and everything else is small

Well, this is last minute, but it looks like I've been accepted into a summer program for Kodaly (pronounced Koh-dye) Music Certification course. There are two major approaches as to how to teach music to children (that's what this is, by the way, a course on how to teach children music), each using different approaches. For example the Orff approach utilizes rhythm instruments and xylaphones to draw out a child's inherent affinities for rhythm and melody. The Kodaly approach, which I much prefer and you'll soon see why, is less intent on the rhythmic aspect of things (though it doesn't go overlooked, it's where all that ta-ta-ti-ti-ti-ti comes from) but rather attends to a child's vocal capabilities, asking them to recognize their own voice by encouraging pitch-matching, and an introduction to the western scale based on solfege (yayyyy solfege, no longer my enemy!) What I like about the Kodaly method (from what little I know of it) is that it puts music right inside the kid, gives them ownership of their own voice and a name for each pitch. It's singing-based, see? Anyhow there are three levels of certification, and it looks like I'm going to be going for level I. I hear great things about the program! It's taught all over the globe but I'll be taking it at the Kodaly Institute at the New England Conservatory. Essentially, I'm told it's a bunch of extremely eager music teachers in a room learning and then applying these techniques, there are activities at the crux of the Kodaly method which I imagine we'll all learn, and nearly everyone I've talked to said there's a whole lotta singing, a whole lotta hands-on conducting technique critique, and basically how to teach kids music at any level. I can't wait! And, it'll give me something to do from 8:30-4:30 for the next three weeks while I'm jobless!


Here is the course I'll be taking:
http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/summer/institutes/KodalyMusicInstitute.html#levels

And here's a little more detail on the Kodaly method:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001864

Now I just need to figure out how to get pictures of Thisbe up here...