“What does Kodály method offer for
music schools today?”
Using Kodály
method in Estonia
Ingrid Kõrvits
Mall Ney
ESTONIA
Northern Europe, independent since 1918,
45 000 km2,, population 1,3 million,
language Estonian (fenno ugric)
The beginnings of using the
Kodály method in Estonia
• 1962 – Estonian composer Veljo Tormis at Zoltan
Kodály’s 80th birthday celebrations in Budapest
• 1964 – Estonian composer and music teacher Riho
Päts gives a presentation in the 6th ISME conference
in Budapest
• Heino Kaljuste and other Estonian music teachers
and conductors participating in the same Budapest
conference
Riho Päts (1899–1977) Heino Kaljuste (1925–1989) Veljo Tormis (1930)
Role of Heino Kaljuste in presenting and
implementing Kodály method in Estonia
since 1964
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1951 – founding of children’s choir Ellerhein
1962 – 1st Song Celebration for schoolchildren in Tallinn
1964 – Heino Kaljuste in the 6th ISME conference in Budapest
1964 – 1st musically oriented class in a public school (1st grade)
1965 – 1st song- and textbook for a musically oriented
classroom (1st grade)
1967 – transition to the JO-LE-MI system in public school
classrooms
1968 – the 1st “JO-LE-MI” manual for music teachers
1969 – 1st song- and textbook for an ordinary (non-music
focused) classrooms, co-author Riho Päts
Numerous articles, publications, open workshops about the
essence and necessity of the JO-LE-MI system
1969-1989 as professor Musical Education in the Estonian Music
Academy
JO-LE-MI table
Kodály method in schools
(according to the curriculum)
School system:
• Primary school (1st-4th grade), music classes twice a
week + choral singing (voluntare)
• Basic school (5th-9th grade), music class once a
week + choral singing (voluntare)
• High school (10th-12th grade), music history once a
week + choral singing (voluntare)
Using Kodály method in music
schools (with instrument studies)
Music school (7 years + 2 additional years)
• Instrument lessons twice a week
• Solfeggio classes twice a week
• Music history once a week
• Ensembles once a week
Tallinn Music High School (12 years)
• Instrument lessons 2-3 times a week
• Solfeggio twice a week
• Rythmics once a week
• Music history 2-4 times a week
• Choirs and orchestras twice a week
• Classes of piano accompany, ensemble and music theory
once or twice a week
Using Kodaly method in a
modern school of
hobbies/choir studio
Mostly:
• Choir practice 4-6 hours a week
• Solfeggio 30 minutes to an hour a week
• Vocal coaching 30 minutes to an hour a week
Estonian National Opera
Boys’ Choir
• Founded in 1971 by professor Venno Laul
• Since 2001 Hirvo Surva as leader and artistic director
• A choral studio with three different levels: the main
choir and two study choirs
• Ca. 150 young singers
• Performed in Puccini´s “Tosca“ and “La boheme”,
Bizet´s “Carmen”, Wagner`s “Tannhäuser“,
“The Nutcracker“ by Tchaikovsky, etc.
Girls' Choir Ellerhein
• Founded in 1951 by professor Heino Kaljuste (1925–1989)
• A choral studio with three different levels: two children's choirs
and a girls' choir
• Ca. 200 singers
• Chief conductor 1989–2012 Tiia-Ester Loitme, since 2012 Ingrid
Kõrvits
• Ca. 30 performances every year
• Over 30 prizes in international choral competitions
• 2004 the Grammy Award for Jean Sibelius “Cantatas” with
Estonian National Male Choir and Estonian National Symphony
Orchestra – conductor Paavo Järvi
Estonian
Song Celebrations
• 1st Song Celebration in 1869
• Since 1910 until today Song Celebrations mostly in
every 5 years
• 1st Song Celebration of schoolchildren in 1962, also
occur every 5 years
• Up to 30 000 singers singing at the same time, the
audience is up to 100 000 people
• Next Song Celebration “Touch of Time. Time for a
Touch” 4-6th of July 2014
Thank you!
Ingrid Kõrvits
Mall Ney