MUSIK’s winter workshop, Musical Leadership in the Classroom, had seventy attendees and four wonderful presenters. The American Kodály Institute and Loyola University hosted our workshop in a spacious room with beautiful floor to ceiling glass windows, and we enjoyed a complimentary lunch. Our morning started with a Music Learning Theory presentation by Andrew Blumhardt. Participants sang songs in a wide range of modalities and meters, and discussed the methods for teaching children from birth through age five. The artistic director of the All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis, Lauren Walker, gave an engaging presentation on breaking down rehearsal strategies and building literacy skills with a chorus. She led participants in beautiful and engaging warm ups, and allowed time to collaborate and discuss how to sequence the teaching of a choral piece.
These sessions continued into the afternoon as Nick Holland led a session on Kindergarten Methodology. Nick recently piloted the new book Kodály in the Kindergarten Classroom: Developing the Creative Brain in the 21st Century by Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka at his school. He shared a sample lesson, video, and some technology tools for the classroom. We ended the day with a presentation from Rebecca Foster, who shared dozens of songs, games, and dances that encourage respect, collaboration, and cooperation among children. Participants ended the day with two boisterous folk dances, and everyone left with a wealth of resources and techniques for the classroom. Our next workshop, Learning through Play, the Kodály Way, will be held on Saturday, May 9th. MUSIK is also planning one extra workshop in April for the western part of the state, so visit our website for more information.