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Kodály Certification Program

Levels I & III
July 13–24, 2026

Schedule

July 13–17 | 8am–4:30pm
July 18–19 | no classes
July 20–23 | 8am–4:30pm
July 24 | 8am–2pm

In this two-week intensive program, participants will strengthen their personal musicianship and pedagogical skills, with content grounded in a contemporary understanding of the philosophy inspired by Zoltán Kodály.

Participants will engage in supportive musically educative opportunities through singing, reading, writing, moving and creating to build personal skills and knowledge to assist in classroom music teaching and learning.

Participants must purchase a copy of Susan Brumfield’s revised edition of First, We Sing! Kodály-Inspired Teaching for the Music Classroom | Teaching Guide for K-5 | Songbook with Lesson Plans, Repertoire and Music Literacy Tools (Hal Leonard). This resource is available on Amazon.ca (usually for approximately $30.00)

Kodály Certification Program postcard (PDF)

Course Description

Level I
Level I is appropriate for experienced teachers, emerging teachers and graduate students.

Level II (not offered in 2026)
Level II builds on the learning in Level I and is open to those who have successfully completed a KSC or OAKE certified Kodály Level I course. The Kodály Society of Canada will certify candidates who successfully complete Level III. 

Level III
Level III builds on the learning in Levels I & II and is open to those who have successfully completed a KSC or OAKE certified Kodály Level II course. The Kodály Society of Canada will certify candidates who successfully complete Level III.

 

Participants will

• Strengthen understanding of a Kodály-based pedagogical sequence and its connections to the Ontario curriculum
• Explore activities that assist children’s growth in singing, playing, reading, writing, moving, listening and creating music
• Strengthen their personal musicianship, conducting and choral ensemble skills
• Immerse themselves in global folk music and music literature for use in classroom and community teaching

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Also Available

• Primary Junior Vocal Music Part 1 Additional Qualification (AQ) available at the Faculty of Education, Western University. Candidates will complete Kodály Level I onsite and an additional two weeks online. 

For further information contact Dr. Kim Eyre (Faculty of Education, Western University) at aeyre@uwo.ca.

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Testimonials

"The Kodály certification course empowered me with knowledge and material that compels me to evaluate and reevaluate my teaching pedagogy on a daily basis. Taught by an outstanding faculty, the focus of this course is intergenerational and interdisciplinary in a welcoming and thoroughly encouraging environment." – Brent Fifield

"There is not a single day in the classroom that I don't find myself using the skills I have developed in the summer Kodály course at Western. My students find the singing games extremely engaging and I enjoy the structure of teaching a Kodaly lesson. Through the development of a song collection you will leave this course prepared with materials and teaching strategies to make music learning enjoyable for children." – Chantel Vallier

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Scholarships Offered from the Kodály Society of Canada and the Kodály Society of Ontario

Current members of the Kodály Society of Ontario, which includes membership in the Kodály Society of Canada, are eligible to apply for KSC and KSO scholarships.

The deadline for scholarship applications is TBA (to be published mid-March). More information and application forms can be found on the Kodály Society of Canada website. 

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Faculty

Dr. Kim Eyre
Ph.D., University of Toronto
Diploma, Kodály Pedagogical Institute Hungary
M.Mus., Holy Names University
Kodály Certification, University of Calgary
B. Ed., Western University
B.Mus. Honours Music Education, Western University

Dr. László Nemes
DMus., University of Alberta
M Mus., Choral Conducting, University of Alberta
Diploma, Music Education & Choral Conducting, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary

Dr. Eila Peterson
Ph.D., Music Education, Northwestern University
M.Mus., Music Education, University of Calgary
B.Ed., Western University
B.Mus. Honours Music Education, Western University

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Biographies

Kim Eyre is semi-retired but continues her passionate advocacy for music education. She was privileged to serve as a music educator in elementary schools in London, ON, the Faculty of Education, Western University, the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University and currently teaches in the undergraduate music education program at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University. Kim is the coordinator for the Kodály Certification program at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University. Her degrees include Doctor of Philosophy (University of Toronto), Diploma (Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kesckemét, Hungary), Master of Music (Holy Names University, Oakland, California), Kodály Certification, University of Calgary and Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Music (University of Western Ontario). Kim is the Past President of the Kodály Society of Ontario and the Kodály Society of Canada. She is a frequent presenter at local, provincial, national, and international music conferences. She has also instructed at summer courses at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Alberta. Kim’s primary research interests include identity formation and reformation of pre-service and in-service elementary specialist and generalist music teachers and a reimagining of Kodály music education in Canada.

László Norbert Nemes, Director of the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary from 2008 to 2023, is currently the Artistic Leader of the Nationale Jeugdkoren (National Youth Choirs of the Netherlands). The organisation encompasses several age-based ensembles and plays a vital role in nurturing the next generation of Dutch vocal talent. In addition to his artistic work, László Nemes has a distinguished academic career. He holds a doctoral degree in choral conducting from the University of Alberta (Canada) and a habilitation certificate from the Liszt Academy of Music (Hungary). He currently teaches choral conducting and Kodály-based musicianship at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag (The Hague, Netherlands) and is Guest Professor and Academic Consultant at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. László has conducted and taught extensively throughout Europe and across the world, including in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States. In recognition of his artistic achievements, he received the Bartók–Pásztory Award from the Liszt Academy of Music in 2005, and in March 2017 he was awarded the Golden Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit.

Eila Peterson has studied Kodály methodology with Ilona Bartalus, Miklós Takács, László Vikár, Lois Choksy, Erzsébet Szönyi, and Katalin Forrai and she has taught Musicianship for summer Kodály programs at the universities of Calgary and Victoria. Dr. Peterson currently teaches Music Theory and Aural Skills courses at The King’s University in Edmonton. She holds B.Mus. and B.Ed. degrees (Western University), M.Mus. (University of Calgary), and a Ph.D. in Music Education (Northwestern University).

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Contact Us

Need more information about the Kodály Certification program? We're here to help!

Alberta (Kim) Eyre
aeyre@uwo.ca