Principles of using the Kodály method in Chinese music education: synthesis of traditional educational elements of Chinese musical culture and Zoltan Kodály’s music teaching approaches / Principios de la aplicación del método Kodály en la educación musical china: síntesis de elementos educativos tradicionales de la cultura musical china y el enfoque pedagógico de las enseñanzas musicales de Zoltan Kodály

Abstract

The paper measures the effectiveness and basic principles of the use of Kodály’s method in Chinese music education. The study was conducted among 186 first-year music students at Chinese universities. The methodology involved the following techniques: methodology for assessment of learner motivation (A. A. Rean, V. A. Yakunin, modified by N. C. Badmaeva), methodology for motivating to study at university (T. N. Ilyina), G. Davis’s Test of Creativity. The learning achievements were assessed with grade point averages and the exam outcomes. The research findings demonstrate the impact of Kodály’s methodology on the motivational and creative components of learning. The group’s grade point average on the ‘methodology for motivating to study at university’ scale increased: from 4.2 ± .2 to 4.8 ± .1 for ‘Communication’, from 4.5 ± .2 to 4.8 ± .1 for ‘Proficiency’, from 4.5 ± .2 to 4.8 ± .1 for ‘Learning and cognitive motive’. Kodály’s approach, based on the inclusion of singing, rhythm, movement and other supplementary exercises in music education, as well as authentic folk music, contributes to learning effectiveness.