Zoltán Kodály (1882 - 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, linguist, educator, author and philosopher who had a significant impact on the field of music education.

Kodály believed:

• Everyone has the right to be musically literate.
• Teachers should use the student's most natural instrument, the voice.
• Music education should begin at an early age.
• Children should begin by learning their musical mother-tongue (the folk songs of their own cultures).
• Only music of the highest quality should be used in the classroom.
• Teachers should follow the stages of child development in a sequential approach to learning music, using the known to discover the unknown.
• To be an excellent teacher, one must also be an excellent musician and scholar.

Kodály's involvement with music education sprang from his personal experience as a skilled musician and composer. He studied music teaching methods from around the world and synthesized the most effective ones into a unique approach.

For more information about Zoltán Kodály and the Kodály philosophy, visit:

• Organization of American Kodály Educators 
• Music Educators National Conference 
• International Kodály Society 
• Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music (Kecskemét, Hungary)  

 Return to the Kodály Institute at Capital University.