I decided to write my next blog about which complex rhythms you could introduce after tika-tika. Of course, alongside preparing and presenting the next rhythm, our students need to practice tika-tika.
Going beyond tika-tika: which rhythms to teach next? Read More »
In this blog I’ll tell you how I use this song and others to introduce more complex rhythms and why I think Down the Road, in the way I teach it, is such a great song for presenting one particular complex rhythm…
Roads to new rhythms: a Kodály approach to teaching tika-tika Read More »
I think Hi Lo Chikalo is great for presenting low so and low la. Below, I’ll show you how I do it and some ideas for practising low so and la with other songs.
Going lo… teaching low so and la Read More »
We’ll explore Hi Lo Chikalo, a fun clapping game that is great for rhythm dictation and discovering something new about solfa!
Exploring Hi Lo Chikalo Read More »
I just love taking really simple songs that we can use multiple times throughout the journey of students musical education and give them different learning opportunities from simple to complex and thus proving that the Kodály approach is not just for babies, it is can also really can provide very challenging activities for older children, teenagers and even adults!
Starlight: Simple to Complex Read More »
Alongside the work on introducing do re mi on the white keys, we can introduce the musical alphabet which takes us down a path of learning landmark notes, tonics, clefs, the grand staff and our destination… middle C
Destination: Middle C. A Kodály approach to Letter Names and Clefs… part two Read More »
Your students have been singing in solfa beautifully and know their steps and skips on the keys and the stave… now it’s time to learn about letter names and clefs! What do you do?!
Introducing Letter Names and Clefs… part one! Read More »
This blog will explore what it means to prepare our students aurally, physically and visually with practical suggestions for activities
Preparing Pitch: How to prepare pitch and practical ideas Read More »
I previously discussed what we can do to prepare children to sing and how to help children sing confidently, but we also need to understand what pitch actually is! Do you have any embedded misconceptions about it? Whether you’re a classroom teacher, visiting music teacher or 1:1 instrumental teacher, this blog will give you points
High and Low: The widespread metaphor for pitch Read More »
In the last blog post (catch-up here), we talked about the qualities of speaking and singing and what the differences are. To help our students learn the difference between their speaking and singing voices they need to feel free and able to experiment with their voices. So how do we give them confidence and encouragement to experience their voice types?
Whether you’re a classroom teacher, visiting music teacher or 1:1 instrumental teacher, this blog will give you tips and ideas for experiencing voice types in a Kodály inspired way.