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Topic of the Symposium: On Values of Music

The privilege of organization of this international meeting involving people interested in and working for the development of general music education throughout the Kodaly method was put in hands of The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice under auspices of International Kodaly Society (IKS).

Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967) famous Hungarian educator, composer, ethnomusicologist, and humanist discovered essential educational qualities participating in complex child’s development based on worthy music, especially native folk music and activities involving singing together. His efforts to make music education at schools being appreciated and valued resulted in creating so called Kodaly classes where music and singing are taught every day at general education schools. Research shows that children attending such lessons achieve not only high level in music education but also in different subjects including development of social and creative abilities.

Since mid 80s in Poland (also in Katowice) there are organized such singing schoolchildren groups where music education is taught on the basis of Polish adaptation of Zoltan Kodaly’s music-pedagogical concept. It needs to be said that the work on Polish adaptation has been continued since 1980 and it includes a huge number of publications and educational materials such as student’s and teacher’s books for music teaching. Katowice and Kodaly society there have their outstanding input in Polish adaptation especially in its methodlogical aspect. Academy of Music in Katowice has been for many years co-organizer of Polish-Hungarian Kodaly Seminaries where hundreds of teachers could learn the method in practice.

19th International Kodaly Symposium can be a once-in-a lifetime chance to meet wonderful people, to exchange views and experiences on music education and to live unforgettable artistic moments while listening to numerous concerts accompanying the Symposium.
Details you can see on the website: www.kodaly.am.katowice.pl