• Home
• Outreach
• Music Educator Professional Development
• Kodály Certification Program

Kodály Certification Program

July 2-12, 2024

Schedule

Jul 2-5 | 8am-4:30pm
Jul 6-7 | No classes
Jul 8-11 | 8am-4:30pm
Jul 12 | 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 2014 Teaching Guide First, We Sing! Kodaly-Inspired Teaching for the Music Classroom in advance of the course. It is available on Amazon.ca for ~$25.00.”

Course Description

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

Level II (not offered in 2024)
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. 

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

---

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.

---

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

---

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 Sunday, June 16, 2024. More information and application forms can be found on the Kodály Society of Canada website. 

---

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. 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

Dr. Tracy Wong
DMA, University of Toronto
M.Mus., University of Toronto

---

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.

 

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).

 

Tracy Wong

Tracy Wong is the Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University, where she conducts Chorale and Les Choristes ensembles, and teaches choral conducting. Dr. Wong was previously an Assistant Professor at McMaster University where she conducted the University Choir and Cantemus Ensemble, and taught a variety of conducting, choral methods, music education and history courses. Dr. Wong holds a Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) degrees from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt. She is also a proud recipient of the 2016 and 2017 Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting, and 2018–19 McMaster University Student Union Teaching Award. She hails from Malaysia and is a choral conductor, music educator, composer, vocalist, and pianist. She is passionate about helping choral educators to provide unique experiences for their students through collaborative commissions, customized workshops, festivals, and artist residencies. She does this through focusing on the balance of performance practice considerations, vocal and acoustic explorations, and choral artistry and heart. As an active clinician and educator, Dr. Wong has conducted workshops for choirs in North America and internationally. Her strong commitment to choral organizations is reflected in her work as Conductor of the 2024 Organization of American Kodály Educators (Concert Treble Choir), Keynote Speaker & guest conductor of the 2024 Kodály Australia National Conference, Conductor of the 2024 British Columbia Youth Choir, Co-Conductor of the 2023 Asia Pacific Youth Choir (International Federation of Choral Music), atelier leader of Europa Cantat Junior 2023 (Flanders/Belgium), former Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir (Kitchener, Ontario), and singer with Babɛl (Toronto). She is the 2023-2024 Composer-in-residence of Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, 2019 Canadian Composer Feature for the Canadian Kodály Journal, Alla Breve, and her choral works are featured at numerous reading sessions. Dr. Wong collaborates regularly with choral organizations on conducting events, commissioned projects, and residencies, and her compositions are widely published and performed internationally. (www.tracywongmusic.com)

---

Contact Us

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

Alberta (Kim) Eyre
aeyre@uwo.ca