The Mission of the Kodály Foundation for Music Education is the advancement of music education
based on the vision of Hungarian composer, scholar and educator Zoltán Kodály,
by supporting the Kodály Center that was founded in 1969 at Holy Names College in Oakland, California.
In 2023 University of Redlands welcomed the Kodály Center programs.
Current Events
See master teacher Lydia Mills work with students from Melrose Academy (Oakland, CA) followed by a choral demonstration by Karyn Silva featuring "Ensemble" of the Peninsula Girls Chorus on November 9, 2024.
Saturday, November 9, 2024
10:00am – 11:45am
Piedmont Center for the Arts
801 Magnolia Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94610
Join us afterwards for a receptionwith the presenters and their students!
New KFME grant
August 1, 2024
We are excited to announce a $25,000 KFME grant from the Library of Congress’s Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Midwest Region for a new project of the online American Folk Song Collection. Entitled The Folk Songs of the Midwestern United States: Providing Primary Sources for K-12 Educators, this grant supports the research of songs collected in the Midwest to add to those already on this site. Read more here.
2024 Kodály Summer Certificate Reflections
Wenbo Deng
“The 2024 Kodály Summer Certificate program at the University of Redlands was an incredible experience. The program not only deepened my understanding of the Kodály methodology but also provided me with practical tools that I can immediately apply in my teaching. The intensive training and the opportunity to learn from experienced instructors have significantly enhanced my approach to music education. I am excited to bring the techniques and insights gained from this program into my classroom, and I believe it will have a lasting impact on my students' musical development.”
— Wenbo Deng, Level I (2024)
“For musicianship and conducting, practicing under Réka was a joy. In the three weeks we had together she pushed us to grow, but always with the goal of teaching in mind. She taught us to be better musicians, but then shared her curriculum and teaching strategies as well so that we could teach others. The last day we huddled together on the floor poring over her books as she explained how and when to use each. It felt like our rite of passage. And being in a choir again—what a delight. I hadn't sung in a group of well-trained singers like this since before COVID, and I can't tell you how good it felt. It reminded me why I'm doing all of this, why I want to share the love of music, why I want my children to experience it too.”
— Josh Chamberlain, Level II (2024)
Louis Orren
“The Kodály Summer Certificate program is highly beneficial to aspiring and current music teachers. Through the Kodály approach, I have learned what specific core concepts can best turn students into passionate and great musicians. Each concept is taught through songs and games that include the concept and instill greater musical understanding. I intend to use this learning to create a music program that develops increased appreciation and mastery of music for my students.”
— Louis Orren, Level II (2024)
The Kodály Center
Generosity, Inclusion and Community
Kodály’s Main Tenets
Music is for everybody
Singing is the most human and universal of instruments
Music literacy is a universal right and not a secret language for a select few
Folk music and art music are the most valuable and lasting materials for developing music literacy
Online American Folk Song Collection
The American Folk Song Collection launched in 2004 to make quality folk music available to music teachers and students around the world. It has become the premiere site for American folk song and attracts more than a million page views each year. Donations assist in continuing the work to select, transcribe and analyze songs for inclusion on the site. In 2014 the San Francisco Chronicle featured the Online American Folk Song Collection as front page news.
The Kodály Center provides training and resources for teachers, conductors, parents, and others interested in the power of music in transforming individuals and communities. Offerings include seminars, introductory classes, and summer and academic year certificate and degree programs. An integrated and practical curriculum, a supportive atmosphere, and a high standard of excellence are hallmarks of the Center’s programs.
The Kodály Center: A story of generosity, inclusivity and excellence. (Dec.12, 2017)
“We recognize Kodály's principle that children become connected to their communities and the wider world by hearing and singing the traditional folk songs of their culture.”
- Sr. Mary Alice Hein,
Founder of the Kodály Center
Kodály method included in UNESCO World Heritage list
In 2016, UNESCO’s intergovernmental committee for the world’s cultural heritage included Hungarian composer, researcher and music teacher Zoltán Kodály’s method for the preservation of folk music in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Learn more about the the musical, educational and cultural concepts associated with Zoltán Kodály at International Kodály Society.
“Over the past century, the Kodály concept of safeguarding traditional folk music has helped to promote, transmit and document local practices in Hungary and assisted communities abroad for similar purposes.”
