Kodaly Method

Kodaly Method

Another thing I did recently for the Arts award was run a workshop on the Kodaly method. This is a useful method of teaching young children or people who can’t read sheet music. I also find it quite useful for sight singing and other oral tests in exams. Here are some pictures of the slides I used in my presentation.

Here is my first slide it shows what the Kodaly Method is. The song Maria teaches the children in the sound of music is how much people remember the order of the notes (doe a deer etc.). The Kodaly Method then combines these with hand signs to help make the memory clearer. This works for all kinds of learners, kinetic learners learn by doing things (hand movements), Audio learners learn with sounds (words and pitches) and visual learners learn from seeing things (again hand movements) so this is quite an easy method to pick up.

This slide shows what you can do with this method. it shows a very simple nursery rhyme (Mary had a little lamb) which I taught the Workshop attendees and also a slightly more complex one, that I demonstrated, First in the Kodaly Method then using the correct words and expressions. I am doing my grade 3 in under a week and I keep practicing sight singing using this method because I know how well it works for me. I will have completed my grade 3 by the time you read this and will probably do another little update saying how I thought I did.

This section of my blog is for the ‘Share my Skills’ section of the arts award. To complete my arts award I need to prove that: I take part in an arts activity; be inspired by an artist or arts organisation; experience an event and share my skills. Of course the final stage is to create a portfolio of it. For my portfolio I am writing this blog and I hope this is living up to all the things that I must do!

Alice

ALICE!

Recently I went to go and see my school’s sixth form’s production of Alice. It was a different take on Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland set in the ‘Wonderland Jazz Club’. Most of the music in this production reflected this and contained a ‘jazz’ element. There were also flapper girl dancers which would be a common sight in 1920s jazz clubs. The story followed Alice, played by two talented girls each taking one half of the performance, as she tried to work out where she was and how she got there, like she does in the book.

My favourite characters in this performance were Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee who provided a lot of comedy to the performance. They played the two stage hands at the jazz club looking to get their own time in the spotlight with their comedy routine. Unfortunately the attempts are often in vain as their act isn’t very good. They both appear to be fighting very often with each other and one of the reasons for this is for Alice’s. Alice however seems very uninterested and all of their attempts are unsuccessful. This leaves us amused and empathising with the characters.

The live band that was at the performance was amazing as were the singers who really helped with the feel that is was a real jazz club. Over all I really enjoyed this performance and have been inspired to take part in something like this when I am older.

This section of my blog is for the ‘View a performance’ section of the arts award. To complete my arts award I need to prove that: I take part in an arts activity; be inspired by an artist or arts organisation; experience an event and share my skills. Of course the final stage is to create a portfolio of it. For my portfolio I am writing this blog and I hope this is living up to all the things that I must do!

Kings school website