Instructional Methods
Within music education, there are several specialized instructional methods which are taught and practiced around the world. Primary among these are Dalcroze Eurhythmics, the Kodály Concept, Orff-Schulwerk, and the Suzuki Method. In the print Music Collection, resources on these methods can typically be found in MT 1 "Instruction and study. General works" and MT 20 to 34 "Systems and methods." In addition to print books, the lists below can include reference sources, journal articles, and free online resources.
Overviews and Comparative Studies:
The Eclectic Curriculum in American Music Education: Contributions of Dalcroze, Kodály, and Orff by
A compilation of analytical essays by noted music educators, the book explores the importance of these methods in today's curriculum, providing ideas and teaching strategies to adapt these methods for use in the classroom.
Call Number: MT3.U5 E312 1990Publication Date: 1990
Orff and Kodály: Adapted for the Elementary School, Third Edition by Call Number: MT1.W445 O7 1985Publication Date: 1985
Dalcroze Eurhythmics
The Jaques-Dalcroze method (or Dalcroze Eurhythmics) was developed by Swiss composer and educator Emile Jaques-Dalcroze beginning in 1886. It is a playful, experiential approach to teaching and learning music which seeks to awaken innate musicality through rhythmic movement (eurhythmics), ear-training, and improvisation. Note: A search for "Eurhythmics" alone is very likely to return the 1980s pop duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. While users are most definitely encouraged to listen to their music, be sure to include "Dalcroze" in your search for the most pertinent results.
- American Dalcroze Journal The American Dalcroze Journal, an academic journal from the Dalcroze Society of America (DSA), ran from 1978 to 2016. The Society's online archives contains digital scans of this journal, currently back to Volume 35 (2008). DSA members can access these scans for free. Non-members should request articles via Interlibrary Loan.
- American Eurhythmics Society (AES) The mission of the American Eurhythmics Society (AES) is to promote the use of eurhythmics among music and other arts educators. The AES provides education, outreach, and engagement on a national level.
- Dalcroze Connections The twice-yearly magazine of the Dalcroze Society of America (DSA), Dalcroze Connections features interviews, announcements, articles, and more for the Dalcroze community. It is available free and in full text at the DSA website.
- Dalcroze Society of America (DSA) The Dalcroze Society of America is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to promoting the artistic and pedagogical principles of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze through educational workshops, publications, financial and consultative assistance, and the encouragement of local chapters throughout the United States.
- "Jaques-Dalcroze, Emile" at Oxford Music Online Brief entry on Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, the creator of Dalcroze Eurythmics, written by Lawrence W. Haward and revised by Reinhard Ring. Includes bibliographical references to Dalcroze's writings as well as secondary literature on Dalcroze and his method.
Rhythm and Life: The Work of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze by
A biography of Jaques-Dalcroze, a survey of his principal compositions, an explanation & demonstration of his pedagogical works, his sensational ear training method, especially the landmark project rythmique (eurhythmics: physical responses to rhythm & other musical elements) are offered here. The development of modern dance & theatre emerged from Dalcroze's ideas.
Call Number: ML429.J2 S6 1990Publication Date: 1990
Dalcroze Today: An Education Through and Into Music by
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, 1865-1950, was an educational pioneer, musician, and creative artist. This book gives us a fascinating insight into the inception and development of his work, from the end of the last century up to the present day. It traces his growing ideas on the use of movement and of improvisation in the process of music learning, and the application of these ideas to the vital experiencing of musical material, both for children and adults.
Call Number: MT22 .B313 1991Publication Date: 1991
Rhythm and Movement: Applications of Dalcroze Eurhythmics by
"Of the three elements of music---rhythm, melody, and harmony---rhythm has received the least attention from the theorists, yet it is indisputably the basic element without which there is no musical art." Such is the first sentence of this book on use of the body to express musical rhythm. Elsa Findlay is eminently qualified to write on this subject, having been a student of Emile-Jaques Dalcroze, the master himself, and also from her own experience in a variety of teaching situations. These included schools of dance and theater, colleges and universities, and The Cleveland Institute of Music, one of the first to offer a BMus degree with a major in eurhythmics. Each chapter concentrates on a different phase of rhythm: tempo, dynamics, duration, metrical patterns, speech and rhythm patterns, phrase and form, pitch and melody, and creative expression. Activities for each phase are outlined in detail and illustrated by charming drawings and photos. Appendices furnish further suggestions for exercises, games, action songs, and suitable music.
Call Number: MT22 .F5ISBN: 9780874870787Publication Date: 1995
Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the Choral Classroom by
"This book is well organized, clearly written and broadly applicable to multiple teaching contexts. I highly recommend this as an essential resource in every choral educators' library." So says master teacher and acting ACDA executive director Hilary Apfelstadt. Written by two of the world's leaders in Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Marla Butke and David Frego, this resource brings together all of the elements that make teaching with movement such a success with choral music. Twenty-six videos have been created using choirs and students at every level from elementary to college. Video is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded.
Call Number: MT875 .B92 2021 (Music Collection Oversize)Publication Date: 2021
Kodály Concept
Developed by the Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, and educator Zoltán Kodály, the Kodály Concept emphasizes choral singing, especially the singing of folk music and other music of quality, as a way for children to develop into complete musicians. This philosophy of education and concept of teaching is a comprehensive, experience-based program to train basic musical skills and teach the reading and writing of music. In addition to the recommended books below, several curriculum guides which tailor the Kodály Concept to specific grade levels are also available; these are shelved in range 77 near the DVDs within Education, Music and Media.
- Keeping Up with Kodály: Concepts in Music Education Part of Keeping Up with Music Education series. Published bimonthly in Muncie, Indiana from 1974-1976. Available at Bracken Library in Bound Periodicals (2 West).
- "Kodály, Zoltán" at Oxford Music Online Encyclopedia entry on the founder of the Kodály method, Zoltán Kodály, by László Eősze and revised by Mícheál Houlahan and Philip Tacka. Bibliographical references included (see in particular "Music education.")
- Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) A professional organization which promotes universal music literacy and lifelong music making as inspired by the vision of Zoltán Kodály
Kodály's Principles in Practice: An Approach to Music Education through the Kodály Method by Call Number: MT1 .S99 1973Publication Date: 1973
Kodály Concept: Its History, Philosophy, and Development by Call Number: MT1 .Z4 1977Publication Date: approx. 1977
The Kodály Context: Creating an Environment for Musical Learning by Call Number: MT1 .C536Publication Date: approx. 1981
The Kodály Method: Comprehensive Music Education from Infant to Adult by
Designed to provide sample month-by-month and yearly plans for each grade level from one to six, this step-by-step guide features a collection of more than 200 songs--many of which are new to the Third Edition--organized precisely in the sequence of the Kodaly Method. KEY TOPICS: It presents a highly sequential music program in which singing, moving, listening, musical reading and writing, improvising and composing are the means through which children develop skills and acquire knowledge about melody, harmony, rhythm, form, tempo, timbre, and dynamics.
Call Number: MT1 .C537 1988Publication Date: 1988
Kodály Today: A Cognitive Approach to Elementary Music Education by
In this new edition of their groundbreaking Kodály Today, Mícheál Houlahan and Philip Tacka offer an expertly-researched, thorough, and -- most importantly -- practical approach to transforming curriculum goals into tangible, achievable musical objectives and effective lesson plans. Their model -- grounded in the latest research in music perception and cognition -- outlines the concrete practices behind constructing effective teaching portfolios, selecting engaging music repertoire for the classroom, and teaching musicianship skills successfully to elementary students of all degrees of proficiency. Addressing the most important questions in creating and teaching Kodály-based programs, Houlahan and Tacka write through a practical lens, presenting a clear picture of how the teaching and learning processes go hand-in-hand. Their innovative approach was designed through a close, six-year collaboration between music instructors and researchers, and offers teachers an easily-followed, step-by-step roadmap for developing students' musical understanding and metacognition skills. A comprehensive resource in the realm of elementary music education, this book is a valuable reference for all in-service music educators, music supervisors, and students and instructors in music education.
Call Number: MT1 .H838 2015Publication Date: 2015
Orff-Schulwerk
Orff-Schulwerk is the creative movement and music approach developed by German composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman. This approach which first appeared in the early 1930s emphasizes imitation, exploration, improvisation, and composition all with an instinctive attitude toward play. It's also known for its iconic percussion instruments. Did you know Orff-Schulwerk has a local history? The American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA) was founded here in Muncie, Indiana in May 1968 at the instigation of Arnold Burkart who served as Professor of Music Education at Ball State University from 1967 to 1992. Burkart would serve as AOSA's first President and, for ten years, he edited and published the magazine, Keeping Up with Orff-Schulwerk in the Classroom. To this day, Orff-Schulwerk is taught at Ball State University.
- American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA) AOSA is a professional organization of educators dedicated to Orff-Schulwerk, the creative music and movement approach developed by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman. AOSA was founded in 1968 in Muncie, Indiana, by Arnold Burkart, former Ball State University Professor of Music Education and first President of AOSA. It is now the largest American organization of Orff educators.
- "AOSA History and Founders" at AOSA website A brief history of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), including information on former Ball State University Professor of Music Education, Arnold Burkart.
- Keeping Up with Orff-Schulwerk in the Classroom Magazine publication based in Muncie, Indiana and edited by Arnold Burkart, former Professor of Music Education at Ball State University. Issued bimonthly from 1973 to 1983 as part of the series, Keeping Up with Music Education. Available at Bracken Library in Bound Periodicals (2 West).
- "Orff, Carl" at Oxford Music Online Encyclopedia entry on the founder of Orff-Schulwerk, Carl Orff, by Alberto Fassone. See in particular section three which offers an overview of the Schulwerk. Bibliographical references included.
- The Orff Echo The peer-reviewed journal of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. University Libraries does not currently provide access, but indices of articles and authors are available at the AOSA website. Users are encouraged to request materials through interlibrary loan.
- Orff Institute of the University Mozarteum Salzburg In 1961 Carl Orff established the Orff Institute as a center for elementary education in music and dance at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. The Orff Institute is devoted to the training of teachers for elementary education in music and dance/movement in schools and as freelance teachers on all educational levels. The institute is particularly oriented toward the academic and artistic-practical development of education in music and dance and also upholds the tradition of Orff-Schulwerk, its documentation, and further development.
The Schulwerk by
Volume 3 of "Documentation, His Life and Works," an eight-volume autobiography of Carl Orff, published by Hans Schneider, Tutzing, Germany. A unique personal history of Schulwerk, from the early days in 1923 when Carl Orff came under the influence of Daorothee Gunther, Mary Wigman and Gunild Keetman, to the 'Symposium Orff-Schulwerk 1975' in Salzburg which crowned a lifetime devoted to Schulwerk 'an idea that went around the world'. Carl Orff's fascinating reminiscences on people and events concerned with Schulwerk, the evolution of his instrumentarium, early publications, and the development of Schulwerk on an international basis are accompanied by music examples and many historical photographs.
Call Number: ML410.O65 C313Publication Date: approx. 1978
Orff-Schulwerk: Applications for the Classroom by
A step-by-step exploration of the three musical elements - rhythm, melody, and harmony - according to the Orff method.
Call Number: MT1 .W33 1991Publication Date: 1991
Texts on Theory and Practise of Orff-Schulwerk by
German text and English translation on facing pages
Call Number: MT26 .S78 2011Publication Date: 2011
Artful - Playful - Mindful: A New Orff-Schulwerk Curriculum for Music Making and Music Thinking by
Jane Frazee has made a major contribution to music education in the USA through her practical teaching and through her published works. In this latest book, new considerations are offered regarding the unique contribution of music to the lives of all students. You will discover how music learning relates to all learning, and you will find a curriculum model that inspires you and your students to make music, to make up music, and to make sense of music.
Call Number: MT26 .F73 2012Publication Date: 2012
Orff Instruments and How to Play Them: A Handbook for Pedagogical Practice by
Orff Instruments and How to Play Them is both a handbook and a practical guide: It gives a detailed and comprehensive overview of the characteristic sounds, the origins and the different playing techniques of the individual instruments, as well as valuable tips for selection and care. The numerous practical examples, notes on methodology and musical pieces are enhanced with sample accompaniments and playbacks on the enclosed CD. The many suggestions and ideas can be implemented easily and immediately. Orff Instruments and How to Play Them is an essential reference guide for anyone who wants to use the Instrumentarium in groups, especially in kindergartens, schools, music schools and in their studies.
Call Number: 784.8 A1 O74 2016 (EMM Curriculum Guides)Publication Date: 2016
Suzuki Method
The Suzuki Method was developed by Shin'ichi Suzuki, the Japanese violinist, educator, and philosopher of education. His philosophy was that every child can learn music when started at an early age and placed in an environment of love, encouragement, and parental involvement. Unlike the other methods above, the Suzuki Method does not have a specific location in Library of Congress Classification. Instead print books are scattered throughout the Music Collection and a final recommendation is located in the General Collection.
- "Suzuki, Shin'ichi" at Oxford Music Online Encyclopedia entry on the founder of the Suzuki method, Shin'ichi Suzuki, by Minao Shibata and revised by Masakata Kanazawa. Bibliographical references included.
- Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) The organization officially-licensed by the International Suzuki Association to support, guide, and promote the Suzuki Method in the United States. Developed by Shin'ichi Suzuki, the Suzuki Method approaches music education, particularly on stringed instruments, with the philosophy that every child can learn music.
Nurtured by Love: A New Approach to Education by
This book is legendary pedagogue Shin'ichi Suzuki's exploration of the concepts of his Talent Education philosophy through a personal narrative of discovery and experiences. Translated from the original Japanese into English, this work provides fascinating insight into the mind of the master. Both the original Nurtured by Love and Nurtured by Love Revised Edition are a must for any teacher, player, or devotee of Dr. Suzuki's teachings, and promise to inspire new generations.
Call Number: MT1 .S92Publication Date: 1969
The Suzuki Concept: An Introduction to a Successful Method for Early Music Education by Call Number: MT6 .S927Publication Date: 1973
The Suzuki Violinist: A Guide for Teachers and Parents by Call Number: MT761 .S7Publication Date: 1976
Suzuki Changed My Life by
This autobiographical work is full of touching anecdotal references to occurrences in Honda's early life that subtly bring the Suzuki philosophies into focus. Written in the early seventies, this charming book seems at first to be an autobiography (which indeed it is), but as one reads further into the book, one realizes that it is much more. Through the effective use of literary devices, Honda is in reality painting a picture of another life, that of his mentor, Shinichi Suzuki. As Honda tells of his boyhood, each time he learns a lesson in life---humility, compassion, philosophy, love of life, love of art and music---he is in fact building towards the core of his later passion, the spreading of Suzuki's teachings worldwide. Contained herewith is a history lesson on the beginnings of Talent Education in Japan as told by one of the few people who was there at the very beginning. Develop character through music"---this is how Dr. Honda defines Talent Education at its most fundamental. One learns of the beginnings of Suzuki teaching in the United States from one of the men responsible for bringing Talent Education to this country. This is entertaining reading, with joy, heartache, pain, courage and, above all, insight into this revolution which is still taking place, the development of early childhood education. It should be read by all who have a passing interest in Suzuki and his teachings."
Call Number: ML418.S83 H6Publication Date: approx. 1976
Suzuki: The Man and His Dream to Teach the Children of the World by
The remarkable life of violinist and teacher Shinichi Suzuki, who pioneered an innovative but often-misunderstood philosophy of early childhood education-now known the world over as the Suzuki Method. The name Shinichi Suzuki is synonymous with early childhood musical education. By the time of his death in 1998, countless children around the world had been taught using his methods, with many more to follow. Yet Suzuki's life and the evolution of his educational vision remain largely unexplored. A committed humanist, he was less interested in musical genius than in imparting to young people the skills and confidence to learn. Eri Hotta details Suzuki's unconventional musical development and the emergence of his philosophy. She follows Suzuki from his youth working in his father's Nagoya violin factory to his studies in interwar Berlin, the beginnings of his teaching career in 1930s Tokyo, and the steady flourishing of his practice at home and abroad after the Second World War. As Hotta shows, Suzuki's aim was never to turn out disciplined prodigies but rather to create a world where all children have the chance to develop, musically and otherwise. Undergirding his pedagogy was an unflagging belief that talent, far from being an inborn quality, is cultivated through education. Moreover, Suzuki's approach debunked myths of musical nationalism in the West, where many doubted that Asian performers could communicate the spirit of classical music rooted in Europe. Suzuki touched the world through a pedagogy founded on the conviction that all children possess tremendous capacity to learn. His story offers not only a fresh perspective on early childhood education but also a gateway to the fraught history of musical border-drawing and to the makings of a globally influential life in Japan's tumultuous twentieth century.
Call Number: ML423.S96 H67 2022Publication Date: 2022
Preschool in the Suzuki Spirit by
One of the founders of the nationally renowned Suzuki Pre-School in New York broadly outlines the basis and the basics of the Suzuki method. In addition to detailing Dr. Shin'ichi Suzuki's revolutionary approach to musical instruction, Grilli discusses the application of Suzuki principles to each subject area in the preschool curriculum. Parents and teachers will appreciate the wealth of advice on step-by-step tutelage and potential-oriented learning. Also included are curriculum ideas, suggested readings and recordings for adults and children, and a comprehensive bibliography.
Call Number: LB1140.2 .G74 1987 (General Collection)Publication Date: 1987
Interlibrary Loan
Users are encouraged to search for items beyond University Libraries' catalog via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and WorldCat. Materials not available in print or online may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Please allow up to seven days for electronic delivery and up to fourteen days for delivery of physical items.