“Singing, independent of an instrument, is the real and profound schooling of musical abilities.” —Zoltan Kodaly

The practical realization of the teaching philosophy of the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly was developed by several dedicated Hungarian music teachers and has been adapted in many countries. Based on the use of the unaccompanied singing voice, it develops accuracy of pitch as well as teaching, writing, and listening skills. It thus forms a solid basis for every kind of music study.

At the pre-school and kindergarten levels, the emphasis is on action songs and carefully chosen games to form the foundation of musical skills. Children learn to recognize melodic and harmonic relationships between pitches through their experience with simple folk material, songs, and games. Hand signs are used as a visual aid to help establish pitch, and the use of signs with both hands helps teach intervals and independent part-singing.

Rhythmic exercises and combinations of ostinatos with melodies further strengthen the ability to think polyphonically. Musical literacy develops naturally from the skills gained in Kodaly classes, where the primary consideration is the joy of making music.

VAM offers six levels of sequential instruction, beginning at the pre-school level.