Tuesday, October 23, 2012

RESTON, VA (October 23, 2012) –The National Association for Music Education and the American String Teachers Association officially welcomed the Organization of American Kodály Educators to the Music Education Policy Roundtable.

The mission of the Organization of American Kodály Educators is to support music education of the highest quality, promote universal music literacy and lifelong music making, and preserve the musical heritage of the people of the United States of America through education, artistic performance, advocacy and research.

Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967), prominent Hungarian composer and musician, directed a significant portion of his creative endeavors to improving the quality of singing and music training of teachers and children alike throughout the Hungarian nation. Kodály believed that music is meant to develop one's entire being: personality, intellect and emotions.

OAKE was founded in 1975 to serve as a meeting place for music educators who embrace the Kodály Concept of Music Education. It draws its membership from educators of all levels, public and private, students, administrators, and others who share in its support and promotion.

Kodály's advocacy for music education rested on the philosophy of "universal musical humanism" -- each person has musical ability that ought to be cultivated in order to benefit humanity. Kodály advocated that by developing independent musical thinkers, universal music education could help to enlighten society to the cultural riches present in music and help to create a more ideal society. Based on singing as the first musical instrument, Kodály-inspired pedagogy is a comprehensive program that develops the ability to understand what is heard, and then transfers that learning to reading, writing, improvisation, and composition. Kodály-based methodological sequences are derived from selected musical literature that includes folk music and the music of the masters. Rhythmic, melodic, and metric element are extracted from the literature, arranged from simple to complex, and then methodically prepared, presented, and practiced. For more information on OAKE or Kodály-inspired teaching, please visit www.oake.org.

The Music Education Policy Roundtable, a coalition of music associations that, since February 2011, has been collectively advocating for music education, welcomes OAKE to the fold. With their added presence, the call for music advocacy action has become louder and America's students have a better promise of a well-rounded education.



The Music Education Policy Roundtable

The Music Education Policy Roundtable is an alliance of 18 music advocacy organizations formalized by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and American String Teachers Association (ASTA). The mission of The Roundtable is the unification of all music education advocacy organizations under a single policy apparatus, working in unison to achieve a consensus set of federal legislative recommendations, on behalf of the profession and all of those who stand to benefit from its contributions to education. The Roundtable is dedicated to ensuring the presence and perseverance of school music programs operated by certified music educators teaching sequential, standards-based music education to students across the nation.



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