The Kouly Nethou of Nusic Euucation

Zack Spivey
1
TBE K0BALY NETB0B 0F N0SIC EB0CATI0N
!"#$ &'()*+
!"#$%&'(#)%" #% +',)( -&'(.#)%" /$%01(# 23

A vast aiiay of methouologies exist foi teaching music to chiluien, but few
aie as influential anu histoiically impoitant than the Kouly methou. Aptly nameu,
the Kouly methou was uevelopeu by Zoltn Kouly, a Bungaiian composei anu
music euucationalist who stuuieu music at the Fianz Liszt Acauemy (Lieise, 2u1u).
It was Kouly's philosophy that music belongeu to eveiyone, anu that eveiyone hau
some amount of musical ability anu talent. Kouly began to cieate a new
methouology of music euucation aftei listening to the music that was being taught to
young chiluien at the time. Be was appalleu by the "quality" of music that was being
taught, anu took it upon himself to foimulate a new way of involving stuuents in
music (Nayhew, 2u1S).
Kouly believeu that staiting stuuents in music eaily was ciitical to theii
success. Be also believeu that the musical liteiatuie shoulu be of the highest quality
possible. Foi this ieason, Kouly collaboiateu with one of his contempoiaiies, Bla
Baitok to tiansciibe anu publish a set of Bungaiian folk tunes foi stuuents (Lieise,
2u1u). To this uay, Kouly anu Baitok's woik is publisheu in volumes anu aie useu
in classiooms aiounu the woilu (Nayhew, 2u1S). Piimaiily, stuuents aie taught by
eai piioi to leaining how to ieau notes anu symbols. Stuuents aie taught thiough a
movable "Bo" system using hanu signs. The hanu signs that Kouly useu while
ueveloping the methou weie uevelopeu by }ohn Cuiwen (1816-188u) in Englanu
(Lieise, 2u1u). Chiluien aie taught to sing iathei than play instiuments at fiist
because of Kouly's philosophy that the voice was the most univeisal foim of music
anu that "leaining the mothei tongue" was one of the founuations of music
euucation (Caiy, 2u12; Lieise, 2u1u). Anothei impoitant tool of Kouly's teaching is
the use of ihythmic teaching syllables. Kouly boiioweu these syllables fiom
The Kouly Nethou of Nusic Euucation
Zack Spivey
2
}acques Chev (Caiy, 2u12).
0nce uevelopeu, Kouly began his new foim of music euucation in the
Bungaiian school cuiiiculum staiting in 194S. The piogiam quickly giew, anu was
wiuespieau thioughout the countiy within two yeais time (Lieise, 2u1u). Aftei this,
Kouly piesenteu his woik to the Inteinational Society of Nusic Euucation
confeience in Buuapest. Pleaseu by the iesults that they saw in stuuents anu by the
compiehensiveness of Kouly's methous, the confeience woikeu haiu in oiuei to
piomote this new way of teaching. Thanks to this, the Kouly methou was
intiouuceu in othei iegions of the woilu anu was soon wiuespieau in many uiffeient
countiies. The methou was auapteu to othei countiies by using uiffeient folk tunes
native to the iespective countiy. This was to ensuie that stuuents weie investeu in
what they weie leaining, anu because the vast majoiity of othei countiies weie not
familiai with Bungaiian folk songs (Lieise, 2u1u). Pait of the ieason that the Kouly
methou spieau thioughout Euiope so quickly was the neaily utilitaiian stiuctuie of
teaching that it pioviueu. Kouly's system was iobust anu easy to follow, anu this
maue it an optimal staiting point foi schools that uiu not yet have any foim of music
euucation.
Leaining the Kouly methou of teaching is ielatively stiaightfoiwaiu
compaieu to othei methous of music euucation such as the piocess cieateu by Cail
0iff. Almost all of Kouly's methou books aie still publisheu anu ieauily available foi
puichase. Anyone can stuuy Kouly's methous in this fashion, anu foi this ieason
many cuiient elementaiy teacheis use Kouly as a basis foi theii cuiiiculum. 0nlike
the 0iff methou of teaching, theie is no ceitification that is iequiieu in oiuei to
teach the Kouly methou in public school, noi is theii an association ueuicateu to
the methou. The closest that the Kouly methou comes is a school in Kecskemt,
Bungaiy nameu the Zoltn Kouly Peuagogical Institute of music, which, unlike the
majoiity of Kouly baseu piogiams, teaches music exactly in the way that Kouly
oiiginally intenueu.
The Kouly Nethou of Nusic Euucation
Zack Spivey
S
W0RKS CITEB
Caiy, B. u. (2u12). K0BALY ANB 0RFF: A C0NPARIS0N 0F TW0 APPR0ACBES IN EARLY N0SIC
EB0CATI0N. !"#$%&'() +(,(-&.(/ 0#12-,/134 5"%,#(& "6 7"81(& 781-#8-/ , 16.
Lieise, S. (2u1u). TBE K0BALY NETB0B IN TBE TWENTY-FIRST CENT0RY. 9%&&-31# "6 3:-
;,(#/1&2(#1( 0#12-,/134 "6 9,(/"2 , S.
Nayhew, B. P. (2u1S, Septembei 24). Nusic Teaching Nethous. (I. t. Euucation, Inteiviewei)