Music/Folklore paper by Hegedűsné Tóth, Zsuzsanna
“Busy with Music” – an Innovative Music Education Method for Children Aged 2 to 7 (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
The paper introduces a music education method worked out by the author. The method “Busy with Music” was developed for toddlers and kindergarten-age children and has been included in the program of MÜPA Budapest (Palace of Arts) since 2012. The methodology was published as a book (Mindenben zene; “Music in Everything”) in 2016 and was also presented at the Balassi Institute in Budapest at the methodological training of Hungarian educators working abroad. The novelty of the method lies in the fact that it implements musical education and the development of musical skills by using mainly Hungarian folk music and embedding it in complex activities that target various competence areas. The tools used in the sessions are simple everyday objects and toys that can motivate them, catch their attention, and raise their interest (wooden spoon, wooden blocks, ribbons, buttons, etc.). The method relies on the transfer effect (on language, reading, writing, mathematics, etc.) of the games, which are based on the components of music (rhythm, volume, pitch, melody, harmonies, etc.). The method was inspired by the principle that all children are capable of understanding music and expressing themselves through music, but personal experience and activity are equally important to them. This activity-oriented method can easily be adapted to Kodály’s concept of everyday singing, and it can also support children’s self-expressive, cognitive, affective, and social competences, and their success in school.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Zsuzsanna Hegedűsné Tóth has been teaching at the Department of Singing and Music at the Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education of Eötvös Loránd University since 2005. She has BAs in teaching music, choir leading, preschool education, and an MA in pedagogy, and she is currently a PhD student at Eötvös Loránd University. Her field of research is music education in early childhood and the renewal of the musical training of early childhood and preschool educators. She also researches the legacy of Katalin Forrai, who was a disciple of Kodály and an outstanding figure of music education.