Carl Orff (1895-1982) was responsible for developing the Orff Schulwerk in 1920s Germany. His method gradually took off during the 30s and 40s, and eventually spread globally after WWII. His music was associated with the Nazi Party, but he was blacklisted from royalties due to his Jewish ancestry. https://aosa.org/about/more-on-orff-schulwerk/
Tenets of Orff Approach
1. Child-centered way of learning
2. All children can learn music in some capacity
3. Music is learned by doing
4. Has specialized "Orff Instruments" to assist learning
5. Improvisation based
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950) was a Swiss composer responsible for founding the Dalcroze Society of America. This was developed in 1886. Dalcroze was responsible for bringing movement to music. He was known for developing Eurythmics. https://dalcrozeusa.org
Tenets of Dalcroze approach
1. Rhythmic movement
2. Improvisation
3. Active listening
4. Physical expression of music
5. Ear training
6. Kinesthetic learning
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was a Hungarian composer and pedagogue. The Kodaly Foundation began in 1969 at the Holy Names College in Oakland, California. Kodaly used singing and he incorporated solfège as the foundation for his work. https://kodalyfoundation.org/about
Tenets of Kodaly approach
1. Singing as the foundation
2. Solfège and hand signs
3. Hungarian folk music
4. Audiation
5. Rhythmic and melodic dictation
6. Development of music literacy
7. Active listening
The Feierabend approach, developed by American music educator John Feierabend (b.1952) in the late 20th century, emphasizes early childhood music education through a combination of American folk songs, movement, and vocal development. https://www.feierabendmusic.org/about
Tenets of the Feierabend approach:
1. Create tuneful, beautiful, and artful individuals
2. Nurture innate musical abilities through joyful and developmentally appropriate experiences
3. Promote the use of quality literature
Based on an extensive body of research and practical field testing by Edwin E. Gordon (1927-2015) and others, MLT is a comprehensive approach for teaching audiation, Gordon's term for the ability to think music in the mind with understanding. https://giml.org/mlt/about/
Tenets of MLT:
1. Audiation as a foundation
2. Sequential learning processes
3. Sound before sight
4. Pattern-based learning
5. Integration of tonal and rhythm content
6. Application across musical disciplines
Our Eclectic Approach is a style of teaching that intentionally and thoughtfully takes from all of the available resources to accomplish specific, justifiable goals. This method is rather recent, and came around as a response to how some teachers felt limited by a single approach.
Our eclectic approach:
1. Everything is chosen for a reason
2. Teachers select from a wide variety of methods
3. Flexible approach
4. Each choice is justified
5. Context-sensitive