Music/Folklore paper by Stachó, László
Renewal of Hungarian Music Education: New Kodály-Based Methodologies to Enhance the Social Impact of Music Making. (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
Kodály’s educational legacy has been a constant reference point in Hungary from the 1960’s until these days. Although his educational philosophy has had a defining impact on Hungarian music pedagogy over the past five decades, Kodály himself considered the humanistic and social aspect of his pedagogical system (not the mere musical one) as its most important, indeed defining, facet. According to his pedagogical philosophy, every methodological detail in music pedagogy must be motivated by its overall social and humanistic impact. However, based on recent empirical research conducted in Hungarian public schools, some of the most influential constructions and practices of the so-called ‘Kodály method’ haven’t succeeded to reach, or even address, this aim. Further to this, although Kodály’s philosophy was a key to the success of Hungarian music pedagogy after the 1970s, it does not seem any more to be able to address some of the most important educational challenges of our time. In this situation, how can Kodály’s influential pedagogical system be reconsidered and put into a wider context of social planning, following the original intentions of its author? This process is expected to include the renewal of some old and the introduction of several new pedagogical methodologies and practices, all based on Kodály’s pedagogical principles. I intend to give an introduction to new Kodály-based methodologies that are gaining increasing popularity and expect to make significant social impact through empowering engagement with music of children from highly diverse socio-cultural backgrounds.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
László Stachó is a musicologist, psychologist and musician, Research Fellow and Lecturer at the Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest) and the University of Szeged. His research focuses on early 20th-century performing practice, Bartók analysis, emotional communication in music performance, and enhancement of attentional skills in music performance. As a pianist and chamber musician, he has performed in several European countries and the US, and conducts attentional training workshops and chamber music coaching sessions at international masterclasses at prestigious European and Israeli conservatoires. In 2014, he was a CMPCP Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge; in 2017, he was Visiting Fellow at the Cambridge Faculty of Music and Downing College.