cited alarming findings concerning the realization of these standards. In several of the cited studies, the researchers found that one-half or even up to 90% of students were struggling singers (Reifinger, 2009). Specifi-cally, researchers in one study found that only 35% of their sample sang “America” at an adequate level for pitch and intonation (Persky, Sandene, & Askew, 1998). Another finding came from Levinowitz et al. (1998). These researchers found that in grades 1 through 6, 75% to 90% of participants fell into the category of inaccurate singer accord-ing to researchers’ definition of accuracy.

During the course of his research study, Reifinger (2009) found interesting and potentially controversial results. The study was designed in congruence with previous research from well-known researchers and pedagogues. Reifinger cited Lois Choksy’s (1999) advocacy of melodic patterns derived from students’ known songs, Edwin Gor-don’s (2003) inclusion of patterns similar to songs with heavy harmonic emphasis, and Jean Sinor’s (1985) findings that the num-ber of different notes as well as location of skips influenced students’ singing accuracy. However, the results Reifinger’s study, as interpreted by the author, might be seen as a challenge to these beliefs.

In this study, Reifinger selected 12 in-tact second-grade classrooms with a total of 193 students. The classes were from an urban school district, and all the schools had one full-time music instructor. The school make-up varied in economic status and ethnicity. During music class, the students participated

26

Gordon, E. E. (2003). Learning sequences in music: Drill, content, and patterns. Chicago, IL: GIA.

Levinowitz, L. M., Barnes, P., Guerrini, S., Clement, M., D’April, P., & Morey, M. J. (1998). Measuring singing voice development in the elementary general music classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education, 46, 35–47.

Persky, H., Sandene, B., & Askew, J. (1998). The 1997 NAEIP arts report card (NCES 1999-486). Washington, DC: u.S. Department of Education, Government Printing Office.

Reifinger, J. L., Jr. (2009). An analysis of tonal patterns used for sight-singing instruction in second-grade general music class. Journal of Research in Music Education, 57(3), 203–216.

Sinor, E. (1985). The singing of selected tonal patterns by preschool children (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana univeristy, 1984). Disserta-tion Abstracts Internation, 45, 3299A.

David Gadberry is currently pursuing a PhD in music education at the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a minor in music therapy. Previously, he taught K–5 general music in Plano, Texas. He is the current secretary on the OAKE Board of Directors and may be con-tacted at davidgad@ku.edu. Elementary and Secondary Choral

TracksSecondary track for middle school, high school and church choir directors

OAKE Endorsed

Internationally and nationally renowned faculty

Instrumental emphasis also available

iRetrieval Database Program Now available for Macs and PCs!

Option for study 6 semester hours of credit at the Kodály Institute in Hungary

The Kodály Instituteat Capital University

30th AnniversaryApplications now being accepted for summer sessions

July 19 – August 6, 2010

For more information, contact Tracy Herrmann at 614-236-6267 or e-mail therrman@capital.edu.

More information about Capital’s graduate music programs, as well as a downloadable

application, is available at www.music.capital.edu.

Master of Music in Music Education with a Kodály Emphasis

“Faculty implement ideas which yield amazing classroom results.” – 2009 choral track student

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Winter 2010 27

NEW MEMbErs : thIrD QUArtEr 2009

See the complete member listings in the members-only section of www.oake.org. Restricted solely to the personal use of OAKE members and official OAKE business.

Victoria AdsitWhitelaw, WI

Katie AldridgeOklahoma City, OK

Steve AllenHouston, TX

Kirk AndersonAubrey, TX

Laura AnkrumCambridge, MA

Djuna BabieraSan Francisco, CA

Jill BallerEden Prairie, MN

Joanna BelottMilwaukee, WI

Melissa BerkeOmaha, NE

Lisa BesmanManchester, CT

Sarah BlanchardManchester, CT

Jennifer BollingerArlington, TX

Danielle BrooksManitowoc, WI

Eric BrummittChicago, IL

Pamela BurkePlano, TX

Christi BurklePlano, TX

Tricia CannavaDenver, CO

Wendy ClarkShrewsbury, MA

Kelsey ClineLos Lunas, NM

Carol ColvinBaytown, TX

Tina CunninghamDeep River, CT

Fabio DaSilvaNew York, NY

Laura DiazPlano, TX

Dana DolezalManitowoc, WI

Jason DuteilLakewood, CO

Steven FackenthallWallingford, PA

Emily FantuzzoWyncote, PA

MeLisa FeledichukPlano, TX

Lisa FisherAllen, TX

Elizabeth FlahertyBaltimore, MD

Pamela GafkjenFargo, ND

Amanda GeorgeAlbany, MN

Clement GibsonGlenn Heights, TX

Edward GibsonWaxahachie, TX

David GilbertProvidence, uT

Laurie GratzFargo, ND

Angela GroutHouston, TX

Christa GutheinzSherman Oaks, CA

Nicole HallenbeckWellington, CO

Jamie HallfordSapulpa, OK

Julie HaydonOakland, CA

Julie HellerLubbock, TX

Reed HokeHouston, TX

Rebecca HollerDevils Lake, ND

Judy HollowayFort Worth, TX

Emily HuntLidgerwood, ND

Laura JohnsonSan Antonio, TX

Kristen JordeBurke, VA

Katheryn JosselynRio Rancho, NM

Betty JulianWalden, TN

Valerie JunttilaChantilly, VA

Beth KeanCheyenne, WY

Jana KlimentManitowoc, WI

Holly KowalskiLakewood, CO

Jessi LavarnwayLakewood, CO

Margo LeathamRock Hill, NY

Ashley LeffelFrisco, TX

Kristen LewisLubbock, TX

Amy LittleColumbus, OH

Benjamin MaferaHull, MA

Kristi McEwenFairbanks, AK

Sydney McIntoshNew Holstein, WI

Lydia MillsAlbany, CA

Martina MirandaThornton, CO

Clare MurphyRidgefield, CT

Terri NelliTomball, TX

Cecilia PenaSan Marcos, TX

James PolkWoodbridge, VA

Amy PowellDallas, TX

Ghada PribblePensacola, FL

Lorraine ReddingerBaldwinsville, NY

Tammy ReigelManitowoc, WI

Jeanmarie RiccobonoTraverse City, MI

Rosa Elena Rivera-SmallSomerville, MA

Amber RogersPickerington, OH

Jessica RogstadFargo, ND

Traci SandlerSomers, NY

Bainbridge ScottSanta Monica, AL

Linda SeamonsCedar Hills, uT

Christine SezerThompson, PA

Diane SippelMesa, AZ

Janet SlaughterRichardson, TX

Barbara SlettoDes Moines, IA

Vickie StrodeWentzville, MO

Mary Lou SwannCollege Park, GA

Amy SwongerSilverton, CO

Dee Ann TackittLubbock, TX

Kathleen TaylorEmeryville, CA

Diana TaylorDenton, TX

Joy ThomasColorado Springs, CO

Craig TiptonBoca Raton, FL

Judi TornetenBellevue, NE

Catherine Ming TuMt. Zion, IL

Amy Van WinklePrescott, AZ

Sarah VanoverLexington, KY

Kathy WalkerNorth Ridgeville, OH

Jennifer WassemillerOsage City, KS

Melissa WileyDallas, TX

Louis WinsbergDouglaston, NY

Erin WittLubbock, TX

Jewel WolfeLafayette, CO

William WoodsCleburne, TX

Katelyn WynkoopCarroll, OH

Kimberly ZerkeAustin, MN

Lori ZimmermanCommack, NY

29

KODÁLY ENVOY30

a raucous session of songs and games that would inspire any student to learn!

Susan Brumfield traveled from Texas to present KESNE’s second workshop in No-vember at the university of Hartford. In an inspiring presentation, Susan shared her vast experience with and extensive research on songs and games from England and Scotland. Attendees left with a wide range of examples sure to be successful in any classroom.

We look forward to seeing you at the remainder of our gatherings and workshops! • HolidaySing-Along,December4,2009:

the Feierabends, Simsbury, CT• OAKENationalConference,March

18–20, 2010: Dallas, TX• 65thCMEAIn-ServiceConference,

April 8–10, 2010: Hartford, CT• KristenVanOllefen,April17,2010:The

Hartt School, university of Hartford.Please check our Web site for further

information: www.oake.org/kesne/.KNJ

Kodály/New Jersey Lindsay Jackson, President 609-915-8818 lindsayjackson01@yahoo.com

KNJ has many new faces on its board this year. Rebecca Peterson is our new vice president, Maureen Haley is our new secre-tary, Amy Panetta and Holly Charles are our new members at large, and Lindsay Jackson has stepped into the role of president.

We kicked off the year with our an-nual cocktail party, a great way to start the year! On November 14 Joan Litman presented “If We Could Know Each Other: Neighborhood Songs of the Middle East.” This workshop celebrated the rich musical

traditions of Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Syria, and Iraqi Kurdistan through delightful children’s songs, singing games and instrumental pieces, all within their cultural context. The workshop included ways to elevate a classroom song experience to public per-formance, a guide to teaching songs in challenging or unfamiliar languages, discus-sion about building trust with our Middle Eastern neighbors, and musical insights for Kodály pedagogues.

The next workshop is our annual KNJ/Orff sharing session on Saturday, February 6. The board members will lead the work-shop by sharing their favorite songs, games, and activities. It is a wonderful reminder of the many ways in which these two method-ologies complement each other. This year the topic will be repertoire and activities for the choral rehearsal.

On April 24, Susie Petrov will present “Tricks for Working with upper Elementary and Middle School Students.” This work-shop will present ways to prepare students to be confident and aware in your classroom ensemble using song, movement, and dance to help strengthen the individual brain and body. Wear comfortable clothes and bring a pair of “wellies” in which to dance a gum-boot dance from South Africa.

KNJ would like to thank Kristen VanOllefen for her many years of dedicated service as KNJ president. Kristen’s leader-ship allowed the organization to grow, flour-ish, and provide an outstanding resource for Kodály educators. We wish her luck with all of her future endeavors!

KNJ is looking forward to a great year!

Eastern DivisionbAKE

Boston Area Kodály Educators Elizabeth Higgins, President 781-963-4412 EHiggins@mpsd.org

On Oct. 3, BAKE held its annual choral symposium with Elaine Quilichini, who presented “Connections in Singing.” Elaine, founder and artistic director of the Calgary Girls Choir of Calgary, Canada, provided what was basically a vocal clinic for the participants, whose readings of some very fine choral works were framed in rich tone due to the technical and physical guidance of Elaine. According to Elaine, to get vocal sound to approach what we want it to be, we must first have a good physical foundation, including dropping the larynx and the prop-er expulsion of air. In addition, the sound emerges from the written score and through teacher modeling of good choral sound. In the second half of the workshop, participants watched a live rehearsal of Elaine leading a demonstration choir of Vocal Vacation stu-dents who had previously sung in the youth choirs of the Kodály Music Institute in Bos-ton under her direction. Teachers came away with a strong foundation in the physical ap-proach to good sound.

KEEPKodály Educators of Eastern Pennsylvania Anne Archer, President610-779-0616 ara90@ptd.net

KEsNEKodály Educators of Southern New England Lillie Feierabend, President860-658-4482 lhfmusic@aol.com

KESNE has had an inspiring season, with a well-attended and well-received opening workshop in September presented by Jon Noyes, a music educator for all ages and the director and founder of the Fairfield County Children’s Choir in Fairfield, CT. Jon discussed techniques and processes to help young singers gain confidence and security in part singing. In an audience-participation workshop, Jon provided a well researched handout with guidelines and ex-amples and then gave a demonstration with several young singers, successfully showing the process earlier described.

Anne Comiskey from the Hartt School, university of Hartford, was the KESNE pre-senter at the Elementary General Music Con-ference in October and gave two workshops, one focusing on music literacy and building confidence in young singers and the second

NEWs FrOM DIVIsIONs AND ChAPtErs

BAKE’s annual choral symposium, with Elaine Quilichini (right). Photo by Alejandro Lazo.

Winter 2010 31

If you are interested in more information about our workshop schedule, please visit www.oake.org/knj.

KONYKodály Organization of New York Karen Paulson, President 212-861-9825 karenpaulson@gmail.com

MUsIKMaryland United Specialists in KodályAmy Branum Huggins, President410-617-2391 abhuggins@loyola.ed

VOKEVirginia Organization of Kodály Educators Gretchen Liechty-Lynch, President703-879-7069 gcliechtylynch@gmail.com

VOKE kicked off the 2009–2010 school year with its third annual Sip ’n’ Sing at the home of past president Lucinda Sex-ton. We had over 20 attendees and learned many new songs, games, and dances to add to our repertoire. In October, we cohosted Jay Broeker in a joint workshop with our local Orff chapter, and we will host ses-sions with Kristin Van Ollefen and Lillie Feierabend in the spring. Our second an-nual choral festival will be at George Mason Center for the Performing Arts this January with guest conductor Elaine Quilichini, artistic director of the Calgary Girls Choir. This year we are offering a free workshop for area music teachers along with our choral festival. Participants will be able to observe Elaine in action, take part in a reading ses-sion with Caroline Crocker of the Fairfax Choral Society, and attend a music literacy

session with Lucinda Sexton, Fairfax County Public Schools. We are excited to showcase excellent Kodály-based instruction and hope this will inspire more teachers to incorporate it into their choral teaching. Kudos to mem-bers of our group: Erin Rosa and Lucinda Sexton presented a session on improvisation to 220 music teachers in the Fairfax County Public Schools on September 2. Keli Burke was awarded a Masters in Education from George Mason university, Erin Rosa was awarded a Masters of Music Education with Kodály Emphasis from the university of Saint Thomas, and Michelle McCarten was awarded a Master of Music Education with Kodály Emphasis from the university of Hartford. On a personal note, Eric Sennett welcomed daughter number two in the fall, Teresa Bengtson was married on October 2 and is now Teresa Smith, and Caroline Des-mond was married the following day and is now Caroline Crocker.Midwestern Division

AWAKEAssociation of Wisconsin Area Kodály EducatorsDiane Johnson, President715-762-2971 djohnson2@csdk12.net

AWAKE hosted its annual membership meeting and luncheon at Silver Lake Col-lege in July. Summer students were encour-aged to join OAKE. Our chapter Web site has been updated, and the new address is http://awake.yolasite.com. The fall newslet-ter went “green” and was well received by members. AWAKE hosted the MKMEA

Fall Conference in Milwaukee October 16–18. We had 118 children participate in the Honors Choir. The choir was under the direction of Ruth Dwyer. The keynote address, “Alive Yesterday, Today, and To-morrow,” was given by Sr. Lorna Zemke. Sessions were offered by 21 presenters, and conference attendees enjoyed great musical performances. Thank you to the conference planning committee for all your hard work and efforts. AWAKE will partner with the Milwaukee Children’s Choir to present the Roots and Wings Festival in March of 2010. It is a full day festival for treble singers in grades 2–8. The day will include concert rehearsals, break-out sessions, an evening concert, and a service project for a needy or-ganization. Mark your calendars, this event is too good to miss!

AWAKE would like to thank Patty Mer-rifield and Kathryn Koll, who are leaving the board, for their time and efforts. We welcome Karen Christopherson and Carol Storck to the board in member at large positions.

CAKEChicago Area Kodály EducatorsColleen E. Cetera, President773-583-6731 colleencetera@juno.com

CAKE kicked off its 2009–2010 work-shop series in September at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago with a very impressive and fun workshop by Leigh Ann Mock Garner. On October 24, we had our second successful octavo share. We are cur-rently planning a member share in February and then looking forward to hosting Joan Litman in March. We will again be partner-ing with the Greater Chicago Orff Shulwerk Association and present both methodologies together at the Illinois Music Educators State Conference in January.

CCKECapital Collegiate Kodály EducatorsJulie Sheline, President513-910-7335 jsheline@capital.edu

CIKECentral Illinois Kodály Educators Joan Moreau, President217-429-0817 joan131313@sbcglobal.net

CMKECentral Missouri Kodály EducatorsBarb Sanders, President816.633.4838 blskom@aol.com

IKEIndiana Kodály EducatorsDiana Gillespie, President317-598-0034 thgilles@insightbb.com

VOKE board members gather around the banner at their final spring workshop of 2009.

KODÁLY ENVOY32

KAKEKentucky Area Kodály EducatorsJune Grice, President606-783-2470 j.grice@moreheadstate.edu

KCMKodály Chapter of MinnesotaAndrea Halverson-Forsberg, President763-498-3318 ajhalverson@gmail.com

KCM kicked off its 2009–2010 work-shop season on October 3 by hosting John Feierabend, who presented “First Steps in Music.” Over 50 workshop participants heard him talk about teaching children to become tuneful, “beatful,” and artful. Par-ticipants also had the chance to purchase Feierabend’s materials that were on hand courtesy of West Music.

We invite members to attend our re-maining workshops; Ivy Rawlins Ward will be presenting “African-American Songs and Singing Games” on February 13, and our annual chapter sharing event will take place on August 10.

KEIKodály Educators of IowaShelley Droe, President319-830-9941 droe@cfu.net

We apologize to readers for having in-correct workshop information in the last issue of the Envoy. We hope to have Dan Lejeune at a future workshop but were un-able to make it work this year. However, we were able to get our own Kris Versteegt to present our workshop on October 10. It was a lot of fun and attracted many Iowa educa-tors. The fall workshop was titled “Making Connections: using Manipulatives to Keep the Fundamentals Fresh and Fun.” We all left with a lot of wonderful ideas to share with our students!

We are looking forward to our winter workshop, “Best in Class,” featuring Sylvia Munsen and Mary Newton demonstrating how to choose high-quality music literature, ways to get more boys singing, and a Make and Take activity for this cold, snowy time of year.

There is a lot of excitement over having Sr. Lorna Zemke here on March 6. She will present music-listening activities with a spe-cial emphasis on incorporating America’s true art form (jazz) into the Kodály curriculum.

KEI is excited to offer graduate and re-licensure credit to participants. Attendance at all three workshops is required for this credit.

KEI members also had two students au-dition for the National Youth Honor Choir and are eagerly awaiting the results.

KMEKKodály Music Educators of KansasRachel Reynolds, President316-680-4525 rreynolds2@usd259.net

KOzKodály of the OzarksJohn F. Devos, President417-467-5003 jfjdevos@hotmail.com

KOZ has remained very active this past summer and fall. A luncheon and planning meeting for the 2009–2010 school year was held the afternoon of May 9 in Springfield; we had plenty of members there, and we hammered out lots of great ideas for the up-coming year.

The chapter once again sponsored certifica-tion levels training over the summer, this time at Evangel university in Springfield, MI, from June 28 through July10. Past KOZ president Rene Spencer directed and instructed the courses with the help of Carol McDowell, pro-fessor of music education at Southeast Missouri State university in Cape Girardeau.

The chapter teamed up with our local Orff group–Ozark Mountain Orff Educa-tors—to present a sharing session on August 15 at Springfield’s Baptist Bible College. It was very well-attended, with over 30 partici-pants total throughout the day. Since it was the first weekend of school for most of us, and there were many other educational ac-tivities going on in the area that day, we felt very good about the turnout. About a dozen members of both chapters presented lesson ideas, children’s books with activities, his-

torical and biographical information about Orff and Kodály, and many songs! It was a real hit—we will be doing lots more stuff with our Orff cousins in the coming years here in southwest Missouri.

During the spring semester, we will host another workshop, the date and details of which are still to be decided. We will also host our annual KOZ Honor Choir for local elementary students at Southwest Baptist university in Bolivar, Missouri, on Febru-ary 27. The director for the choir is Vicki Dohrmann, associate conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Children’s Chorus; Glenda Morrow will accompany.

NOCKANorth Coast Kodály AssociationNancy Lineburgh, Copresident330-618-0892 lineburgh@gmail.com

NOCKA is pleased to announce our events for 2009–2010. On October 3 and 4 members attended a mini-conference held by OMEA in Twinsburg. On November 8, local member Holly Walton presented “Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) and Do, Re, Mi’s.” On February 7, our own Rita Klinger will be presenting “Back to Basics: A Kodály Primer.” Then on March 28, we will have our annual chapter sharing, mapping, choral music swap, and Hawaiian music. Our own members will share their favorite octavos, planning the year through mapping, and the music of Hawaii. Our events take place at Cleveland State university in the Music and Communication Bldg. For more in-

NPKC’s workshop with Angela Broeker

Winter 2010 33

formation contact Marjorie Hildebrandt, copresident, at 440-331-0890 or by e-mail at bach2schol@hotmail.com.

NPKC Northern Plains Kodály ChapterCharlette Moe, President701-212-3692 charlette.moe@ndsu.edu

NPKC launched the 2009–2019 academ-ic year with a fabulous presentation: “Present, Practice, Polish, Perform: The Kodály Process Applied to the Choral Setting” by Angela Broeker from St. Thomas on September 26. Music teachers within a 200-mile radius and undergraduate music majors from North Dakota State university, Minnesota State university–Moorhead, and Concordia Col-lege in Moorhead, MN, attended this event. Broeker concentrated on technique-building warm-ups and the practical application of sequence to choral literature.

“Drumming, Dance, and Drama” will be presented at Bennett Elementary on January 30 beginning at 9 a.m. Martha Wheeler, Bonnie Yoney, and Nancy Weiser will be leading us at this action-packed workshop. On April 24, 2010, we will be hosting our 18th Annual Children’s Choral Festival at Olivet Lutheran Church. Pamela

Burns, director of the Lake Agassiz Girl’s Choir will be our guest conductor.

Our Web site has information for you! http://northernplainsKodály.com.

PsKOrPlains States Kodály OrganizationAlaina S. Wilson, President402-572-9005 alaina.wilson@ops.org

PSKOR began a great year with its fall workshop on August 29 with Jerrilyn MacDanel presenting singing games. What a wonderful jump-start to the school year with many ideas for inspiration in the class-room. Thirty-three people attended this workshop, and the energy in the room was so exciting to see! At this workshop, we were proud to unveil our new banner.

Several chapter members were able to attend the MKMEA convention in Milwau-kee, WI. We are now looking forward to our winter sharing session, which will be a make-and-take. For the first time, PSKOR will be going west and taking our sharing session to central Nebraska. In the spring, we are excit-ed to have Nancy Vondra share ways for us to breathe new life into our music-series books and offer suggestions for using the books to incorporate Kodály strategies.

New PSKOR banner

sEMKESoutheast Michigan Kodály EducatorsStephanie Terpening, President906-643-6739 stephterpening@aol.com

sLAKESt. Louis Area Kodály EducatorsKimberly Brush, President618-632-5066 kbrsh90@stclair.k12.il.us

KODÁLY ENVOY34

trIKETri-City Kodály EducatorsAndrew Brown, President740.654.7392 abrown102@hotmail.com

southern Division KEgA

Kodály Educators of GeorgiaMary Hoffman, President770-436-4397 mhoffman@peachtreepres.org

KENFKodály Educators of North FloridaAnn Leffard, President850-932-9852 kodalyflutist@excite.com

KEtKodály Educators of TexasLisa Roebuck, President512 464-5637 lisa_roebuck@roundrockisd.org

KET is most excited about hosting the national conference in our home state. Please remember to register early for savings and book hotel rooms soon at the Dallas Sheraton—mention OAKE Conference for that block of rooms. Ya’ll come and let Cecile Johnson know if you can help out on site, many hands make light work. Contact Cecile at stcec1@yahoo.com.

2009–2010 summer workshops sponsored by KET included: • “FunPrepandPracticeActivities”pre-

sented by Katherine Johns on August 7 at Floresville Primary School, proceeds of the workshop were donated to KET.

• “IntroductoryKodályforElementaryMu-sic Teachers,” presented by Ann Burbridge from Cedar Hill ISD on August 14, 2009.

KET South Texas Region workshops included: • Sr.LornaZemke,clinician,presented

on September 19, 2009, university of Houston Professional Continuing Stud-ies; Moores School of Music.

• “SingingGamesfortheHolidaysandEvery Day,” presented by Rhona Brink, Cecile Johnson, and Mary Neeley Stevens on October 24, 2009—Part of Aldine ISD Kodály Teacher Training Program.

• “AfricanAmericanSongsandSingingGames” presented by Ivy Rawlins-Ward on January 23, 2010—university of Houston Professional Continuing Stud-ies; Moores School of Music.

KET North Texas Region workshops include:• ChoralRehearsalTechniquesforthe

Young Singer” presented by Sandy Knudson on October 24, 2009, featur-ing the demonstration group Hightower Elementary Choir from Plano, TX—Sockwell Center for Professional Devel-opment, Plano, TX.

• ChapterShareonNov14,2009—VegaElementary, McKinney, TX.

• “RechargeYourRepertoireBatteries!Listen, Sing, Move, Think, and Play” presented by Jill Trinka on Jan 23, 2010—Sockwell Center for Professional Development, Plano, TX.Many summer and year-round Kodály

training initiatives were hosted across the state at locations including Aldine ISD, Amarillo ISD, Killeen ISD, Sam Houston university, San Antonio ISD, Texas State university with Austin ISD satellite, univer-sity of Houston, university of North Texas/Plano ISD, West Texas Initiative at Texas

Tech university with an inaugural level I training in Fort Worth ISD.

KONCKodály Educators of North CarolinaPatti Anderson, President704.866.8574 pattijoa@aol.com

KONC offered a free one-day workshop “An Introduction to Kodály Certification,” presented by Karen Shuford and David Lail at Lenoir Rhyne university in April 2009. Karen and David walked the participants through the different classes that are part of certification. Two elementary classes came as demonstration groups for presentation of concepts and singing games. Twenty college students and teachers attended.

Lenoir Rhyne university and KONC presented their first Kodály Certification Course from July 20 to July 31, 2009. Eight students attended the level I courses at Le-nior Rhyne university. Karen Shuford and David Lail were the instructors. Two stu-dents received $300 scholarships from the KONC Chapter.

Lenior Rhyne university will again host/present both level I and level II certification courses next summer July 19–30, 2010. Scholarships will again be available.

LAKELouisiana Association of Kodály EducatorsApril Winner, President337-207-0087 apegastal@yahoo.com

OKEOklahoma Kodály EducatorsEddie Lou Strimple, President580-234-4840 elstrimple@hotmail.com

OKE gathered for the first time this school year in August with our annual back-to-school workshop, presented by Thomas Borden, where we were inspired with fresh ideas for using children’s literature in our mu-sic classrooms. Our chapter board members announced that in honor of our dear friend and former chapter president, Pam Golden, our OKE Awards Committee will consider nominations for the Pam Golden OKE Honor Award, to be presented next fall. This annual award will recognize a current or past member who has given exceptional service to OKE and who has demonstrated excellence in Kodály music education. This is a fitting memorial for Pam, who lost her fight with breast cancer this past year.

We look forward to meeting everyone in Dallas at our OAKE conference, where our very own Joy Nelson of the university of Oklahoma will become president!

KONC’s Level 1 class with David and Karen. Photo by Patti Anderson

sECKESoutheast Chapter of Kodály EducatorsMichael Perryman, President423-870-8079 mlperryman@juno.com

On September 19, SECKE welcomed Robbin Marcus for its 2009 fall workshop, “Folk Dance in the Music Classroom.” We had over 25 attendees at the university of Tennessee at Chattanooga, including music education students and teachers. Robbin showed attendees how play parties can form a natural progression to folk dance. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Robbin for a great time of dancing and learning. We are also looking forward to John Bryan leading our 2010 winter work-shop, “Folk-Song Arranging for the Music Teacher.” This will be an all-day workshop on February 27, also at the university of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Lastly, congratu-lations to SECKE member Don “Ansel Adams” Garrett on this month’s Envoy cover picture. Way to go Don!Western Division

AKtsArizona Kodály Teachers SocietyEtna Thompson, President480-545-6037 et.thompson2@cox.net

bYUFOLKsBrigham Young University Fellowship of Local Kodály SpecialistsJerry Jaccard, President801-422-3778 jerry_jaccard@byu.edu

CCAKECentral California Association of Kodály EducatorsKaren Lasky, President559-439-5351 klasky31@sbcglobal.net

EEKEnchanted Educators of KodályMika Proctor, President505-450-9539 mproctor@cae.rrps.k12.nm.us

KAsCKodály Association of Southern CaliforniaAmy Brehm, President626-296-3175 amycbrehm@yahoo.com

NCAKENorthern California Association of Kodály EducatorsNancy Linford, President510-524-7392 nancymusic@sbcglobal.net

NKENorthwest Kodály EducatorsMegan Oberfield, President253-383-7235 moberfield@harbornet.com

Kodály Association of Southern California

KODÁLY SUMMER XXX 2010

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF QUALITY SUMMER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

THE ONLY OAKE-ENDORSED PROGRAM in Southern California

July 6-23, 2010Methodology I & II; Solfége I & II; Folk Song Research I & II;

Choral Ensemble, and Choral Conducting

Distinguished Hungarian & American FacultyLazslo Cser, Dr. Katherine Hickey,Dr. Niké St. Clair, Marilyn Sousa

Held at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA

Contact: Kurt Cereske, Certification Coordinator, kcereske@aol.com

http://kasc.oake.org

KODÁLY ENVOY36

rOCKERegional Organization of Colorado Kodály EducatorsCarrie Nicholas, President720-270-4699 carrienicholas@mac.com

ROCKE kicked off the year with a wonderful workshop presented by Kurt Cereske, “Sing, Play, and Dance: Songs, Games, and Dances for Every Classroom.” Kurt gave participants many great ideas and activities to start their school year. In early October, ROCKE welcomed our Western Division president, Kelly Foster Griffin, who presented “Methods and Materials to Musically Motivate Your Stu-dents.” Thank you Kurt and Kelly for go-ing the extra mile and giving ROCKE the support we need and presenting wonderful workshops.

ROCKE is excited to be sponsoring Christopher Roberts in two sessions at the Colorado Music Educators Association conference in Colorado Springs in Janu-ary. We are also looking forward to our

two remaining workshops of the school year. Sr. Lorna Zemke will be presenting “Rag, Blues, and Boogie in the Kodály Classroom” on February 13. On April 10, in the morning, Rochelle Mann will pres-ent a choral workshop titled “Pathways to Musical Independence for Young Singers.” In the afternoon, participants will enjoy a Make-n-Take workshop and be able to go back to the classroom with lots of new goodies in hand. For more information on our workshops, please visit www.rockeon-line.org.

sWOKESouthern Washington and Oregon Kodály EducatorsJanos Nagy, President503-332-9807 thenagys5@yahoo.com

On October 9, SWOKE hosted a work-shop featuring Jill Trinka. Participants had a wonderful learning experience singing and playing dulcimers. Many teachers decided to purchase a dulcimer to use in their class-room. Thank you to Backyard Music, which

provided the instruments for the workshop. We would like to give a special thank you to Jill Trinka, who again inspired us with a wonderful presentation.

This February, two of our own mem-bers, Richard Greiner and Lynnda Fuller, will present a workshop on how the Kodály way teaches to our national standards of music education.

Mandy Miller will be our guest conduc-tor in April for our annual spring choral festival. Our choir students and our mem-bers will have the great pleasure of work-ing with Mandy on some moving music selections. This year we are hosting at a new venue, St. Philip Neri Church. The church has wonderful acoustics complete with natu-ral delay and reverb. We are excited by the possibilities!

UFOLKsUtah Fellowship of Local Kodály SpecialistsJulianna Barker, President801-372-1996 juliannb@provo.edu

37

Central Illinois Kodály Educators •(CIKE ) and Syracuse New York Kodá-ly Educators (SNYKE) were accepted as affiliate chapters of OAKE.The 2009 slate of candidates for the posi-•tion of OAKE president-elect consists of Kelly Foster Griffin and Betty Hillman.Regional representatives will personally •invite people whose membership has been inactive for 1 to 4 years to receive a $25 coupon off renewal of OAKE membership. This coupon will expire December 31, 2009.For every five new active OAKE mem-•bers that local chapters recruit at the rate of $75 between July 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, the chapter will

NEWs FrOM thE OAKE bOArD OF DIrECtOrs FALL MEEtINg, sEPtEMbEr 25–27, 2009, MINNEAPOLIs, MINNEsOtA

receive a free 2010 National Confer-ence registration.The administrative director will send •coupons for a $25 discount on an ac-tive membership and a $5 discount on a student membership to all course coordinators to recruit first-time OAKE members from those who have taken a Kodály course.The national conference choir schol-•arship committee may award up to $2,800 to deserving applicants for the 2010 national conference choirs.The Ways and Means committee will •now, on behalf of the OAKE board, re-view, approve, and submit grant appli-cations that seek funding for the OAKE

Legacy Campaign for the duration of the Legacy Giving Campaign.The board amended the previously ap-•proved Legacy Endowment Resolution by striking the statement, “unrealized losses to the principal of the Fund that become permanent annually by the end of the fiscal year will be replaced by the reserve funds of the Corporation.”The board accepted • the Personnel Committee’s recommendations on employment agreements, pay scales, and employment dates for OAKE em-ployees. The board accepted the audit of OAKE •Financial Statements for the 2008–2009 fiscal year prepared by Widmer Roel PC.

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KODÁLY ENVOY42

NEWs FrOM OAKE-ENDOrsED CErtIFICAtION PrOgrAMs

Arizona state Universitytempe, Az

Contact: Sandra Stauffers.stauffer@asu.edu

brigham Young UniversityProvo, Ut

Contact: Jerry Jaccardjerry_jaccard@byu.edu

Capital University, Kodály InstituteColumbus, Oh

Contact: Tracy Herrmanntherrman@capital.edu

Colorado state UniversityFort Collins, CO

Contact: Kendra Abernathykjabernathy@yahoo.com or kendra.abernathy@colostate.edu

Fort Collins, Colorado, was voted the second best place to live in the united States by Money magazine in 2008. A record 60 Kodály students came to Fort Collins and attended the Colorado Kodály Institute held at Colorado State university this past July to discover why this place is so special. After feasting on a complimentary lunch in the gardens of the university Center of the Arts the first afternoon, Margie Camp whet everyone’s appetite with a little diction and annunciation fun! Her “learning tools,” also known as trinkets and toys, inspired the child in every one of our students, who left the sessions giddy and beaming with joy—and they hadn’t even begun solfège training!

On the second day of the institute, stu-dents were greeted by a new face; the ever so stylish, experienced and professional new ad-dition to the education faculty, Leila Heil. A Fort Collins, CO, native, she has returned to her home town to inspire, encourage, educate, and uplift the souls of Kodály students. She chose an amazing variety of soulful and spiri-tual folk music to be sung by the choir every morning and during the closing ceremony. Those songs lifted everyone’s head out of the fog during the two weeks of instruction and brought tears to the eyes of those listening at the final concert. Many people requested re-cordings of a magical final concert.

In a combined effort of the Master’s of Conducting program and the Colorado Kodály Institute to bring high-caliber, highly trained instructors to Fort Collins, Judith Willoughby made a guest appearance to offer conducting advice to the students. Willoughby worked with small groups to concentrate on individual conducting styles and poise in front of an

ensemble. The students witnessed conducting at its finest while observing an orchestra of pro-fessionals conducted live with critique from a panel of professors, including Willoughby.

As the first two days drew to a close the “Taste of Kodály” students said their good-byes, while wanting just a little bit more, and the rest of the students brushed up on their solfège and analysis to prepare for the two weeks ahead. With reading-session packets in hand and choir music to rehearse, off the students went to meet their meth-odology teachers. Jo Kirk, Sue Leithold-Bowcock and Karla Cherwinski all traveled to Fort Collins to spend 10 inspiring days in the Choice City. These three ladies culti-vated a renewal for the profession that each of our students had previously chosen. They revitalized the minds of the music educa-tors and music therapists in attendance with their intellect, wit, grace, and talent.

Of course there was another lady there who not only radiated wit, charm, and a hint of sarcasm, but also inspired, intrigued and choreographed the students’ ears to solfeggio. Katalin Virágh taught not only taught the basic and the finer points of do, re, mi, but also movement with a sprinkle of entertainment on top. The audience at the closing concert witnessed a display of solfège prowess by all three levels like no other year of the Colorado Kodály Institute. See, solfège can be fun—and funny!

As our two weeks and two days came to a close, we said good luck and a tearful good-bye to a woman who had made the last four years of the institute successful and memo-rable. The spunky, talented, and sweet Cindy McCaskill announced her resignation to focus on her family and her role as the Colo-rado Music Education Association president. However, she is still the driving force that strives to make this Kodály institute one of the best in the nation. Though Cindy will be missed, the show must go on. We look for-ward to meeting new faces and reacquainting ourselves with our current students at next year’s Institute, scheduled for July 15–30, 2010. Contact Kendra Abernathy, program director for more information.

holy Names UniversityOakland, CA

Contact: Anne Laskeylaskey@hnu.edu

Many Holy Names alums reunited at the International Kodály Symposium held

in Katowice, Poland in August. Graduates from Canada, Australia, Taiwan, and the united States made up more than 10% of the attendees. Jerry Jaccard (’75) and Joy Nelson are both members of the IKS board, while Connie Foss-More (’78) is now president of the Kodály Society of Canada. Alums who presented sessions included Jerry Jaccard, Gail Needleman (’98), Anne Laskey (’85), Hsiao-Shien Chen (’94), and Yu-Chuan Yao (’98).

HNU alums at 2009 IKS Symposium. Photo by Takao Nakamura

The 42nd HNu Kodály Summer In-stitute will be held from July 12–30, 2010. Faculty will include Gemma Arguelles, Judit Hartyányi, Anne Laskey, Helene Mat-ters, Ildiko Salgado, and Fran Smith. Judit will also present “Musicianship in the High School Setting,” a three-day workshop in advance of the institute, from July 7 to 9. Anyone wishing to explore the development of musicianship skills with high school or col-lege students is urged to join this workshop.

Indiana University school of Musicbloomington, IN

Contact: Brent Gaultbgault@indiana.edu

James Madison Universityharrisonburg, VA

Contact: Gary Ritcherritchegk@jmu.edu

Kodály Association of southern CaliforniaNorth hollywood, CA

Contact: Kurt Cereskekcereske@aol.com

McNeese state UniversityLake Charles, LA

Contact: Michele Martinmmartin@mcneese.edu

Nebraska Wesleyan UniversityLincoln, NE

Contact: Jeannette Youngjry@NebrWesleyan.edu

Winter 2010 43

New England Conservatoryboston, MA

Contact: Mary Epsteinmepstein@newenglandconservatory.edu

New York UniversityNew York, NY

Contact: Daniel Youngdy14@nyu.edu

Plano Independent school DistrictPlano, tX

Contact: Kathy Kuddeskathy.kuddes@pisd.edu

Portland state UniversityPortland, Or

Contact: Debbie Glazeglazed@pdx.edu

silver Lake CollegeManitowoc, WI

Contact: Sr. Lorna Zemkelzemke@silver.sl.edu

Silver Lake College recently completed its 36th year of offering outstanding sum-mer music programs at the college. This year, 90 students from 16 states and 3 coun-tries gathered on campus to take classes. Of these, approximately 48 were working toward receiving their Kodály certificate or their master’s in music education with a Kodály emphasis.

The four-week intensive summer pro-gram featured a variety of classes, including Kodály Concepts, Solfège, Conducting, Folk-Song History and Research, and Choral Ensemble. In addition, varied and unique special topic courses were offered,

including First Steps in Music, Conversa-tional Solfège, Multiple Intelligences in the Music Classroom, World Dance across the Curriculum, Handbells for Church and School, Successful Music Classroom Man-agement, and Music for Rites. Instructors for the 2009 summer session included: Lisa Brandl, Sandra Eithun, John Feierabend, Lillie Feierabend, Frank Gallo, Brent Gault, Sonna Longden, Sue McAllister, Sr. Marella Wagner, Sr. Mary Jane Wagner, Sr. Lorna Zemke, and Lynne Zimmerman.

A special luncheon was held on July 2 recognizing six students who had completed the required 18 graduate credits to obtain their Kodály certificates. The students were Edel McDonnell (Ireland), Lynn Sullivan (Ireland), Jessica Pahnke (Wisconsin), Con-stance Albert (Wisconsin), Joan Seye-Pyle (Wisconsin). In addition, one student, Kelly Meyer (Wisconsin), completed his require-ments during the school year and received his Kodály certificate as well.

In May 2009, four graduate students received their Master of Music degree on Sunday, May 10. The graduates were Rachel Strong, Donna Gallo from Connecticut and Julia Pearson, Katy Ries, and Rachel Strong, all from Wisconsin.

The Kodály Institute at Silver Lake Col-lege will convene in summer 2010, when the Kodály Certificate, Master of Music in Music Education with Kodály Emphasis and various special topic courses will be offered. For addi-tional information about the program, please contact Sr. Lorna Zemke at 920-686-6161 or via e-mail lzemke@silver.sl.edu.

texas state Universitysan Marcos, tX

Contact: Patricia Morenomorenop@hayscisd.net

This past year, the Kodály certification program through Texas State university enjoyed one of the most exciting times in its history. In the summer, 11 teachers partici-pated in level I and 9 teachers participated

Students participating in “World Dance across the Curriculum” taught by Sonna Longden at the Silver Lake College 36th Annual Summer Music Program.

Lauren Bain teaching the Debka Hora.

KODÁLY ENVOY44

in level II. Level III was the largest class at the Texas State site with 19 teachers. Some of the level III participants had finished levels I and II at the Austin ISD Kodály Ini-tiative, a satellite location of the Texas State program. The participants, from all over the united States, represented the elementary and secondary band and choir divisions of music education.

Teachers also had the benefit of teach-ing children who participated in the Hays CISD Honor Choir Camp, which was held concurrently with the Kodály training. The teachers in training and the children held a joint concert at the end of the Choir Camp which was conducted by clinician Lynnell Joy Jenkins. This and other teaching lab op-portunities gave teachers greater confidence in how to implement the pedagogical theo-ries into the classroom setting.

During the Texas Choral Directors As-sociation Convention this past August, Lisa Roebuck and Patty Moreno presented “Children as Performers and Critical Think-ers” with new ideas to incorporate instru-mental performance and higher-order thinking into the Kodály classroom. This was an excellent opportunity to promote the Kodály philosophy with a group of people not normally exposed to this method.

University of hartfordWest hartford, Ct

Contact: Meghan Fouracrefouracre@hartford.edu

University of North texasDenton, tX

Contact: Julie Scottscottj@smu.edu

University of OklahomaNorman, OK

Contact: Joy Nelsonejnelson@ou.edu

University of st. thomasst. Paul, MN

Contact: Karen Howellgradmusic@stthomas.edu

St. Thomas will be hosting the Kodály Chapter of Minnesota workshop “African-American Songs and Singing Games” presented by Ivy Rawlins Ward Saturday, Feb. 13, 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m., location to be announced.

Also coming up is the Kodály Chapter of Minnesota Sharing, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., McNeely Hall, Room 100.

The 2010 Kodály Institute at St. Thomas begins with a convocation and rehearsal in the Brady Educational Center rehearsal hall at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, June 20. Musicianship placement hearings for all students begin at noon on Sunday, June 20. Classes are conducted 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., June 21–July 2. DVD reviewing ses-sions are required for levels I, II, and III students. The levels courses conclude with a concert at 1 p.m. on July 2, followed by a luncheon. Participation in the concert is mandatory. Guests are welcome.

University of tennessee at ChattanoogaChattanooga, tN

Contact: Lee Harrislee-harris@utc.edu

Webster Universityst. Louis, MO

Contact: Kathryn Smith Bowersksbd@iglide.net

Kodály @ Webster university, will of-fer levels I, II, and III for 2010. The dates are June 12–25 for level I and June 10–25 for levels II and III. The highly regarded faculty includes Ivy Rawlins Ward (musi-cianship), Robbin Marcus (folk-song and art-music materials), and Vicki Dohrmann (pedagogy). Special Topics will meet on Saturday, June 12, and will feature Ivy

Ward on the subject of African American songs and singing games.

Kathryn Bowers, professor of music at Webster, is retiring from full-time teaching in May 2010. She has served as director of the Kodály Choir and choral conducting instructor and was the founder and has been the director of Kodály@Webster since its inception. Tom Lowery, choral director at Ladue High School in Saint Louis, will take over as the Kodály Choir director and in-structor of choral conducting. Lowery spent the 2008–2009 school year on sabbatical at the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét. We are excited to welcome Tom to the faculty, and we look forward to an exciting summer of Kodály @ Webster.

For more information, please contact Kathryn Bowers at bowers@webster.edu or at 314-246-7035. Kodály @ Webster is an OAKE-endorsed program.

West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester, PA

Contact: Carolyn Andersoncanderson@wcupa.edu

Westminster Choir CollegePrinceton, NJ

Contact: Scott Hoerlwoce@rider.edu

2009 Kodály class at the University of St. Thomas. Photo by Carroll Gonzo.

Winter 2010 45

International Kodály society

On the 10th of August this year, the 19th Interna-tional Kodály Symposium was opened at the Karol Szyman-owski Academy of Music in Ka-towice, Poland.

One week later, on August 17, we could look back on a week in which many lectures, demonstrations, interesting round tables, and beauti-ful concerts had inspired us. Not to forget, of course, the numerous talks we had with colleagues, some of whom we have known for years and some of whom we met in Poland for the first time. The Symposium week was just one of the 52 weeks of the year 2009 and of our professional career. How-ever, for our Polish colleagues who organized the Sympo-sium, it was also the conclu-sion of more than two years of hard and intensive work and of finding solutions for many problems, not the least those caused by the unexpected glob-al recession that, unfortunate-ly, forced many participants to change their original intention of attending the Symposium. But, we were most happy with the strong representation of OAKE: President Georgia New-lin, President-Elect Joy Nelson, and Past Presidents Kathy Hicky and Brent Gault.

For this 19th International Kodály Symposium, the Orga-nizing Committee had chosen

the theme On Values of Mu-sic—Music and Mankind, Music and Community, Music and Tra-dition. It was a very challenging theme that allowed us to reflect in depth on the past, the pres-ent, and the future of the dis-semination of Zoltán Kodály’s exceptional vision.

The biennially organized International Symposia are

among the most special mo-ments in the life of the Interna-tional Kodály Society because it is a time for personal encoun-ters with colleagues from all over the world.

Among the many souvenirs that the participants will carry home is, without any doubt, the memory of the beautiful location; the charming, gentle, and harmonious atmosphere of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music; and the friendly people.

Now we are looking forward to the 20th International Kodály Symposium that will take place in Seoul, Korea, from June 25 to July 1, 2011, with the theme Music, a Common Language in Multicultural Education. Again it is a challenging theme and very up-to-date, not only in music education.

I invite you to keep the dates free and to join your col-leagues from all over the globe. Share your experience and know-how and contribute in your particular way to the well-being of children, youngsters, and adults through assuring them good music and good music education. The Society needs your interest and your engagement. Without you, dear friends, there would not be an International Kodály Sympo-sium every two years. There would not even be a Society. Only when we work together will we be able to achieve our goals. Zoltán Kodály said it in 1956: Good music has to be fought for, and this fight can-not be fought with any success by one country alone within its boundaries.

Gilbert De GreevePresidentInternational Kodály Society

Symposium attendees with the bust of Karol Szymanowski Astra Chatwood (Australia), Brent Gault (USA), Kris Bowtell (UK), and Georgia Newlin (USA)

Dear OAKE friends,

KODÁLY ENVOY46

2009–2010 OAKE bOArD OF DIrECtOrs OUtstANDINg AChIEVEMENt

Joan Isaacs Litman..............2009Anne Laskey........................2008John Feierabend, Marilyn Brooks.. 2007Diane Geller, Sandra Mathias .. 2006Jerry Jaccard, William Dederer ..2004Jill Trinka, Cheryl Paschke ..2003Christine Jordanoff .............2002John May, Gerardo Gloria ..2002Betsy Moll, ursina Swanson..2001Lamar Robertson ................2000Martha Rosacker ................1999Ruth Boshkoff, Paul Hillyer ..1998Pamela Wade ......................1997Lois Choksy .......................1996Mary Ozanne, David Falconer . 1995Gene Okerlund ..................1994Mary Goetze ......................1993Katinka Dániel ...................1992Michael Murray .................1991Jean Sinor ...........................1990Denise Bacon .....................1989Sr. Mary Alice Hein ............1988Helen Bryan, Mary Richards ... 1987Eleanor (Toni) Locke ..........1986Sr. Lorna Zemke .................1985

LIFEtIME AChIEVEMENt

Lois Choksy........................ 2009Sr. Lorna Zemke .................2002Katinka Dániel ...................2001Sr. Mary Alice Hein ............2001Denise Bacon......................2000Jean Sinor ...........................2000Alexander Ringer ................1998

FOUNDErs

Lauren AbernethyLois Choksy

Rita ConcannonDoris Englehard

Sr. Mary Alice HeinStephen Jay

Christine JordanoffShirley Linscott

Betsy MollNorman WeeksMark Williams

Sr. Lorna Zemke

Executive Officers

PresidentGeorgia NewlinGarden City, NYpresident@oake.org

President ElectJoy NelsonNorman, OKejnelson@ou.edu

Vice PresidentPenny WhalenBloomfield, CTpenny.whalen@comcast.net

SecretaryDavid GadberryLawrence, KSdavidgad@ku.edu

TreasurerGreg WilliamsSouth Hadley, MAgreg.allen.williams@gmail.com

Administrative DirectorJoan DahlinMoorhead, MN218-227-OAKE office218-227-6254 faxoakeoffice@oake.org

Ex Officio Members

National Conference Business DirectorNancy JohnsonOwatonna, MNnancy@oake.org

National Publicity DirectorLeigh Ann GarnerMinneapolis, MNlamockgarner@comcast.net

Past PresidentBrent GaultBloomington, INbgault@indiana.edubmichaelgault@yahoo.com

Editor, Kodály EnvoyElizabeth PontiffSterling, VApontiffediting@comcast.net

Members at Large

Jerrilyn MacDanelHarrisonburg, VAjmacdanel@hotmail.com

Lynn Reynolds MakrinSchenectady, NYlrmakrin@aol.com

Industry RepresentativeKathy Bohstedt%West MusicCoralville, IAkbohstedt@westmusic.com

Higher Education AdviserKristen AlbertGap, PAkalbert1@comcast.net

Secondary Education AdviserShea ClayAbingdon, VAsbubbaclay@aol.com

Eastern Division

PresidentLaura WilliamsSouth Hadley, MAlaura.s.williams@comcast.net

Regional RepresentativesNaomi Cohen, Eastern-1New York, NYnkcsings@yahoo.com

Caroline Crocker, Eastern-2Annandale, VAcaroline.d.crocker@gmail.com

Midwestern Division

PresidentKelley J. BrillOrtonville, MItykybrill@yahoo.com

Regional RepresentativesAileen Brown, Midwestern-1Columbus, OHaileen43130@yahoo.com

Nyssa Brown, Midwestern-2Minneapolis, MNnyssa_brown@yahoo.com

southern Division

PresidentKaren GentryAustin, TXkkgentry@austin.rr.com

Regional RepresentativesTina M. Arenas, Southern-1Denton, TXtarenas@dentonisd.org

Ann Crouch, Southern-2Atlanta, GAacrouchkodaly@gmail.com

Western Division

PresidentKelly Foster GriffinKirkland, WAtomkelhay@verizon.net

Regional RepresentativesKurt Cereske, Western-1North Hollywood, CAkcereske@aol.com

Jane Smith, Western-2Newberg, ORjanemendenhallsmith@yahoo.com

PAst PrEsIDENts

Brent Gault ..................2006–08Katherine Hickey ..........2004-06Sandra Mathias..............2002-04Jill Trinka ......................2000-02Ann Kay ...................1998-2000John Feierabend ............1996-98Patricia Teske ................1994-96Pamela Wade ................1992-94Betsy Moll .....................1990-92Virginia Irvin ................1988-90Lauren Abernethy ..........1986-88Laurdella Foulkes-Levy ..1984-86Jean Sinor ......................1982-84Christine Jordanoff ...........1980-82Sr. Lorna Zemke .................1980Helen Wyzga ......................1979David Buttolph ..................1978Mark William .....................1977Stephen Jay ........................1976

Winter 2010 47

Member Benefits•TheKodály Envoy — OAKE’s quarterly journal•Onlinemembershipdirectory•Reducedregistrationfeesatnationalconference•Nationalconferencechoirs—OAKEmembers’students may audition to participate•Divisionalnewsletters•JenöÁdámScholarship&SusanTaylorHowell

Memorial Scholarship—for Kodály studies in the u.S. or abroad

•OAKEWebsiteandchatroom—www.oake.org•ReducedpricesonOAKEpublications•DVDlibrary—rentfree!•ChaptergrantsfromDivisions•Votingprivilegesandtherighttoholdoffice•Onlineaccesstolessonplans

Membership LevelsActive: Persons interested in Kodály music education.

All benefits and rights including holding office and voting.

Corresponding: Individuals who reside outside the u.S. and are not American citizens but wish to support the organization’s goals and activities. All benefits except the right to hold office and vote.

Student: Full-time undergraduate and graduate stu-dents. Same benefits as corresponding members.

Institutional: Institutions/schools. Required of all OAKE-endorsed Kodály Teacher Education Programs. Privileges of corresponding members and exhibiting rights at OAKE conferences upon payment of prescribed exhibit fees.

Library: Libraries receive one copy of the OAKE quarterly journal, Kodály Envoy.

Retired: Regular privileges for those 55 or older and retired.

Sustaining: Any firm, retailer, business, or commercial venture that desires to support the purposes of OAKE. Exhibiting rights at OAKE conferences upon payment of prescribed exhibit fees.

Lifetime: Active members paying full lifetime dues.IKS: Membership is open to individuals and institutions

sharing the International Kodály Society’s aims.OAKE-Affiliated Chapters

ARIZONAAKTS - Arizona Kodály Teachers SocietyCALIFORNIACCAKE - Central California Assoc. of Kodály EducatorsKASC - Kodály Assoc. of Southern CaliforniaNCAKE - Northern California Assoc. of Kodály EducatorsCOLORADOROCKE - Regional Org. of Colorado Kodály EducatorsCONNECTICUT/WESTERN MASSACHUSETTSKESNE - Kodály Educators of Southern New EnglandFLORIDAKENF - Kodály Educators of Northwest FloridaGEORGIAKEGA - Kodály Educators of GeorgiaILLINOISCAKE - Chicago Area Kodály EducatorsCIKE - Central Illinois Kodály EducatorsINDIANAIKE - Indiana Kodály EducatorsIOWAKEI - Kodály Educators of IowaKANSASKMEK - Kodály Music Educators of KansasKENTUCKYKAKE - Kentucky Area Kodály EducatorsLOUISIANALAKE - Louisiana Assoc. of Kodály EducatorsMARYLANDMuSIK - Maryland united Specialists in KodályMASSACHUSETTSBAKE - Boston Area Kodály EducatorsMICHIGANSEMKE - South East Michigan Kodály Educators

MINNESOTAKCM - Kodály Chapter of MinnesotaMISSOURICMKE - Central Missouri Kodály EducatorsKOZ - Kodály of the OzarksSLAKE - St. Louis Area Kodály EducatorsNEBRASKAPSKOR - Plains States Kodály OrganizationNEW JERSEYKNJ - Kodály New JerseyNEW MEXICOEEK - Enchanted Educators of KodályNEW YORKKONY - Kodály Organization of New YorkNORTH CAROLINAKONC - Kodály Educators of North CarolinaNORTH DAKOTANPKC - Northern Plains Kodály ChapterOHIOCCKE - Capital Collegiate Kodály EducatorsNOCKA - North Coast Kodály AssociationTRIKE - Tri-City Kodály EducatorsOKLAHOMAOKE - Oklahoma Kodály EducatorsOREGONSWOKE - Southern Washington & Oregon Kodály EducatorsPENNSYLVANIAKEEP - Kodály Educators of Eastern PennsylvaniaTENNESSEESECKE - South East Chapter of Kodály EducatorsTEXASKET - Kodály Educators of TexasUTAHBYuFOLKS - Brigham Young university Fellowship of Local Kodály SpecialistsuFOLKS - utah Fellowship of Local Kodály SpecialistsVIRGINIAVOKE - Virginia Organization of Kodály EducatorsWASHINGTONNKE - Northwest Kodály EducatorsWISCONSINAWAKE - Assoc. for Wisconsin Area Kodály Educators

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r New r Renewal r Intermittent (past member)Chapter Affiliation _____________________________ID number ___________________________________Type of membership Please enter amountActive ..........................................$75 $_______Corresponding ............................$70 $_______Full-time Student*.......................$20 $_______Institutional ................................$75 $_______Library ........................................$70 $_______Lifetime ..................................$1,000 $_______Retired ........................................$40 $_______Sustaining .................................$125 $_______IKS..............................................$30 $_______Tax deductible contribution to: Legacy Endowment $_______ Contingency Fund $_______ JenöÁdámScholarship$_______Susan Taylor Howell Memorial Scholarship $_______ National Conference Choir Scholarship $_______ TOTAL ENCLOSED $_______ Do not send cash. Make checks payable to OAKE or use credit card. Check should be in u.S. currency drawn on u.S. bank. International money order is acceptable. Dues are nonrefundable. *Individuals attending recognized music education institutions as full-time undergraduate or graduate stu-dents may apply for student membership. Include copy of current college ID card (front and back).

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OAKE MEMbErshIP INFOrMAtION & APPLICAtION

KODÁLY ENVOY48

The Kodály Envoy seeks articles pertain-ing to Kodály-based music education at all teaching levels, as well as articles on related music and music education topics.

Kodály Envoy articles are refereed by practicing professionals who have exper-tise in the Kodály concept, membership in OAKE, writing and editing skills, and significant teaching, practicing, and writ-ing experience. This peer review process is double-blind. The initial review takes a mini-mum of six weeks, and most submissions require revision and re-review. Therefore articles should be submitted at least three months prior to the content deadline of the issue in which publication is desired.

Manuscripts and other documents ac-cepted for publication are edited to conform with Kodály Envoy style policies, which are based on The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition). A copy of the Kodály Envoy Style Guide may be obtained from the Editor. Manuscripts may also be altered to meet the requests of the editorial board or to fit avail-able space. Copy that is significantly edited is e-mailed in PDF format to the author for approval before publication. Final decisions regarding whether a manuscript or other document will be published and its content, revisions, scheduling, style, presentation,

grammar, punctuation, spelling, and artwork remain with the editor.

Authors receive no financial compensa-tion, but do receive a complimentary copy of the issue in which their article appears.•Electronicsubmissionviae-mailisstrongly encouraged. Microsoft Word files are preferred, but virtually any type of text file is acceptable.•Double-spacealltext,includingblockquotes, endnotes, and references. A suggest-ed length is 1,500 to 3,500 words, though articles may be longer or shorter. The font should be 11-point Times New Roman. use endnotes instead of footnotes. use only one space after a period.•Selectandfollowasinglescholarlystylethroughout (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style or Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association).•Useaseparatetitlepagetoshowtheau-thor’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and brief biographical information. The author’s name should appear only on the title page. Photos relating to the article are encouraged, particularly classroom pictures. Be sure to have parental permission for all minors. Photos will not be returned.•Avoidjargon,termsthatsuggestbias,orsexist language.

•Submitanyphotographsorillustrations,including musical illustrations, in camera-ready format or as electronic files. If submitting photos, identify any persons in the photo and suggest a caption by placing information on a sticker attached to the back of the photo (do not write on the back of the photo). If submitting photographs as electronic files, they should be 300dpi TIF files (preferably not JPG). Send elec-tronic graphics files to the editor at pontiff editing@comcast.net•Submissionofamanuscriptimpliesthattheproposed article is not currently under review by another publication and that it has not appeared elsewhere in part or in its entirety. Authors must secure and provide permission for the use of copyrighted material.

Content Deadlines: Fall: July 1; Winter: October 1; Spring: January 1; Summer: April 1.

Contact: Send all manuscripts, articles, reports, news, letters, items for review, other contributions, questions, comments, sugges-tions, or requests for permission to reprint to the editor: Elizabeth Pontiff, 46781 Backwater Dr., Sterling , VA 20164; 571-434-0516; pontiffediting@comcast.net.

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Discounts for repeated ads: two consecutive issues: 10%; three consecutive issues: 15%; four consecutive issues: 20%.Payment: New advertisers must pay for

1 fonts, and be sure all fonts and graphics are included or embedded. All electronic submis-sions must be accompanied by a reference hard copy of the ad. Additional charges to handle electronic ads that do not meet these specifications will be billed to the advertisers. The Kodály Envoy will not be responsible for printing problems that result from electronic ads that do not meet these specifications.

Ad Deadlines: Fall: August 1; Winter: Novem-ber 1; Spring: February 1; Summer: May 1.

Contact: Send all requests for ad informa-tion, completed ad contracts, camera-ready or electronic ads, and ad correspondence to the Advertising Editor: Bonnie Johnson, 10205 Antietam Court, Fredericksburg, VA 22408; 540-891-4290; jeepfolk@gmail.com.

their first ad in advance. All other advertis-ers will be sent an invoice accompanied by a tear sheet within 10 days of issue delivery. Payment is due within 30 days in u.S. dollars, by check drawn on a u.S. bank or major credit card. A service charge of 1½% per month or 18% per year is charged on all balances not paid within 30 days.Acceptance: The Kodály Envoy reserves the right to reject any ad for any reason at any time, with or without notice to the adver-tiser, and whether or not such ad was previ-ously published.Specifications for electronic submission: The Kodály Envoy accepts ads in EPS, TIF, or PDF file formats, and may also accept native InDesign or Illustrator files. Files must be high resolution, black-and-white only inside, 4-color only cover. use only Postscript Type

PUbLICAtION INFOrMAtION

The 2011 OAKE National Conference will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The conference hotel is the Minneapolis Hilton and the final concert will be performed at Orchestra Hall.

Mark your calendar now!

Do You Have Boys Who Love to Sing?

OAKE National Office1612 29th Avenue SouthMoorhead, MN 56560

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PAID

Ames, IA 50010Permit No. 14