Kodály Envoy - Oake · the Vaughan Williams Library from 1979 ... national Folk Music Council, vol. 23, April 1963. p. 1. ... 4 Kodály Envoy

Kodály EnvoyQuarterly of the Organization of American Kodály Educators VOL. 42, NO. 4 • Summer 2016

2016 OAKE National Conference

The Kodály Envoy (ISSN# 1084-1776) is published quarterly by the Organization of American Kodály Educators. Copyright © 2016 Organization of American Kodály Educators. All rights reserved.

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Statements and opinions expressed or implied in the Kodály Envoy are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor or publisher.

Editor Elizabeth Pontiff46781 Backwater Dr.Sterling VA, [email protected]

Advertising Editor Colleen GravesOAKE National Office10801 National Blvd, Suite 590Los Angeles, CA 90064 Fax: 310-441-3577; Phone: 310-441-3555 [email protected]

Associate Editor Ruth Boshkoff Bloomington, IN

Editorial Board Sarah BartolomeChicago, IL

Elaine BernstorfWichita, KS

Susan BrumfieldLubbock, TX

Alice HammelRichmond, VA

Andy PaneyOxford, MS

Kodály Envoy Contents Summer 2016

Volume 42 Number 4

Features and Columns 2 Message from the President: Mary A. Epstein—The Past Comes Full Circle 5 Choral Connections: Sandra L. Mathias—Planning for the Year! 6 Book Review: Ruth Boshkoff—Teaching General Music: Approaches, Issues, and

Viewpoints 7 Technology Connections: Nick Mercier—Using Google Classroom to Teach Music

42nd Annual OAKE Conference: Special Section10 California Gold: Vision for the Future, Roots from the Past15 Keynote Address: Malcolm Taylor—It’s Just What We Do!18 OAKE Leaf Fund: Etna Thompson19 Research Poster Session: Brent Gault19 OAKE Scholarships: Eva Floyd20 National Conference Choirs: Jayne Wenner23 Recognition Awards: Mary Neely Stevens24 Secondary Choral Track: Jeanne Wohlgamuth 25 OAKE Administrator Program: Etna Thompson27 2016 Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize: Brent Gault27 Board of Directors Meeting News

News and Information from OAKE 4 International Kodály Society28 News from OAKE-Endorsed Certification Programs32 News from Divisions and Chapters36 OAKE Sustaining Members38 Financial Reports for Fiscal Year 201539 New Members: First Quarter 201640 OAKE Board of Directors and publication information

Cover: Top—Elena Sharkova directs the Youth Choir at the 2016 National Conference Choirs Concert; Bottom—Session by Tanya LeJeune (4th from left) and Ginger Littleton (3rd from left) held outdoors in the

beautiful California sunshine. Photos by Nick Mercier.

OAKE Mission stateMent

Inspired by the vision of Zoltán Kodály, the mission of the Organization of American Kodály Educators is to support music education of the highest quality, promote universal music liter-acy 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.

OAKE is an affiliated member of the International Kodály Society.

OAKE is an associated organization of NAfME: The National Association for Music Education.

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT: MARY A. EPSTEIN

The Past Comes Full Circle

It is an honor to address the reader-ship in my first president’s message for the Envoy. This issue is largely devoted to re-porting on the 2016 OAKE Conference in Long Beach, California. For those unable to attend, this conference left me feeling joyful; it was filled with musical crescendos and climaxes, beauty and scholarship. Fol-lowing the conference, my husband and I flew to Israel, which appears unrelated, except in my life it is. The same year I was a Kodály Fellow in Hungary, Alex Ringer, an American musicologist and our leader, was a Fulbright Scholar to Israel. Behind the Iron Curtain we fellows immersed our-selves in the Hungarian culture and music education system. Ringer flew to Budapest periodically to check on our progress and arranged for us to de-brief in Israel. There we had two weeks to discuss the year past, plan the year coming, and give demonstra-tion lectures to Israeli music educators. What I realize now is that my past has come full circle to my present, and both are linked to OAKE. In this first message, I will share past and present and look to the future.

While in Israel this year, my husband and I spent an evening with the former timpanist of the Israel Philharmonic. It was over coffee in the courtyard café facing the Bronfman Auditorium, Tel Aviv, that timpanist Gideon Steiner became aware of my passion for Kodály-inspired music education. Steiner was of Hungarian ori-gin and a graduate of the Bartók Academy in Budapest. A gifted raconteur, Steiner’s words made my heart leap. “I remember when Kodály visited Israel. I was assigned to work the conference at Givat Brenner.” Indeed for me there were personal connec-tions between the 2016 OAKE Conference and the 1963 International Folk Music

Council Conference.To begin let’s return to the days of

the Sixteenth Annual Conference of the International Folk Music Council (IFMC) in Jerusalem, August 5–12, 1963. Israel, a country less than 20 years old at the time, hosted the IFMC conference. Profes-sor Zoltán Kodály was IFMC president (1961–1967), and the conference marked his 80th birthday (December 16, 1962). The theme of the conference was East and West in Music. The Jerusalem conference itself is significant to the American Kodály movement, because while there Kodály and Ringer met for the first time. Until Kodály died in March 1967, these two men en-joyed a professional friendship resulting in

the Kodály Fellowship Programs of Ameri-ca and Israel. Ultimately, Ringer edited the International Folk Music Council’s Yearbook (1968–1970), and he, with over 40 other music educators helped establish the Inter-national Kodály Society.

The IFMC celebrated the 80th birth-day of Kodály. Printed here in part is their homage taken from the Hungarian musi-cological journal Magyar Zene (December 1962). The tribute seems prophetic to the founding principles of OAKE.

Folk music is to him [Kodály] evidence of the artistic impulse, which is inherent in humanity. It is the common musical ground on which all can meet and the point of departure for further creative achievements.

It is, however, with the living

folk music that Zoltán Kodály is most concerned, whether it be as it grows on its native soil or as it strikes root and blossoms in other environments.1

The 2016 OAKE Conference in Long Beach began and ended with folk music. Jill Trinka’s mini-session set the wonderful flowing tone for the conference, and Susan

Brumfield’s reverential session gave it a final amen. In addition, Malcolm Taylor, li-brarian and director of the Vaughan Williams Library from 1979 to 2014, delivered the keynote address

focusing on folk-music research. The con-ference also included a host of exciting sessions, forums, parties, rehearsals, and concerts—among them the National Con-ference Choirs performing spine-tingling music punctuated with standing ovations and concluding with Kathy Hickey, OAKE treasurer and former president, and her perennial quest to keep alive OAKE’s roots with Hungarian culture.

In California, the chosen theme of the 2016 OAKE Conference was California Gold—a golden anniversary marking 50 years since Kodály’s third and final visit to the United States. Here he famously stopped for interviews and conferences and attended American performances of his Opus 8 for solo cello (1915). This ragingly difficult cello piece employs scodatura—an altered tuning of the cello to A, D, F, B. The 2016 OAKE conference was graciously

What I realize now is that my past has come full circle to my present, and both are linked to

OAKE. In this first message, I will share past and present and look to the future.

Summer 2016 3

presided over by Paul Baumann. Approxi-mately 400 OAKE members attended the conference, as well as 418 choir students and 900 choir family members. Our heart-felt thanks to all who helped make the con-ference what is was, especially Kurt Cereske and Kelly Callirgos, program cochairs; the organizing chapter Kodály Association of Southern California; and the National Conference Choir chair, Jayne Wenner. All these people and organizations, as well as others too numerous to name, contributed to the success of the conference. Others who deserve a special thank you include OAKE administrative director Gary Shields, OAKE administrative coordinator Colleen Graves, OAKE national confer-ence business director Nancy Johnson, and Kodály Envoy editor Beth Pontiff.

As president I am proud to stand on the shoulders of those before me and seek strength from you as we engage, support, and listen to each other and envision our future together. In its 42-year history OAKE has redefined American music teacher preparation. This has significantly affected how American music teachers think, students learn, and music textbooks are written. American music education faces many hurdles, notably, music as a core curricular subject. OAKE has carved for itself strategies for leadership. Our work uniquely prepares us for the chal-lenges of diverse cultural interactions in educational pedagogy. Our work readies us to make and teach music at a high artistic level. OAKE has worked hard to achieve these goals. Now it aims anew to spiral up-

ward, create and plan for greater visibility, increase its publications and embark on deeper research, and open its arms to part-ner with other like-minded musical orga-nizations. OAKE is dreaming of new chal-lenges. May we “keep our eyes on the stars and our feet on the ground.”2 It will take individual and collective thought, determi-nation, and action to achieve our future.

Notes1. Maud Karpeles, ed., Bulletin of the Inter-

national Folk Music Council, vol. 23, April 1963. p. 1. Retrieved from www.ictmusic.org.

2. Theodore Roosevelt, “Address at the Prize Day Exercises at Groton School,” 1904. Re-trieved from http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/images/research/txtspeeches/101.txt.

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INTERNATIONAL KODÁLY SOCIETY

Full details and information can be found in the Newsletter on the IKS website (www.IKS.hu)

Committee: Mary Place—chairman (UK), Helga Dietrich (Hun), Judy Johnson (Aus), Betsy McLaughlin-Moll (USA), Mary Stouffer (Can)

Under the auspices of the International Kodály Society

The Aim and Purpose of the International Katalin Forrai Award

[Note. from a speech by Mary Place at the International Katalin Forrai Award Presentation, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, 28 June 2015.]

The aim of the Award is to celebrate and commemorate the invaluable contribution Katalin Forrai made to early childhood music education both in Hungary and throughout the world.

The Award was set up in the autumn of 2011 and has four main objectives:

1. To further the principles and teaching objectives of the late

Katalin Forrai2. To promote international awareness of the importance of

high-quality early childhood music education3. To recognize the achievements of teachers who are provid-

ing the highest quality music education in early childhood settings

4. To present the Award on a biennial basis

INTERNATIONALKATALIN FORRAI AWARDNOMINATION REMINDER

A reminder that the deadline for nominations for the 2017 Award is 1 November 2016.

Summer 2016 5

pieces are those that I know can be used throughout the year and for years to come (especially if planning a tour; “The Star Spangled Banner” arr. by Munsen). Fun pieces are those pieces that provide times of relaxation in rehearsal and concerts and are just . . . fun to sing! (“On the Sunny Side of the Street” arr. by Caviani).

Once I have selected music for the season or year, I analyze each piece. I write in the solfège for each part and make note of prevalent patterns, intervals, difficult spots, and so forth. I speak the rhythm for each part and make note of patterns, difficult spots, and so forth. I mark the form on the music and note it on the front page. Sometimes, I mark the harmonic progression at certain places—to use in warm-ups. I make note of the key or keys and the accompaniment. I then sketch out a teaching plan.

After analyzing pieces, I create a year plan for each choir—just as I would for each elementary grade level. I mark in all vacations, rehearsals, concerts and perfor-mances, and social events (retreats, etc). Just as I would layer elementary classroom elements for preparation, presentation, and practice, I layer choral pieces for prepara-tion, memorization, polishing, performing, and review.

This planning has made it much easier to plan rehearsals and has noticeably re-duced concert-week stress! This planning also resulted in creating a Singers’ Pathway to Success. This sheet shows singers what they are expected to work on, in prepara-tion for each rehearsal. It also shows them how we will progress toward performances. I used this sheet successfully with a chil-dren’s choir and a university women’s cho-rus. Singers appreciated seeing the “path-way” to their success.

As you begin to embark on this re-warding, daunting, time-involved task for next season or year, I hope that you will find some of these ideas helpful to you and your singers.

Sandra L. Mathias is a graduate of SUNY-Fredonia (BS in Mus. Ed.), Ball State University (MA with Orff Concentration), Ohio State University (PhD in Mus. Ed.), and the Kodály Center of America (Kodály certificate). She is professor emerita of Capital University, where she served as professor of vocal music education for 29 years. She can be reached at [email protected].

As I have spoken with choral directors over the years, we all agree that one of the hardest tasks we do is to select a season or year of music for a choir. We want the music to be of high quality, be education-ally valuable, stretch singers’ abilities, be age and vocally appropriate for singers, be meaningful to singers and audiences, be representative of different composers and styles, and be seasonally or thematically appropriate. Additional criteria enter the decision-making process if a conductor must follow a lectionary for a church choir or a curriculum for a school or community choir. And, we cannot forget, fitting it within the budget. What a daunting task!

For this issue’s column, I have chosen to share what has worked for me—and helped to ease this major task. I have in-cluded examples of pieces that proved to be successful for singers in the children’s choir I conducted. I hope that you find these ideas helpful to you.

Because I came to the Kodály philoso-phy through an elementary music door, I applied some of the same ideas to my cho-ral work. Just as I chose pedagogical and fun pieces for a year of classroom music, I transferred those thoughts into choosing choral music for a season or year. In ad-dition to all the criteria mentioned in the first paragraph, I now also choose pieces for reading, aural work, a blend aural and reading, recycling, and fun.

Reading pieces are those in which I feel the singers will be able to read the rhythm and melody, with perhaps a few new elements to discover. (“Simple Gifts” arr. by Rentz). Aural pieces are those that I plan to teach by rote to develop singers’ aural skill. (“Feel Good” by Baker and El-liott). Pieces that blend reading and aural work are those pieces in which I know singers will be able to read a portion of the song—but not all—and will learn another section or sections by rote. (“Go! Where I Send Thee” by Caldwell and Ivory—I always teach the ending by rote). Recycle

CHORAL CONNECTIONS: SANDRA L. MATHIAS

Planning for the Year!

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BOOK REVIEW: RUTH BOSHKOFF

Teaching General Music: Approaches, Issues, and Viewpoints

Edited by Carlos R. Abril & Brent M. GaultOxford University Press, 2016392 pages

Teaching General Music: Approaches, Is-sues, and Viewpoints, edited by Carlos Abril and Brent Gault, presents a comprehensive look at the leading approaches to classroom music instruction in the United States today. In the first section, various authors review 10 approaches and teaching styles, including Orff, Kodály, Dalcroze, world music pedago-gy, learning with digital media, technology in hybrid music classrooms, and music learning theory. These chapters were written by noted teachers and scholars in their fields and give a wealth of information about the histories, principles, practices, aims, and philosophies of their chosen methods. In most cases, this includes lesson plans, short vignettes, and charts pertaining to their subjects. Exten-sive notes and references follow each of the chapters. The second section is “Issues and Viewpoints.” This section provides “critical analyses and distinct perspectives on general music in light of the ways children around the world engage with and experience music in their lives” (p. 3)

Bookending these chapters are two addi-tional sections. Abril and Gault author a short introduction in the beginning of the book urging readers to keep open minds and chal-lenge themselves to consider both the benefits and limitations of unfamiliar approaches.

Carlos Abril follows this with a chapter outlining the concepts, aims, and practices of general music education. There is a lot of food for thought here as he examines all aspects of music education, with topics such as aims and purposes; curriculum; and per-forming, creating, and responding. Summing up, Abril asks readers to understand “what was” and “what is” as well as “what can be” in music education and to “keep the conversa-tion going” about how we can adapt our own teaching in ways that will strengthen it. This chapter is followed by excellent notes and ref-erences, a welcome feature of all the chapters.

Brent Gault authors the book’s con-cluding chapter, in which he encourages the reader to look back at the preceding chapters to discover the ideas, commonali-ties, and limitations inherent in each of the chosen methods. Echoing Abril, he urges teachers not to become complacent in their own styles of teaching but to consider the ideas presented in this book to enlarge and improve their own teaching.

This is an important and thought-pro-voking book. It is packed with valuable and useful information about the various modes and methods of music teaching disciplines. It is also a clear plea for all of us to consider our students and their worlds to make mu-sic relevant to them.

Teaching General Music should be re-quired reading for all music education stu-dents as an overview of the directions their own classroom teaching may take. For those of us already in the field, this book ought to

command a prominent place on our book-shelves, to be revisited often as a reminder of our challenge to make general music teach-ing responsive to the changes in our world and in our students’ lives and cultures.

Ruth Boshkoff holds a bachelor of music degree from Oberlin College and a master of education from the University of Buffalo. She has earned both Kodály and Orff certifications and is a frequent composer, instructor, and clinician in those disciples. She can be reached at [email protected].

Summer 2016 7

TECHNOLOGY CONNECTIONS: NICK MERCIER

Using Google Classroom to Teach Musicsee each individual student’s answer.

While this set of tools may not seem all that remarkable, remember a flute is just a piece of wood or metal with some holes in it, but used properly it can be an amaz-ing thing. These simple tools can transform a classroom.

Flipping the ClassroomOne great use of Google Classroom

is the ability to “flip” your classroom. A flipped classroom is one where students do a large amount of new learning outside the traditional classroom. Having previewed the content on their own, they come to the

classroom to review and refine those skills. This is in contrast with a traditional class-room, where new content is taught in the room and later refined through homework.

How can one flip a music classroom? Imagine posting a video of a folk dance you wanted students to perform next week, along with the steps and the music. Students would be expected to preview the video and come to class familiar with the dance and ready to focus on details, rather than the basic steps. Likewise, you could post a folk song or listening example ahead of a class meeting. How much richer could a conversation about “The Mines of Avondale” be when students come to class already having heard the song and perhaps read about the actual events? The ability to preview content also provides students who require more processing time the accom-modations needed to be successful.

The same is true for choral ensembles, especially those that may not meet every day. Imagine the ability to give rehearsal notes online to all your students so they know where to focus their efforts in the practice room before the next meeting

or the ability to share exemplar videos or audio clips with ease. Google Classroom is accessible from any computer or mobile device, so students can easily get to these notes and files at school and at home.

Increased CollaborationThe new National Core Arts Standards

(www.nationalartsstandards.org) include a great deal of language dealing with students responding to music through motion and discussion. These standards can also be ad-

dressed through journaling and writing. Google Classroom, because it interfaces seamlessly with Google’s suite of produc-tivity apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.) is a fantastic place to have students complete journal entries. It is easy for a teacher to go in, provide comments and suggestions, and even track the history of a document to see the revisions students have made. For this reason alone, I think Google Classroom is a great place to warehouse student work, especially writing.

Recently, however, I discovered a whole other benefit. Each assignment in Google Classroom gets its own folder on your Google Drive. By sharing a folder with the classroom teacher, you give him or her access to the same student work. This allows classroom teachers to provide you with feedback on the assignment, such as how to better draw out answers from students, and it provides the classroom teacher with valuable examples of student writing on topics he or she might not nor-mally see. It also allows them to share with you insights into student performance you might not have known. I’ve had teachers

If you are teaching in one of the many districts that has embraced Google’s suite of applications for their schools, then there is a tool you should get to know. Google Classroom (http://classroom.google.com) provides teachers with an excellent set of tools to manage classroom activities and assignments. Currently, it is only available to Google Apps for Education accounts, and this likely will not change in the near future.

There are many tutorials on YouTube and other blogs detailing some ways to incorporate this tool into more traditional subjects, such as language arts, social stud-ies, or science. In this column, however, I’m going to share with you some of the features and abilities of Google Class-room and how to they can be used to enhance your general music classroom or performing ensemble.

What Is Google Classroom?Looking at Google Classroom from

twenty-thousand feet, it is a space created by the teacher. Students are invited in by email or given a class code. Teachers can then make three types of posts for students in the class:

1. An announcement is a simple mes-sage sent to the class. The teacher can attach links or files for students to view (and comment on, if al-lowed by the teacher).

2. An assignment is an activity that may be graded. Students can create documents or attach files to the as-signment and indicate to the teacher when it is turned in. The teacher can then review the student work, pro-vide feedback and comments, and a grade.

3. The last type is a question. Questions can be asked publicly, where all students who have answered can see the answers of their classmates, or privately, where only the teacher will

One great use of Google Classroom is the ability to “flip” your classroom.

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privately. Unlike the traditional exit slip used in some classrooms, this one is now interactive. You could ask each student to share with you one thing they did not quite get and then go through and address those concerns individually or in a follow-up les-son. You could provide individual students feedback on how they did that day or let them reflect on their own performance and then give comments. It is a very powerful tool.

Google Classroom allows for rich discussions through commenting. If com-ments are enabled, students can post public comments on any announcement, assign-ment, or question. In addition, students can also post private comments on assign-ments and questions that only the teacher can see.

Being able to comment on assign-ments allows students to ask clarifying questions about an assignment in real time. A student who gets home and forgets how to complete a task can quickly post a question, and the teacher is notified via the mobile Classroom App and email. This enables the teacher to immediately respond and saves the student the frustration of having to wait until the next class for a clarification.

The teacher can also give personalized feedback on an individual assignment to each student. As an example, you could create an assignment when you ask stu-dents to submit a recording of them sing-ing a song. In the assignment, you could include an introduction audio clip, a copy of the song, and the performance rubric. The assignment could then be graded with detailed feedback provided right on the rubric. All of this would be private, and could be done without taking time away from the class.

CompartmentalizationI currently teach over 25 different

classes. However, with Google Classroom, it was easy for me to give them each their own space. I can post assignments to multiple classes at once, or just post to a single class if I choose. Students can easily attach files or documents to posted assign-ments, and I don’t have to deal with the headaches (and endless emails) that result

from having students “share” documents from their Google Drive. Assignments are neatly organized, and the newest content always appears on top of the feed (called the Stream).

Maintaining classroom websites for each grade level I teach, let alone each class, was a laborious task that often left me frustrated. Conversely, I can easily main-tain 25 Google Classrooms without much effort, and, unlike a website, I can see the results. Students complete assignments, ask for me to post songs and games from class so they can share them at home, and check the Classroom outside of music class. The engagement through Google Classrooms is far greater than anything I’ve experienced with a traditional website.

Just the beginningGoogle Classroom is still in very ac-

tive development. Even since last year they have added features to make manag-ing classrooms much easier. Google, as a company, thrives on constant innovation, and as a result, it is safe to expect further refinement and development of what is quickly becoming a very powerful educa-tion tool.

Also, because Google is one of the giants of the Internet industry and has always believed in a very open develop-ment landscape, they have made it easy for other services to incorporate Google Classroom into their products. Several companies, including ones centered on online music notation, interactive presen-tations, and arts and culture are embrac-ing Google Classroom. Investing a little time now in learning this tool will open the door to many possibilities both now and in your future. Get started today!

Nick Mercier received his master’s degree in Kodály pedagogy from the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Music, in 2010. He is the current president of KESNE, a member of OAKE's Technology Task Force, and has served as an Eastern Division Rep-resentative on the OAKE Board. He teaches elementary general and vocal music in Wind-sor, CT, and is vice president of the Board of Education in New Britain, CT.

who have been impressed by the quality of student writing in my classroom, and they have been able to help me understand a particular student’s struggles.

The opportunities for collaboration don’t end there. In Google Classroom you can have more than one “teacher” for each class you set up, allowing for more of a coteaching model. As an example, next year an art teacher and I will be working on several projects together, including one in which students record performances of some of their favorite songs from music as well as original compositions and compile an “album.” In art they will be design-ing cover art to go along with the audio, and we will be holding a multimedia art show. While this could all be done without Google Classroom, having the platform where we can see the lessons and work of other students in real time is important to us and will allow us to collaborate easily even with our separate busy schedules.

More than a WebsiteMany teachers, including myself, have

done some of what was listed above (give assignments, practice files, and more) using a traditional website and may be thinking “Why should I bother learning something new?” Google Classroom, however, is more than a website replacement for a number of reasons.

PrivacyWebsites are, by their nature, pub-

lic. Unless you are putting a password on your website, everything you post is out there for the world to see. With Google Classroom, only the students invited to the classroom can see what is posted. You can freely post your own created materials without fear of them being used without permission. It also keeps student work safe and allows you to post content you might ordinarily think twice about posting, such as classroom videos.

Student EngagementBy using assignments or, better yet,

private questions, the teacher can take a real dipstick of what students are learning. Imagine being able to ask a quick closing question and have every student answer it

Summer 2016 9

Special Conference Section42nd Annual OAKE Conference

Long Beach, CaliforniaMarch 10–12, 2016

Kodály Envoy10

Special Section: 2016 OAKE Conference, Long Beach, California

California Gold:Vision for the Future, Roots from the Past

There truly was gold to be mined at the Organization of Kodály Educators’ 42nd Na-tional Conference in Long Beach, California. Music educators from all over the United States came to find gold, and there was gold to be found!

On Thursday afternoon under the skilled direction of Jill Trinka from South Caro-lina, music teachers were able to “Recharge with Golden Gulyás” (Hungarian goulash: a stew of a mélange of repertoire games). Par-ticipants sang songs, played singing games, canons, and play party games and listened to examples one after another while enjoying the rhythms, singing, and dancing and sparking ideas for use in their music classes and with groups of all ages. Trinka played dulcimer, guitar, and banjo, giving a brief and interest-ing background for each one and hints on how to improve music literacy with students. It was an amazing three hours of good stuff that can be used with all ages. This lady is a master gold miner.

Sandy Knudson’s session. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Beverly Vista Choir. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Pat Simpson’s session. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Summer 2016 11


Paul J. Baumann, president of OAKE, presided over the opening ceremonies at which chapters from all over the United States paraded their banners from North, South, East, and West. Malcom Taylor, recently retired as library direc-tor at the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in London, gave the keynote address. The gathering were thrilled with the opening concert by the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, whose pure voices and red-vested confidence inspired all who heard. It was great to greet friends from all over who have been trained by Kodály master teachers across the nation. After the opening ceremonies, com-munity dancing with Evo Bluestein overflowed the room.

After the Friday morning sing led by Marilyn Sousa, there were choices of six sessions, including “Sifting through the Elements: Mining for Gold in Practice Activities” with Amy Carter and Jennifer Kimock from New Jersey and Penn-sylvania. They showed their classes doing exercises in rhythm and melody with fresh ideas using hands-on materials from paint chips to pop sticks and lami-nated staff sheets.

Judith Chan gave an energy-packed session on how to “Make Practice Fun and Meaningful.” After her group of students did their demonstration, she as-sessed what was happening in the session, and after a short break to see the exhibits, she went right on to conduct her Beverly Vista Concert Choir of nonauditioned sixth, seventh, and eighth graders who rehearse daily. It is from this group Chan coached several children to audition for the national honor choir for several years. She is amazing. The choir is obviously fond of the Japanese folk song “The Volcano of Aizu Bandaisan” with which they closed their program.

The Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, led by Andrew Brown, sang a set of “Modal Etudes—Spring, Fog, Cold, Snow, Drought, Wind and Rain” which was very well done. Their accompanist, Sara Bohlin is also a composer and the choir sang and salsa danced to her “Anchor Bay” number.

Juanda Marshall and her colleague Grace Kapelian did a session on mu-sic integration. Eva Floyd from the University of Cincinnati spoke on “Your Singing Voice: A Golden Treasure of Your Teaching” Her props were great fun! The late afternoon session by Susan Glass, “Deepening Connections between Music and Its Roots” was grounded in history. She opened with a reminder to consider the children we teach in 2016. We should ask where the hidden voices in the songs we teachare and consider the universality of human experience. What drives the pedagogical sequence—the skills or the repertoire. Here was another gold mine of material from Woody Guthrie’s “The Reuben James” to Leadbelly’s “Stewball.” “Music is so-cial conscience,” Glass said.

At the Red Carpet Cocktail Social, people dressed to impress and enjoyed meeting and greeting new and old friends. Miss Piggy (ROCKE’S Ginger Littleton) charmingly inter-viewed folks as they arrived, asking, “Who are you wearing?”

On Saturday morning, Logan McKinney inspired with a smooth Powerpoint presenta-tion of kindergarteners on up, always listening first, then moving to the music of “Our Com-

Evo Blustein leading the opening dancing. Photo by Beth Pontiff

Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. Photo by Beth Pontiff

Ann Leffard (R) receiving President’s Award from OAKE president Paul Baumann. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

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poser Friends.” He said we underestimate children. He watches them move to music and think critically about the music even in third grade. He is a treasure of ideas from Cecil J. Sharp collected Appalachian folk songs to Tchaikovsky.

One of the best things to do at a na-tional conference is to sneak into rehears-als to observe the National Conference Choir Conductors. Elizabeth Nuñez re-hearsed the Children’s Choir with nonstop energy and spellbound singers, polishing their songs. There were no chairs in the room, just rows of singers in choir T-shirts being supervised by other directors. The sound of the singing was breathtakingly beautiful.

Julie Corallo’s South Bay Children’s Choir Concert Saturday was fabulous. Their “Jubilate Deo” by Wayne Bisbee was wonderful, and the “Three Shaker Songs” they opened with were excellent.

New this year was the OAKE Partici-pant Choir, directed by Niké St. Clair. They sang very difficult repertoire with only two hours rehearsal. Niké also did the session “The Art of Diction.”

Sandy Knudsen, former national chil-dren’s choir director, gave a session, “En-gaging Singers in Choral Rehearsal” that was full of fresh warm-ups and strategies for rehearsal. She used many motivational techniques and kinesthetic play, plus she makes sure students really know about the music they sing.

Susan Brumfield (from Texas Tech) presented “Heartbeat and Harmony.” In this session, she included her band of in-strumentalists and Sweet Pea Singers who have been with her since the fourth grade and now are accomplished young women, celebrating life with their folk-inspired, dulcimer-dueling melodies. Not only is she a folk music expert, but a master teacher in methodology and composer and arranger of many gorgeous pieces of music. Gemma Arguelles led a choral reading session sponsored by J. W. Pepper full of really useable music.

Of course, the highlight of the confer-ence was the National Conference Choirs Concert at the Terrace Theater in the Long

Beach Performing Arts Center across the street from the Westin Hotel. The National Children’s Choir (fourth and fifth grade) was stellar in repertoire including a new composition prize winner world premiere of “The Wind” by Rich Campbell. Eliza-beth Nuñez from New York City was the fabulous conductor.

The National Chamber Ensemble choir of ninth through twelfth grade singers were led by Brian Kittredge from the University of Alabama. The National Youth Choir of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade singers was led by the amaz-ing Elena Sharkova from St. Petersburg State Rimski-Korsakov Conservatory in Russia. Like Nuñez, she danced in front of the choir and helped them to make their music soar. Last, but not least the Women’s Choir of ninth-through-twelfth grade singers was directed by Kristina Caswell

Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. Photo by Nick Mercier

Amy Abbot presenting. Photo by Nick Mercier.

Gemma Arguelles recorder session. Photo by Nick Mercier

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MacMullen from Ohio State University. They did a number of Kodaly’s “Bicinia Hungarica” pieces as well as everything from Lajos Bárdos to Stephen Leek’s “Kungala.” Back across the boulevard was President’s Reception at which talented Laszlo Cser played impressive piano background music.

On Sunday morning, Susan Brum-field presented a Spotlight Session on Jean Ritchie’s Kentucky Mother Goose Songs and Stories from My Childhood, a new book and CD just published. Jon Pickow, Jean’s son, shared with Brumfield delightful stories and information about folk music from Kentucky. Jill Trinka assisted, along with the Sweet Pea Singers.

From start to finish, the national OAKE 2016 conference in Long Beach was an exciting line-up of high-quality events and participation and could not have been done without the help of many, many OAKE volunteers and, of course, the won-derful OAKE staff.

Note. Based on pieces by Marjorie Lowe Kelly Callirgos, and Kurt Cereske.

L to R: Jill Trinka; Jon Pickow, Jean’ Ritchie’s son; and Susan Brumfield at Brumfield’s Sunday Spotlight session. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Niké St. Clair directing the OAKE Participant Choir. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. Photo by Beth Pontiff

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OAKE past president Kelly Foster Griffin and Western Division rep. Etna Thompson working the OAKE booth. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Susan Brumfield and Lisa Rogers demo session. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Beth Pontiff (R) receiving President’s Award from OAKE president Paul Baumann. Photo by Ann Leffard.

Nancie Kester (with guitar) and Karen Arlen (at stand) presenting. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

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Keynote AddressMalcolm Taylor

It’s Just What We Do!Note. Malcolm Taylor’s address was a

multimedia presentation. The pictures and music he played are in brackets in the ap-propriate location.

Thank you for your invitation to speak to you this evening. It is a real honour to be asked and an enormous pleasure to be here. However, I do feel a something of a fraud: after all, I am not really an academic, not a musician, and certainly not a teacher, or even for that matter a practicing librarian anymore! So what on earth am I doing here? And what can I possibly say of any value to a gathering such as this?

Well, after much thought, I concluded that maybe I was asked here to remind you about the kernel of something—something which after all would have inspired your mentor, Zoltán Kodály, and also his friends and contemporaries throughout Europe over a hundred years ago. To some of you I may

be preaching to the converted; you may say, “So what!” But it is a point about which I have constantly reminded about myself over the past 35 years when speaking about the folk arts, and something which has obvious-ly found the ear of some of your esteemed colleagues. And I shall speak about this es-sential point of my work by demonstrating its significance it within a subject that is best known only to myself—me. [see fig. 1]

I was born into a very working class background in South East London in the 1950s. My dad worked at the docks on the River Thames, and my mother had many clerical and bookkeeping jobs to help us makes ends meet. We were ordinary, with little obvious opportunity to break out of that environment, that class, either through education or potential wealth. Just ordinary. Furthermore, there was no music in our house apart from what we heard on the radio, TV, and on records. In other words,

I was not aware of being part of any tra-ditional culture that was of any interest to anyone. I was also, significantly, a school refuser, which means exactly what it sug-gests: I simply refused to go to my school. Consequently, I was staying at home and learning to play a mean game of German Whist as taught by my grandma, who lived next door. I therefore had much time on my hands, being at home all day and alien-ated from my peer groups; time to listen to music and to read, as well as become a very proficient card sharp.

Even more significantly, I also had a big brother. [see fig. 2]

Malcolm Taylor giving the keynote address.Photo by Beth Pontiff.

fig. 1. Me in back garden aged 3. fig. 2. Me with Paul on steps of caravan aged 3

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Paul is six years older than me, to the day, and that gap in our ages was of huge significance and influence on me in that he brought home the records of his era—the Beatles, the Byrds, Rolling Stones, The Who—as well as records he borrowed from the local public library where he worked, of performers from the burgeoning folk scene of the ’60s—Dylan, Baez, Judy Collins, Al Stewart, Roy Harper—singer-songwriters of the era—but also those with a more pur-ist appetite in folk music. My brother was tapped into them all, and I was listening to songs such as this:

[Photograph of Martin Carthy; song: “Lord Franklin”]

I avidly read the sleeve notes to Martin Carthy’s second album and thought: “What is this stuff!” These songs are ancient but what great stories, and how beautifully told, and how much more interesting than most of the pop music I had been listening to. There were ballads on this record with some of the most tragic and beautiful words I had ever seen, which expressed love and yearn-ing, and those amazing and memorable tunes! All of which, I soon discovered, were apparently noted down from the hearts and minds of “ordinary people.”

On reflection, I suppose that I did know something of folk music, from my primary school, on the rare occasions I was there. Like everybody, I played and sang in the playground:

[Photo: children playing line game on play-ground; song: Redriff Primary School sing-ing game]

And then there was grumpy Mr. Wood-ward on the piano who would play music such as this . . .

[Photo: Clive Carey (1883–1968); song: “Sev-enteen Come Sunday”]

. . . which we all would have to sing along to. I remember wondering even then where a construction such as this could have come from, because it didn’t sound as if it

was taken from ordinary folk, which I pre-sumed were people like me.

At library college I specialized in music, focusing on folk music within that mod-ule. I chose to study folk music because, I thought, I already knew all about it. After all, I had listened to records by the likes of Martin Carthy and Shirley Collins and had read all those sleeve notes. Surely, folk mu-sic today was all about people who played acoustic guitars and found their music in books, wasn’t it? It was music from the past, wasn’t it? This module was surely going to be a piece of cake and allow me time to pur-sue my other college passion—table tennis.

The culmination of this music course required me to deliver a two-hour lecture on my chosen subject. I had, of course, by now started to read more widely about the sub-ject and was a getting a tad confused by the variety of opinions as to what it represented. I eventually visited what was to become my home for 35 years—the library at Cecil Sharp House in London, home of the Eng-lish Folk Dance and Song Society. Well, if I was a tad confused before I walked in, then walking through the portals of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library only magnified this a hundred fold. But it was there that on one fateful Saturday lunch time, I was intro-duced to this film:

[Song: “Here’s a Health to the Barley Mow”]

Now, you might find it sad to hear, and maybe even harder to believe, but this short film literally changed my life, my whole way of thinking. Because this short movie dem-onstrated that this thing we call folk was certainly about a music, song and dance, but in social context, as part of community, with no recording studios involved, no platforms or guitars, star performers, no commerce. Just ordinary people at their leisure. It was cultural, and it belonged to the people who created and participated in it.

Incidentally, at the very beginning of my talk to my class about folk music, by the time I got half way through a third definition of about eight definitions I had to hand, a loud argument broke out among my fellow students. At that precise moment

I learnt a lesson that has remained with me: the vast majority of people profess to know nothing at all about folk music, but the vast majority of them seem to hold a very strong opinion about it! I simply sat back and reacted to the many thunderous questions raised and was even asked to deliver my talk to some of the teaching staff, who also ended up arguing with each other!

What then is this thing we call folk music? I shall now read to you something I wrote a couple of years ago, which I found on my laptop when preparing for this talk and cannot remember now what it was for. It is primarily about context and England, but I feel relevant far beyond that:

The nineteenth century was a period of dramatic change. So-cially, culturally and physically, England, indeed Europe, was being transformed, the results of which were alarming to a class of people whose romanticism sought ways to combat and escape such realities. The principal destructive force was undoubtedly the growth of the industrial revolution. The consequent changes in thinking (by philosophers such as Johann Gottfried Herder, who inspired the brothers Grimm), together with changes in the landscape, the growth of urbanisation, manu-facturing, the labour movement, women’s suffrage, Darwinism, the depopulation of the countryside, the destruction of “the old ways,” were all threats to a way of life that was thought to be disappearing and starting to become idealised and needed to be noted down before it disappeared. There was also a growth of nationalism and patriotism in Europe, a growing interest in the past and a very real sense of national identity needing to be re-defined along political as well as cultural lines.

This was the backdrop to what is now regarded as the first folk revival, which began in the 1830s

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and was abruptly ended in Eng-land with the outbreak of the First World War. “Folk” was a relatively new concept at that time, a con-struct of the Victorian era, even though texts of songs and ballads had been in print for many years and were influential amongst the likes of the Lakeland poets. But now it was taking on a new significance for musicians as well as antiquarians, representing the uniqueness of the English people and a ‘Merrie England.’ Of all the men and woman in England who were taken up with an urge to col-lect and study this so-called dying heritage, it was Cecil Sharp who had the most impact, producing both the largest collection of col-lected songs and dances and the impetus to revive this endangered part of our culture through the education system. The folk to him was both cultural product and a very useful way to make a living. His manuscript collection, containing almost 5,000 tunes from both England and the Appa-lachian states of the USA, remains a touchstone for fieldworkers and musicians to this day in both Brit-ain and the USA.

Which of course brings me to Cecil Sharp (1859–1924).

[Photo: Cecil Sharp]

And speaking of Mr. Sharp, I thought you might like to see this:

[Kinora film with music (Kinora was an early motion picture device); still images of Sharp collecting and manuscripts]

As already stated, Cecil Sharp was the most prolific collector of folk music, song and dance in England up until his death in 1924, noting down nearly 5,000 tunes mainly in the southern counties there and in the Appalachian regions of the USA. He

once commented how strange it was that in the land of Shakespeare there was no inher-ent musical traditions. Well, there certainly were such traditions still extant, and this thing we call folk music essentially became a construct of what he and a few others believed it to be—and something largely appropriated from ordinary working people. As one of the old singers said when he heard his song arranged for a concert, “They have put my music in evening dress.”

[Photo: Percy Grainger; song: “Bushes and Briars”]

Percy Grainger’s record label, HMV, referred to singer Joseph Taylor when the first-ever commercial recordings of a source singer was published in 1908, as a “peasant singer.” In many ways, that just about sums up the attitudes and demarcations in society at the time.

However, thanks to Grainger, who was inspired by Bela Bartok’s use of the phono-graph, we can actually hear what those sing-ers sounded like and have aural evidence that folk songs, as identified and named by Sharp and others, were not all modal. Far from it.

These collectors defined an acceptable repertoire for us, putting the music into evening dress and essentially altering the context of performance and the content for a new audience. The mores of the time and the target audience for this “peasant” music demanded this change when content and context, even according to Cecil Sharp, were the two linchpins of a valid definition of folk music.

If I seem to be condemning the actions of this cultural movement and ruing its very existence, then please forgive me. I can now appreciate the huge effort, love, and intent that was a genuine part of what they did, and, after all, had they not gone out with their notebooks and pencils and phono-graph machines, we would not be here to-day. But I have always wondered what they left out, what they discarded as “non-folk,” what other information their informants had, and what was really noted down from the mouths of the singers before the editing process began. There will be more about

that subject for those of you who come along to the Full English sessions over the next couple days. But a lot of information must have fallen through the cracks and now we can only wonder. This clip is really what I mean:

[Video: Sam Larner speaking about songs]

Sam Larner is a perfect example of what ordinary people were singing to en-tertain themselves and others, much of it outside the accepted canon of folk song and certainly too rude in many cases to be made available to certain audiences.

In the 1990s I made a couple of series for BBC radio entitled “Collecting Folk.” They were essentially about modern day col-lectors, or fieldworkers as now known, how they today identified “folk” material, and more importantly what their informants thought about them arriving in their com-munities with microphones and video cam-eras. During the recording of one program I met these two lovely ladies:

[Photo: Nellie and Jessie; song: “Hark, Hark what music angels bring”]

Nellie and Jessie were part of the Christmas carol singing tradition in Castleton in Derbyshire, in the north of England. During the interview, all one of them kept talking about was football (soccer), which was a tad frustrating even though very amusing. However, the other, who was clearly embarrassed by her sister’s infatuation, described how the origins of their tradition emerged with the singing of carols in church to a multi-instrumental church band, before such a practice was supplanted in the nineteenth century by a more standardized printed repertoire and the church organ, pushing the old singers and musicians out “around the edge” (i.e. to perambulating the small town, going from house to house for money or food or drink), until finally gravitating towards the warmer public houses, where they are still sung every December to this day. It was in such informal settings that recordings of the old carols of the region and the style of

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singing them were made by Professor Ian Russell, who has amassed an audio archive covering thirty years or more and now easily available through the Village Car-ols label. I asked Jessie what she thought about this, her voice going out on cassettes and CDs all over the world. All she said was, “Oh I don’t know really. It’s just what we do!”

On that note I am going to leave you with a couple of things to consider. The first is what Jessie implied with her mod-est comment. In other words, whether you realise it or not, you and your communi-ties are the source for this thing called folk culture; you’re part of that continuum through which culture evolves and survives, in whichever context: whether it be your personal lives, in the playground, in your festivals and customs, your social gatherings,

your religious meetings. Whether or not we find that repertoire that had been so careful-ly defined for us in the past as “folk,” we are actually the makers and carriers of it. “Folk” does not mean other; it is not quaint; it actually means you. Kodály I believe would certainly have agreed with this, about being aware of and being inspired by the source, and so should you all.

The second thing I want you to con-sider is the question of what constitutes so called high and low art. The hours of argu-ments I have had about this is incalculable. But if high art in music equates with educa-tion and training, well then I give you the voice of this wonderful Aberdeenshire gypsy source singer, Lizzie Higgins. . . .

[Photo: Lizzie Higgins of Aberdeenshire, Scot-land (1929–1993); song “The College Boy”]

. . . . and I’ll let you decide in which category you would place such a performer.

[Photo and song: Lizzie Higgins]

Up until 2014, Malcolm Taylor, OBE, had been library director at the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in London for over 30 years, overseeing the transition into the digital age. His pas sion is the understanding of the context of the folk arts, what they represent, and how they have been appropriated during their recognition as an important cultural prod-uct. This has taken him beyond the library doors into the media and the pro duction of many radio and TV broadcasts, the com-pilation of written and audio materials for educational use, and the organization of over 100 events.

OAKE Leaf FundEtna Thompson

Two OAKE Leaf Fund awards were approved by the OAKE Board of Directors in Long Beach at the spring board meeting. The first project was submitted by OAKE member Virginia Children’s Chorus. The award is for partial funding of a concert featuring all four of the choir groups and guests, folk trio Low Lily. The trio will spend a weekend in-residence with the choir groups. The concert will include perfor-mances by each of the choir groups, by Low Lily alone, and with the choir and trio per-forming together. The concert will be titled “Folksongs and Fiddle Tunes: The Virginia Children’s Chorus presents Low Lily.”

The second project funded is the writ-ing, publishing, and producing of a booklet of African American and Afro-European

classical composers with accompanying CD and posters. The author and project man-ager is Betty Hillmon, a member of Boston Area Kodály Educators (BAKE). The CD will have audio examples of the works writ-ten by composers in the booklet.

The OAKE Leaf Fund Committee, comprising Kathy Hickey, Ashley Allen, Amy Chapman, Cynthia Gorney, Mika Proctor, and Etna Thompson, has three members who are finishing their terms. I thank Ashley Allen, Cynthia Gorney, and Mika Proctor for their outstanding service to OAKE on this committee.

If you are interested in submitting an application for an OAKE Leaf Fund award, please keep in mind the purpose is to promote the mission of OAKE through

member-created projects that have a chari-table or educational purpose. Applications are located on the website. OAKE members may submit applications by February 1 for a decision by May 1 and by August 1 for a decision by November 1. Feel free to contact OAKE Leaf Fund Committee Chair Etna Thompson with any questions. She can be reached at [email protected].

Etna Thompson’s career has centered on teaching music to students in grades K–6. She currently serves on the OAKE Board of Direc-tors as Regional Representative, Western Divi-sion I and is the OAKE Leaf Fund Committee chair and immediate past chair of the Admin-istrator Program.

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• Alyssa Hunsucker Avenatti—Indiana Uni-versity, Bloomington

Puppets, Tuning Forks, and Folk Songs for Tenure: Comparing Professional Development Experiences for Instructors of Pre-Service Educators• Becky Halliday and Ted Hoffman—Univer-

Research Poster SessionBrent Gault

The annual OAKE Re-search Poster session was held on Saturday, March 12, as a part of the OAKE National Confer-ence in Long Beach, California. Five presenters shared the results of recently completed studies. Conference attendees had the opportunity view the findings and speak with each of the au-thors. A list of presentation titles and presenters is below. If you are involved in conducting any re-search related to topics of interest to OAKE members, we encourage you to apply for the 2017 Research Poster Session in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The call for proposals can be found on the OAKE web site.

An Exploratory Investigation of Col-laborative Learning in the Elementary Music Classroom Using SMART Board and Impromptu

Research Poster Session participants. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

sity of Montevallo, Montevallo, AL• Amy Spears—Nebraska Wes-leyan University, Lincoln• Ann Harrington—University of Kentucky, Lexington

Elementary Students’ Situational Interest in Lessons of World Music • J. Christopher Roberts—Uni-versity of Washington, Seattle

The Effects of Instruction on the Singing Ability of Chil-

dren Ages 5 – 11: A Meta-Analy-sis Experiences for Instructors of

Pre-Service Educators• Christina Svec—Iowa State University, Ames

Music Should Belong to Everyone: Reading Kodály’s Philosophy with Paulo Freire and Jacques Derrida• Austin Showen—Arizona State University,

Tempe

OAKE ScholarshipsEva Floyd

The OAKE Scholarship Committee awarded the Jenö Ádám Scholarship to Me-gan Rich, Kelly Larson, Marianne Houff, and Melinda Baum.

The purpose of the Jenö Ádám scholar-ship is to provide partial funding to OAKE members toward study at OAKE-endorsed Kodály certification programs in the United States and Hungary.

Jenö Ádám (1896–1982) was a Hungar-ian music educator, composer, and conduc-tor. He studied composition and conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where

he was a pupil of Zoltán Kodály. He later became a teacher at the school and developed a close working relationship with Kodály. Beginning in 1935, the two collaborated on a long-term project to reform music teaching in the lower and middle schools. Many of Ádám’s teaching methods and curricula de-veloped during that project were adopted by Kodály and are now a part of the Kodály con-cept. Ádám was the author of several books on music education that were published in Hungary during the 1940s, two of which were coauthored with Kodály. His method-

ology has had a profound impact on music education internationally and is still studied today by students of the Kodály concept.

The Jenö Ádám scholarship can go toward Kodály certification (after level I) or master’s or doctoral work. Application forms can be found on the OAKE website and are due each year in mid-February. Please en-courage teachers to apply.

Eva Floyd is Midwestern Region I repre-sentative on the OAKE National Board and chair of the OAKE Scholarship Committee.

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National Conference ChoirsJayne Wenner

Long Beach, California, was such a beautiful setting for the 2016 OAKE Na-tional Conference! The singers and their families appreciated the great weather and abundant sunshine—especially those of us who traveled from places where it was still cold and snowy!

This year, we featured three conductors who were new to our national choirs—Elizabeth Nunez, Kristina MacMullen, and Brian Kittredge. We were pleased to wel-come the return of Elena Sharkova.

The 2016 OAKE National Children’s Choir was conducted by Elizabeth Nu-ñez, the associate conductor of the Young People’s Chorus of NYC. The singers loved it when she called them “young artists.” One of their favorite challenges from her was, “Did you bring it?” This choir eagerly pol-ished and performed challenging repertoire that included pieces sung in Estonian, Ger-man, Spanish, and English.

The children were honored to sing the world premiere of “The Wind,” composed by Rich Campbell. He was the winner of the 2016 Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize. The choir ended their program with enthu-siastic dancing to “La Sopa de Isabel.”

The 2016 OAKE National Youth Choir was conducted by Elena Sharkova, who grew up and trained in Russia. She is cur-

National Children’s Choir. Photo by Nick Mercier.

National Youth Choir. Photo by Nick Mercier.

National Chamber Ensemble. Photo by Nick Mercier.

National Concert Women’s Choir. Photo by Nick Mercier.

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rently the chorus master for the Symphony Silicon Valley and the artistic director of the Cantabile Youth Singers. The singers appre-ciated her creative imagination, boundless energy, and yoga warm ups. One of their favorite quotes from her was, “Stand and deliver!” This choir honored many world cultures, including Russian, Estonian, Indian, and Spanish. They ended their pro-gram with the very moving spiritual “Let It Shine!”

The 2016 OAKE National Women’s Choir was conducted by Kristina MacMul-len, the assistant director of Choral Studies at the Ohio State University. The women of this choir shared a common goal—to speak to the audience through the beauty of music. They discussed that sharing the gift of music is an opportunity to bring beauty to a world that so badly needs it, and that music can take people through the tough, joyful, dis-couraging, and wonderful times in their lives. The Women’s Choir began with an inspired performance of “Hej, Igazitsad!” by Lajos Bardós. From there, MacMullen creatively connected the pieces by weaving Kodály’s Bicinia throughout the program, ending with a favorite of the women, “Kungala.”

The 2016 National Chamber Ensemble was conducted by Brian Kittredge. Kit-tredge is the director of choral activities at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The 35 Chamber Ensemble singers performed all their music a cappella. Most of the singers in this ensemble have performed in our national choirs for years. Sierra Worman performed in her ninth OAKE choir this year. She is off to col-lege in the fall to major in mu-sic. Brava, Sierra! The Chamber Ensemble pieces were sung with rich tone and beautiful expres-sion. This small group of very experienced singers was able to really bond with each other and the conductor. One of the sing-ers commented, “Dr. Kittredge taught us that the Palestrina is just like classical architecture. Things look so simple and


National Concert Women’s Choir. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

National Children’s Choir. Photo by Nick Mercier.

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beautiful from afar, but if you take a closer look, there are so many details that make it even more beautiful.”

All the choirs performed beautifully, expressively, and with the highest level of musicianship! I believe that all the singers would agree that they come to the OAKE choirs for the opportunity to rehearse and perform with so many other passionate and talented musicians who share their love of music.

Note: I encourage all OAKE members to sponsor singers for the 2017 OAKE Na-tional Conference Choirs in Philadelphia. We would love to have even more singers in our choirs next year. Look for audition information on the OAKE website in Au-gust and support OAKE and your singers! Scholarships are available.

Jayne Wenner is the chair of the OAKE National Conference Choirs Committee

National Children’s Choir. rehearsal Photo by Nick Mercier.

National Concert Women’s Choir. Photo by Nick Mercier.

National Youth Choir. Photo by Beth Pontiff.


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Recognition AwardsMary Neely Stevens

2016 OAKE Lifetime Achievement Award

Mícheál Houlahan and Philip Tacka re-ceived OAKE 2016 Lifetime Achievement Awards. The very breadth of their work in teaching and publication has had the most significant contribution to Kodály studies that any of us can imagine. Their commit-ment to Kodály’s intentions for music edu-cation and a pursuit of quality teaching has enabled the philosophy to grow as a leading approach in music education worldwide.

Mícheál HoulahanMícheál Houlahan is a professor of mu-

sic theory and aural skills and chair of the Department of Music at Millersville Uni-versity of Pennsylvania. After graduating from University College Dublin, Ireland, he was awarded an Irish Arts Council Scholar-ship for graduate studies in Hungary and a Fulbright Scholarship for doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America in the United States. Additionally, his research has been supported by an International

Research Exchange Grant awarded through the National Endowment of the Humani-ties. He holds a PhD in music theory with a minor in Kodály studies from the Catholic University of America, a Kodály Diploma from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music/Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music in Hungary and the Kodály Center of America, and Fellowships in Piano Per-formance from Trinity College and London College of Music, London.

Both Mícheál and Philip have lectured extensively on Kodály studies with regard to music theory, music perception and cognition, and education in Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Estonia, Netherlands, and England.

Philip TackaPhilip Tacka received his doctorate

from the Catholic University of America and completed postdoctoral work at the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest/Zoltan Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Hungary. He is a professor of music at Millersville

University of Pennsylvania. His research interests center on all aspects of music edu-cation, though he has a particular emphasis on music perception and cognition. He has served on editorial boards and is currently a grant evaluator on the American Fellow-ship Panel for the American Association of University Women. He has worked with the Georgetown University Institute for Cogni-tive and Computational Science in the neuropsychology of music perception. His Kodály training includes eight summers at both the Kodály Musical Training Institute and the Kodály Center of America and a year at the Kodály Institute in Hungary.

Working in collaboration, Mícheál and Philip have written numerous books, chapters in books and articles. Their work relating to Kodály address the musicologi-cal, theoretical, ethnomusicological, and pedagogical contributions of the composer. Their contribution includes more than 4,500 pages of published work—all addressing the students of Zoltán Kodály and this inspi-rational pedagogy. Houlahan and Tacka so firmly believe in Kodály’s philosophy that a significant portion of their publication earnings go into a scholarship fund for music education students at Millersville University.

Anecdote about Mícheál Houlahan by Katherine Johns

I began my Kodály training in 1998 at Texas State University. Dr. Houlahan’s im-pression on my life began my second year at Texas State University in solfège class. (The first year, I only heard stories.) I have to admit, I didn’t have very nice things to say about him. During my final year, I had him for solfège, materials, and pedagogy. There was no escaping him. During my level III summer, I prepared my lesson on syncopa-tion for teaching lab. I was very confident in my ability, but something about this lesson didn’t sit well with me. I stood in front of my peers and began to lead the lesson. I called on a level I student and asked how many sounds there were in the rhythm, no answer, and my lesson came crashing down. L to R: Paul Baumann, OAKE president, presenting Philip Tacka and Mícheál

Houlahan the OAKE Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo by Beth Pontiff.


I wouldn’t move on, and I kept asking her, “Are you sure there are only two sounds?” I finally squeezed the number three out, but by then, the momentum was gone, and I was frustrated. Dr. Houlahan just asked me to have a seat. When the room cleared, he informed me that I would be doing that les-son for lab again tomorrow. I lost it. I cried. I begged him not to make me do it again. His reasoning, “You have to get back up there. Not only for yourself, but for all the teachers watching you.” And he was correct. I got up there in lab the next day, called on a different student, and sailed through the les-son. Teachers still tell me they think of “that day” when they teach syncopation. Dr. Hou-lahan could have just moved on and brushed me under the rug, however, he did not.

Personal Anecdote about Philip Tacka by Lauren Bain

Dr. Tacka’s humor and sense of play immediately engages his students when he begins a lesson. As my pedagogy teacher for two years, he always started class with the statement “Make a happy circle” because he believed that it was important to play a folk game at the beginning of each class. Once he pretended to give a student a “wet willy” during a game—that’s a moment hard to forget! When it was my turn to teach in front of the class, Dr. Tacka always gave positive feedback before delving into what I needed to correct. After

completing my certification, we spoke on the phone periodically to discuss the field-work on their latest kindergarten book. His commitment to excellence was always first on his mind when discussing the material. He was always willing to problem solve, share the new research, and discuss pedago-gy specifics. Because he has invested time and advice in my career, I owe much of my success in the classroom to him.

2016 OAKE Alexander RingerAward for Outstanding Doctoral ResearchChristina L. Svec

OAKE president Paul Baumann (L) presenting Christina L. Svec with the Alexander Ringer Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research.

Photo by Beth Pontiff

Effects of Instruction on the Singing Ability of Children Ages 5–11: A Meta-Analysis

The 2015 OAKE Alexander Ringer Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research goes to Christina L. Svec for her dissertation Effects of Instruction on the Singing Ability of Children Ages 5–11: A Meta-Analysis.

The dissertation was written by Svec during her doctoral studies at the University of North Texas. It was evaluated on con-tent, style, and significance. Here are a few comments from the research panelists.

“The content of the dissertation was strong, current, relevant, very thorough, and reported in such a way that was very clear for the reader. It was a brilliant topic to bring a large group of data results to-gether on the topic for meta-analysis with consideration of all geographical areas of the U.S. The data displayed the research-er’s scholarship, attention to detail, and accuracy. The explanations of statistical methods and data were succinct.”

“Because of the quantity of material, and the manner and level of professional reporting and writing, this dissertation holds excellent significance in the field of music education. Since singing is a strong component of Kodály-based instruction, the paper is important and relevant to the mis-sion of OAKE, and is important for music teachers at any level. The suggestions for future research provide excellent direction and motivation for future research.”

Secondary Choral TrackJeanne Wohlgamuth

Long Beach, California, was the beauti-ful backdrop for the 2016 OAKE National Conference and the third annual Secondary Choral Track held on Friday, March 11.

Continuing Kodály’s goal of improv-ing teacher training was evident in this year’s Secondary Choral Track. During this daylong event, attendees were exposed to many differ-ent facets of the Kodály philosophy. Sessions served as a comprehensive introduction for secondary choral educators who are new to the philosophy as well as an in-service for those experienced Kodály educators seeking ways to enhance and improve their choral program.

Participants were able to engage in

interactive sessions that covered such topics as the art of diction in the choral rehearsal; scaffolding techniques that bridge the gap between what students can read indepen-dently and what they need assistance with; materials and methods to enrich the cho-ral classroom; and ways to bridge the gap between songs learned in the elementary classroom, canons, and exercises and choral performance repertoire. All sessions were en-gaging, and attendees left with practical ideas and materials that could be immediately implemented when they returned to school on Monday morning. In addition to the in-formative sessions, participants had the plea-

sure of experiencing the results of the work of Kodály trained educators as they listened to several inspiring choral performances.

The OAKE Secondary Choral Track continues to present sessions that can help the secondary choral educator find ways to devel-op both performance and literacy skills while moving away from rote teaching. Please join us in Philadelphia on March 24 for the 2017 National Conference, Let Freedom Ring! Fos-tering Musical Independence, and the fourth annual Secondary Choral Track. Whether you teach middle school, junior high or high school choral music, this conference is for you! We look forward to your arrival!

Summer 2016 25


OAKE Administrator ProgramEtna Thompson

Thanks to our generous sponsor, McGraw-Hill Education, the Administrator Program breakfast and session was held on Friday, March 11 in the Westin Long Beach Hotel. At this national conference, 15 admin-istrators were in attendance from California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah. Each received complimentary conference registration.

The 2014 OAKE Administrator of the Year recipient Linda Hulsey, supervisor of music education in Omaha Public Schools, Nebraska, presented the session “An Intro-duction to Kodály.” She also led the question and answer portion of her session.

OAKE president Paul Baumann ad-dressed the administrators, then presented certificates to the 2016 OAKE Administrator Program Certificate of Recognition recipi-ents:

Carole Calabria, campus director, His-toric Anaheim Campus, Fairmont Private Schools, California, nominated by KASC members Shelly Mahpar and Jeinine Urquiza, respectively:

Zoltán Kodály’s belief was that “music is for everyone,” and Carole Calabria helps bring that to life at Fairmont. She’s been a strong and steady advocate for all of our mu-sic programs, starting with our preschool stu-dents, elementary classes, and our successful junior high orchestra. Mrs. Calabria’s support for the arts shows her care for supporting the growth of the whole child. I’m honored to work with such a great administrator.

Mrs. Calabria is a supporter of music education for all students. During my inter-view with Mrs. Calabria, she highlighted the importance of music education being aligned on all Fairmont Private School campuses. Mrs. Calabria has allowed me to collaborate with fellow OAKE member Shelly Mahpar to create a more cohesive music education curriculum for Fairmont Private Schools. As a new music teacher with Fairmont Private

Schools, I am grateful for her support.Christian Fuhrer, principal, Beverly

Vista School, Beverly Hills Unified School District, California, nominated by KASC member Judith Chan:

My principal, Mr. Christian Fuhrer, knows firsthand how important it is for every child to have a well-rounded education that includes not only the academics but the arts. Mr. Fuhrer is extremely supportive of our music program. He attends every concert our choir students give. He understands the importance of teaching the Kodály pedagogy and proper singing technique to our students. He also helped improve the concert venue acoustics by approving the purchase of acous-tic shells and all the fund-raising activities needed for the music program.

David Jackman, district instructional arts coach, Alpine School District, Utah, nominated by UFOLKS member Matt Thornton:

Dave Jackman is a strong supporter of the Kodály approach. He works with all of the elementary arts specialists in the district and believes that the Kodály methodology

has the principles that our students need. He believes in music for every child and is work-ing to improve that in our district.

Rendy Koeppel, principal, St. Paul’s First Lutheran School, California, nominated by KET member Kurt Cereske:

Mr. Koeppel has been an amazing sup-porter of both the music program and the fact that I was so committed to the Kodály philosophy and OAKE. I nominate him as an outstanding administrator and supporter of the Kodály-based music program in his school.

Sherry Lin, assistant campus director, first–fourth grade, Anaheim Hills Campus, Fairmont Private Schools, California, nomi-nated by KASC member Jeinine Urquiza:

Miss Lin has been supportive of the after-school chorus for students in grades three and up. She has helped create effec-tive communication between parents and students that emphasizes the commitment needed when participating in a choral music program. Being a musician herself, Miss Lin is also a strong supporter of music literacy for children.

1st Row, L to R: Mary A. Epstein, Linda Hulsey, Etna Thompson, Naomi Cohen, Shelly Mahpar; 2nd Row: Elaine Bernstorf, Isabel Romero, Ann Pittel, Gary Shields, Katie Bach, Cynthia Gorney, Jeinine Urquiza,

April Johnson; 3rd Row: Jerid Morisco, Gregg Ritchie, Zachary Slack, Paul Baumann, Rendy Koeppel, Alex Collie-Hartmann, Brian Meyers, Kevin Booe, David Jackman. Photo by Beth Pontiff.

Kodály Envoy26


Alyssa Para, vice principal, Beverly Vista School, Beverly Hills Unified School District, California, nominated by KASC member Judith Chan:

My vice principal, Ms. Alyssa Para, is an administrator that any music teacher would want to have. She comes from a family of educators, and her mom was a veteran music teacher. This explains why she is so support-ive of the music program. She is in charge of scheduling all classes, which is no easy task in a middle school. She is keenly aware of the importance of scheduling the music students in the right level of choir and band. In the past, many students were not able to take chorus because of scheduling conflicts with other subjects. Ms. Para can work miracles and always has the best intentions for the students. She is able to make the schedule work for those who want to take the chorus elective, no matter what the obstacle might be in the first place. This is my fifteenth year at the school and she is the fifth vice principal with whom I have worked. She is the first administrator who will go that extra mile to make the schedule work for the chorus class. As a result, the chorus class has become more cohesive and consistent because the enroll-ment of the class is stable. We are able to achieve things that we could not before.

Kevin Rafferty, campus director, Anaheim Hills Campus, Fairmont Private Schools, California, nominated by KASC member Jeinine Urquiza:

Dr. Kevin Rafferty has been among one of the best administrators with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working. He has given incredible support of music education to me as a music specialist for grades one through four. Dr. Rafferty supports music literacy in the classroom by providing materials needed for our music program. Earlier this school year, Dr. Rafferty supported a Kodály work-shop on our campus. This was a first for Fair-mont Private Schools, Anaheim Hills.

George Simpson, coordinator, Visual and Performing Arts, Cambridge Public Schools, Massachusetts, nominated by BAKE member Katie Bach:

Mr. Simpson has joined Cambridge Public Schools this year. In that short amount of time, he has shown interest in the work of the Kodály-inspired educators in our school district by continuing to work on building the program throughout the district, dem-onstrating an interest in the ongoing support and professional development for the Kodály educators in the district, and supporting the ongoing development of the programs in place while supporting the current work we do. Mr. Simpson has met with community members who are vested in the growth of Kodály-inspired education and has expressed an interest in developing further relationships to bridge Cambridge Public Schools with the greater Kodály community (he has met with Mary Epstein, president-elect of OAKE). Mr. Simpson is new to learning about what Kodály is and means to the community. We are very pleased to have his support and are delighted to see he is jumping in feet first!

The 2017 OAKE Administrator Pro-gram Committee, Jerid Morisco, Chair, Elaine Bernstorf, Linda Hulsey, and Etna Thompson, requests that you take the time now to invite non-OAKE member adminis-trators to attend the Administrator Program session on Friday, March 24, 2017. This will be held during the OAKE National Confer-ence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Those administrators attending will receive compli-mentary conference registration.

The committee also requests that you nominate your supportive administrator for an OAKE Administrator Program Certificate of Recognition. For more information about the OAKE Administrator Program or Ad-ministrator Recognition, please contact Jerid Morisco at [email protected].

Etna Thompson’s career has centered on teaching music to students in grades K–6. She currently serves on the OAKE Board of Direc-tors as Regional Representative, Western Divi-sion I and is the OAKE Leaf Fund Committee chair and immediate past chair of the Admin-istrator Program.

27


• The Board granted OAKE endorsement to Loyola University of Maryland, Lauren McDougle, program director.

• The board accepted the donation of Alexa Dániel Maland as an endowed scholarship fund in the name of Katinka Scipiades Dániel. The OAKE Scholarship com-mittee will develop the parameters of the scholarship fund based on the explicit wishes of the donor.

• The Board awarded scholarships to singers in the 2016 National Conference Choirs: three students received $400 each, and two students $200 each. Recipients completed an application process and were selected by the National Conference Choirs Scholarship Committee.

• Students of the members of the Kodály Society of Canada will now be allowed to audition for the OAKE National Confer-

ence Choirs These students will not be eligible for OAKE National Conference Choir Scholarships. This change is in sup-port of the Kodály Society of Canada and the 2017 International Kodály Society Symposium in Canada and will benefit all three organizations by bringing high-quali-ty music experiences to the lives of children in both Canada and the United States.

• The OAKE Board of Directors voted to ap-point a deputy treasurer to assist the elect-ed OAKE treasurer. OAKE will continue the current practice of electing a volunteer treasurer for a three-year term per the cur-rent OAKE Bylaws. The deputy treasurer will serve a three-year term overlapping the elected treasurer by at least one year. The treasurer and deputy treasurer will divide the duties of managing the financial mat-ters of OAKE according to areas of interest

and skill sets. The Deputy Treasurer will be vetted by the OAKE Executive Board and the Nominations Committee, be ap-proved by a majority of the OAKE Board of Directors, participate in all OAKE Board meetings, and serve as an ex officio, non-voting Board member. The reason for this move is that though the work and skills required to be treasurer of an organi-zation as large as OAKE are more than one person can do, OAKE is not in a financial position to move to a full time or part time paid chief financial officer at this time.

• The Board appointed Brian Meyers to the position of interim OAKE archivist. He will continue to serve OAKE in that posi-tion until a permanent OAKE archivist is appointed. This appointment was neces-sitated by the death of OAKE archivist Carla Maltas in December 2015.

Board of Directors Meeting NewsMarch 9–13, 2016

2016 Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize

Brent GaultSince 2011, the Doug and Ruth Bosh-

koff family have generously sponsored the Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize to encourage the composition of high-quality octavos for elementary, middle, and high school choral groups. For this sixth year of the prize, OAKE received many excel-lent submissions. Judges reviewed all ap-plications and selected three finalists who were submitted to Ruth Boshkoff. Rich Campbell was selected as the winner of the 2015–2016 Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize. His piece, titled “The Wind,” was premiered by the OAKE National Chil-dren’s Choir under the direction of Eliza-

Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize. (L to R) Paul Baumann, OAKE president; Rich Campbell; Ruth Boshkoff; and Brent Gault. Photo

by Beth Pontiff.

beth Núñez during the 2016 OAKE National Conference in Long Beach, California.

Information about the 2016–2017 prize is already posted on the OAKE website (www.oake.org). Please encour-age any composers you know to apply.

Brent Gault is a past presi-dent of OAKE and organizer of the Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize.

Kodály Envoy28

Holy Names UniversityOakland, CA

Maree [email protected]/kodaly

The Kodály Center congratulates recent graduates of the Master in Music Education (Kodály Emphasis) program and those students who have successfully completed the Kodály Summer Certificate (endorsed by OAKE).

Entry to the master’s program is via level 1 of the Kodály Summer Institute. Master’s pedagogy students are required to complete a substantial culminating research and analysis of the music of a particular cultural context/genre. This year, graduate-selected topics included the music of Obon festivals of Japan and an exploration of the folk music of Finland (from Runo singing to other singing styles).

Interested in completing graduate studies at Holy Names University? HNU is pleased to announce the expansion of the Logan Scholarship. Now available to students of the Master’s in Music Educa-tion (Kodály Emphasis). Scholarships are a monetary award that do not have to be repaid, and as a result, they help reduce the cost of tuition for a master’s degree.

If you are planning on becoming a teacher in a public school system and you are a new student to HNU, you may be eligible for this renewable scholarship to support you in your educational pursuits. To learn more: Contact Financial Aid at 510-436-1198; or [email protected] and state that you are interested in the Logan Scholarship.

Indiana University School of MusicBloomington, IN

Brent [email protected]

James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA

Gary [email protected]

Kodály Association of Southern CaliforniaNorth Hollywood, CA

Kathy [email protected]

George Mason University/Potomac Arts Academy

Fairfax, VAElizabeth [email protected]://potomacacademy.gmu.edu/Summer/TeacherTraining/KodalyWorkshop.html

If it’s not too late, sign up for a sum-mer course at George Mason this July. Our wonderful GMU faculty of Ivy Ward, Vicki Dohrmann, Robbin Marcus and Jer-id Morisco are looking forward to another great group of teachers coming to join us for learning, fun, and a terrific feeling of accomplishment. We are offering levels I–III in Fairfax from July 18–29, 2016.

Robbin Marcus will also be joining Ivy Ward in teaching our “Brush Up Your Kodály” class this summer in Mason’s Supplemental week, July 11–15. If you are an already certified Kodály teacher, or have completed at least level I, you are welcome to join us at Mason for this fun Kodály refresher. This course is offered for 2 graduate credits and meets for 4.25 hours per day. Half the class is a solfège brush-up with Ivy, and the other half of the class this year will be an Appalachian-based pedagogy extension from Robbin. We’ll be looking at songs and games from the Ritchie family and how they fit into our Kodály curriculum. Students will also have the opportunity to build and learn to play the Appalachian dulcimer during the course. Come for some fellowship, a chance to talk with your colleagues about their school programs, and an opportunity to work on your skills in a friendly, low-pressure environment. We’d love to see you this summer!

In addition, Robbin Marcus will be teaching a 1 credit (2.5 hour per day) class in Alexander Technique during Supple-mental Week (July 11–15). Learn new ways to adjust to the daily physical (and mental) demands of music teaching, and have less pain at the end of the day. (This course counts as a Special Topic for GMU levels students.)

Please visit our website for full details and registration information.

Come make music with us!

Anna Maria CollegePaxton, MA

Susie [email protected]

Arizona State UniversityTempe, AZ

Sandra [email protected]

Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UT

Rebecca [email protected]

We, the faculty of InterMuse Acad-emy are looking forward to our summer certification course, which will be June 6–17, 2016, at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Faculty members include guest Hungarian clinicians Zsu-zsánna Mindszenty, head of choral studies at the Eötvös Loránd University of Bu-dapest; and Márta Sárosi–Szabó, head of theory and solfège at the University of De-brecen Conservatory of Music; as well as celebrated local faculty, including Juianna Gylseth, Logan McKinney, Vicki McMur-ray, Krista Perkins, Cynthia Richards, Matt Thornton, and Rebecca McLaughlin. As a byproduct of concentrated outreach efforts throughout the year, we will be enjoying a rich variety of participants this summer. We, as always, are proud to fea-ture our Violin Kodály Pedagogy and Sec-ondary Choral and Pedagogy tracks, along with all of our other high-quality courses. For more information, visit our website. We are looking forward to a wonderful and joyous experience this summer.

Capital University, Kodály InstituteColumbus, OH

Carli [email protected]/Kodaly-Emphasis

Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, CO

Bonnie [email protected]://music.colostate.edu/music-education/

Drake UniversityDes Moines, IA

Thomas [email protected]

NEWS FROM OAKE-ENDORSED CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Summer 2016 29

Kodály Levels Program of SeattleSeattle, WA

Christopher [email protected]

Kodály Levels Program of Seattle is set to run from July 6–17, with levels I, II, and III. Our faculty consists of Chris-topher Roberts, Kelly Foster Griffin, Sarah Bartolome, Darcy Morrissey, and our newest member Melyssa Stone. We are excited to have Melyssa join our team as one of the musicianship teachers. She recently completed her master’s of educa-tion in Educational Leadership and brings a great diversity of musical experience as a well-regarded singer in both the classical and jazz realms. Melyssa’s musical experi-ences allow us to continue our ongoing ef-fort to incorporate music from the diverse groups that make up our region and our country. In addition, we will bring in two expert culture-bearers from outside the European and African American traditions to help teach portions of the class.

Lamar University / Kodály Institute of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas

Beaumont, TXCharlotte [email protected]

Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityHickory, NC

Amalie [email protected]

Midwestern State UniversityWichita Falls, TX

Susan [email protected]

Minnesota State University MoorheadMoorhead, MN

Jenny [email protected]

New Mexico Kodály InstituteAlbuquerque, NM

Regina [email protected]

New York UniversityNew York, NY

Jerry [email protected]

Plano Independent School DistrictPlano, TX

Kathy [email protected]/muedworkshops

Portland State UniversityPortland, OR

Debbie [email protected]

San Antonio ISD, Fine Arts DepartmentSan Antonio, TX

Ann [email protected]

Silver Lake College of the Holy FamilyManitowoc, WI

Rachel Ware [email protected]

Southeast Texas Kodály Certification ProgramHouston, TX

Colleen [email protected]

Texas State UniversityKyle, TX

Patricia [email protected]

Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX

Robert [email protected]

University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO

Juli [email protected]/kodaly

University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT

John [email protected]

University of HoustonHouston, TX

Cara [email protected]

University of Nebraska at OmahaOmaha, NE

Shelly Cooper402-554-3411

University of OklahomaNorman, OK

Casey [email protected]/content/finearts/music/Kodály.html

University of St. ThomasSt. Paul, MN

Bev [email protected]/music/graduate

University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN

Lee [email protected]

West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester, PA

J. Bryan Burton [email protected]

Westminster Choir College of Rider UniversityPrinceton, NJ

Donna [email protected]/kodaly

Westminster Choir College had a great spring workshop in partnership with Kodály New Jersey and featuring Missy Strong. We experienced masterful tech-niques to build musicianship in elementary contexts using ideas drawn from John Feierabend’s Conversational Solfège.

We are excited for the summer 2016 Kodály Certification program. Levels I and II will run from July 18–29, 2016, on the Westminster Choir College campus in Princeton, NJ. In addition to the general music pedagogy track, we are proud to announce our Choral Pedagogy track with the instatement of the Kodály level I choral course this summer. Participants will take a choral Kodály pedagogy course focused on upper elementary and middle school repertoire teaching strategies and sequencing. In lieu of the traditional song

Missy Strong workshop at Westminster

Kodály Envoy30

literature course, choral participants will take a repertoire class focused on theoreti-cal and pedagogical analyses of selected octavos. New and returning faculty in-cludes Christopher Roberts (Pedagogy and Folk-Song level I); Kristen Van Ollefen (Pedagogy and Folk-Song level II); Trish Joyce (Choral Pedagogy and Repertoire level I); and Tom Shelton (Conducting levels I and II and Choral Ensemble). Come join our wonderful faculty and returning Kodály participants in beautiful Princeton for two weeks of music making, pedagogy, community building, and fun! Please visit our website or contact Donna Gallo, program coordinator, for more information. Westminster looks forward to meeting you!

Wichita State UniversityWichita, KS

Elaine [email protected]/Kodály

During April 2016, the Wichita State University Summer Kodály Program pre-pared for its 12th year serving the teach-ers and children of Kansas and surround-

ing states. A total of 37 potential students from 10 states participated in our prep session in person or with others watching via Facebook. Kodály Music Educators of Kansas (KMEK) and Senseney Music sponsored the event. The morning began with a wonderful workshop titled, “From Call and Response to ‘Take Five’: Jazz and Blues in the Kodály Classroom” by Ben Rivers and Reed Bishop. Special guests were college students from the area. After a potluck taco luncheon, the prep sessions began with Erin Johnson (level I), Lisa Simmelink (level II) and Matthew Hanne (level III) leading the way.

The testimonials of Ben, Erin, and Matt about their summer training in Ke-cskemét, Hungary, were a special inspira-tion to people at the workshop. Those who attended IKS in Edinburgh, Scotland, also described the joy of connecting to a global community fostered by the Kodály philos-ophy. We invite others to join our Midwest training community during 2016. We also encouraged members of KMEK to attend MKMEA, OAKE, or IKS this next year.

Our 2016 Kodály workshop is sched-uled for June 5–17, with the children’s choir camp meeting June 5–10. The adult workshop fee again will be $500. Students also can earn five semester credits through Wichita State University. As always, KMEK has been integral to the success of our training institute. Program faculty includes Jo Kirk (level I), Lisa Simmelink (level II), Susan Tevis (level III), and Ga-bor Virágh (musicianship). Royce Tevis, Matthew Hanne, and Shawn Chastain will lead conducting levels. Chastain leads the adult choir while Hanne leads the a cap-pella alumni choir. Elaine Quilichini leads the children’s choir.

With our new Shocker Hall and re-cently renovated Rhatigan Student Center, both youth and adults have wonderful overnight, food, and recreation facilities. Teachers and youth who are interested in participating in any of our events are en-couraged to visit www.wichita.edu/Kodály or contact Elaine Bernstorf, program administrator at [email protected] or Steve Oare, program director at [email protected].

Ben Rivers leading the group in the blues during the Wichita State University prep session

Summer 2016 31

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Kodály Envoy32

Eastern DivisionCynthia Gorney, [email protected]

BAKEBoston Area Kodály Educators Kathryn Bach, president [email protected]

BAKE has wrapped up a wonderful season of workshops! Our local music educators enjoyed workshops presented by Karen Howard, Kodály Music Institute faculty; Susie Petrov; Kathryn Bach; and Charlyn Bethel and wrapped up with a de-lightful presentation from Denise Gagne.

BAKE workshop with Denise Gagne

We have embarked on a new relation-ship with the Kodály Music Institute and plan to explore more ways to collaborate to offer as many high-quality Kodály inspired professional development and workshops to music educators in our area.

The Kodály Music Institute will be of-fering their annual levels training, includ-ing two special sessions this summer:

Susan Brumfield will present “Choral Music Repertoire and Strategies.” This three-day intensive course will focus on teaching music literacy and practice skills in a choral rehearsal setting. She will focus on music for choirs of students in grades 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12.

David Hodgkins and Gábor Virágh will be offering “Choir Conductor’s Tool-box: Conducting and Solfège.” This five day intensive course will be team taught and aimed at sharpening your ears and conducting skills.

For more information on summer courses in the Boston area please go to Kodálymusicinstitute.org

Also, please like our Boston Area Kodály Educators Facebook page and check out our website for local events, jobs, and musical happenings.

KEEPKodály Educators of Eastern Pennsylvania Allison Lewis, [email protected]://keepoake.weebly.com/

KEEP workshop with Phil Tacka and Mícheál Houlahan

KEEP was thrilled to work with the mu-sic department at Millersville University to present “Kodály in the Kindergarten Class-room: A Model of Learning and Instruction for Teaching Music Concepts and Skills” by Phil Tacka and Mícheál Houlahan. It was wonderful to learn from them about their newest publications, and to socialize with current and preservice music teachers from all over the state of Pennsylvania. Nick Holland-Garcia, of MUSIK, also presented a sample lesson from the text, which was great to see in person! We are excitedly planning three workshops for next year, and hope to see many of you there!

KESNEKodály Educators of Southern New England Keira Brown, [email protected] www.kesne.org

KNJKodály/New Jersey Lindsay Jackson, president [email protected]://www.Kodálynewjersey.org/

Missy Strong presents to KNJ

KNJ hosted a successful workshop with Missy Strong in April. We had a great turn-

out, learned a lot about Conversational Solfège, and had a lot of fun!

KONYKodály Organization of New York Craig McGorry, president [email protected]

In April, KONY had a fantastic pre-sentation by Joan Litman titled “Flying Poles and a Dancing Crab: Multicultural Songs, Dances, and Games.” The workshop included repertoire from Syria and was en-hanced by game playing and performances by actual students from the Mustard Seed School in Hoboken, NJ. In May, KONY brought back “Voices United!” our annual choral festival, which had been dormant for a few years. The guest conductor was Craig Knapp. He worked with choirs from PS126/MAT, PS/IS 229, and Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. The groups brought two of the pieces they had been working on and received feedback from Craig. In addition, he taught them all a piece that day: “Chatter with the Angels,” arranged by Betty Bertaux. The day culminated with a concert where each choir performed their own pieces and then united for a performance of “Chatter with the Angels.”

KONY workshop with Joan Litman

MUSIKMaryland United Specialists in KodályLauren McDougle, [email protected]://musikchapter.weebly.com

VOKEVirginia Organization of Kodály Educators Victoria Schubert, presidentvictoria@virginiaKodály.org www.virginiaKodály.org

VOKE had a busy and successful 2015–2016 season! We started the year with our annual Sip and Sing in Sep-tember. Here we got together with many different teachers, both old and new, and shared some of our favorite songs and ac-tivities while sipping some of our favorite

NEWS FROM OAKE DIVISIONS AND CHAPTERS

Summer 2016 33

beverages. So many new teachers joined us and left with many new activities and songs to take back to their classrooms.

In October, Philip Tacka presented his workshop “What Does ‘Developing Aural Awareness’ Really Mean?” Our participants left with new strategies and ideas to totally overhaul their pacing guides and preparing, presenting, and practicing strategies.

In January we hosted Franklin Gallo at our eighth annual Virginia Children’s Cho-ral Festival. Gallo worked with over 160 students where he premiered his new piece “I Sent My Love a Parcel.” Our students were honored to sing his piece along with other great repertoire. Further, our students grew more musical and confident after his weekend of work.

February was a big month for recruit-ment and sharing with others our wonder-ful method. Many of our board members presented for new teachers, students, and curious veteran teachers in our fourth an-nual “Kodály in My Classroom: An Intro-duction to the Kodály Method.” These pre-sentations consisted of showing many key rhythmic and melodic concepts as well as folk dancing and choral techniques.

Leigh Ann Garner came to us in March and presented on her workshop “Common Ground: Cultivating Musical Skills in All Learners.” Garner shared many new songs and ideas from her new published work Cultivating Creative Musicians. Further, she shared ideas on how to assess our students without them knowing through engaging songs and games. Many of us have gone many times to the arts and crafts store since then to find new goodies to use in our teaching.

Our chapter was well represented at the National OAKE Conference in Long Beach this March. Many of our members came back rejuvenated, tan, and excited to finish out the school year strong with lots of new ideas and activities to share with their students.

VOKE workshop with Susan Brumfield. Photo by Victoria Schubert.

Our final workshop of the season was with Susan Brumfield in which she shared with us many choral techniques and strate-gies in her workshop “Kodály Pedagogy in the Choral Rehearsal.” At this work-shop, we got to see Brumfield in action through a demo choir performing some of her beautiful arrangements. We learned that the choral rehearsal should be an extension of the general music classroom. The same prepare, present, and practice strategies apply in all aspects of our teaching. All our participants left not only with a brain full of new ideas to use with their choruses but also with a large choral packet filled with octavos to use with any level of chorus.

Although our season was filled with fantastic events during the school year, VOKE is still very busy. We are working hard on our upcoming 2016–2017 season to provide a great line up of presenters and clinicians. Further, many of our members have been stopping by our local methods courses welcoming all the students to our area and encouraging them to continue their learning with us next season. Finally, VOKE will welcome Lauren Carpel as our new chapter president. We are looking forward to her great leadership to continue to make our chapter great!Midwestern Division

AWAKEAssociation of Wisconsin AreaKodály EducatorsRebeckah Cavanaugh, [email protected]://awake.yolasite.com

CAKEChicago Area Kodály EducatorsJamie Parker, [email protected]

CCKECapital Collegiate Kodály EducatorsStacy Bova, [email protected]

CIKECentral Illinois Kodály Educators Christine Smith, [email protected]

Although our professional develop-ment for 2016–2017 is not completely set yet, CIKE is thrilled to announce that Aileen Miracle will be coming to Millikin University in Decatur, IL, on Saturday, No-vember 5, to do a workshop on technology and assessment from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Please

check our Facebook page for updates on cost and registering for the workshop, or email Christine Smith, CIKE president for more information as it becomes available.

CMKECentral Missouri Kodály EducatorsEbony Shaffer, [email protected]://cmke.weebly.com/

CMKE’s annual Children's Honor Choir

Summer’s here! I hope you are tak-ing a moment to rest and relax during this season! I know many colleagues in the Missouri area are gearing up for the Kodály Summer Institute held in July at the University of Central Missouri. CMKE actively supports these students with goodie bags and assistance from veteran Kodály teachers, as well as hosts a meal for all levels students and teachers. This is our way of fostering a relationship with newly trained Kodály teachers that will encour-age them to join our network of experi-enced colleagues actively involved in our organization. Our yearly highlights include a few successful “Coffee with Kodály” workshops, and our annual Children’s Honor Choir in February. We look forward to what the future brings in the 2016–2017 school year. Enjoy your time this summer!

IKEIndiana Kodály EducatorsDiana Gillespie, [email protected]

KAKEKentucky Area Kodály EducatorsJune Grice, [email protected]

KCMKodály Chapter of MinnesotaCarrie Ann Krause, [email protected]

Kodály Envoy34

KEIKodály Educators of IowaAmy Schoene, [email protected]://Kodályeducatorsiowa.weebly.com/

KEI has had a successful spring! We collaborated with local music organiza-tions to host Kathy Thomsen in “Dalcroze Eurhythmics for Your Music Classroom” on April 23 at the University of Northern Iowa. Participants were given a hands-on experience of how purposeful, full body movement can be used to teach children fundamental musical concepts, while fos-tering expressivity and creativity!

The countdown to MKMEA is here: mark your calendars for October 28–30, 2016, as KEI and MKMEA host the annual fall convention, Kodály-owa, Fields of Opportunity! The conference will be held at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center, Des Moines, IA. Keynote address will be given by Kris VerSteegt, IMEA president and founding KEI president. Barbara Sletto will conduct the Confer-ence Honor Choir. Come and enjoy a bountiful feast of session topics, including music literacy, movement, choral litera-ture, singing games and Kodály basics. Additional information can be found at

http://www.mkmea.com/conferences.html and on Facebook at MKMEA Conference. Whether you are new to Kodály-inspired teaching or an experienced Kodály teacher, in the general music classroom or in the choral rehearsal room, Kodály-owa, Fields of Opportunity has something for you!

KMEKKodály Music Educators of KansasLauren Hirsh, [email protected]

KOZKodály of the OzarksNatalie Sneed Miller, [email protected]://kodalyoftheozarks.blogspot.com/

MIKEMichigan Kodály EducatorsAshley Allen, [email protected]ály.org

On April 9, MiKE hosted Joan Long, retired teacher from Clare, MI, as she presented “Movement and Folk Dance in the Elementary Classroom.” The work-shop involved three hours of movement and dance showing a sequential movement process. It was tiring, but a lot of fun!

MiKE had our last workshop of the

season with Roger Sams titled, “Kodály and Orff Together: Friends Not Foes.” This workshop was held on May 21 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at Central Michigan Univer-sity. We are looking forward to booking and scheduling our 2016–2017 workshops as well.

Stay connected with our budding chapter through our website and Facebook group, Michigan Kodály Educators.

NOCKANorth Coast Kodály AssociationSarah Schlafer, [email protected]

NPKC Northern Plains Kodály ChapterLeeAnn Kramlich, [email protected]

PSKORPlains States Kodály OrganizationHolly Campbell, [email protected]

Our spring workshop was held on Saturday, April 16, at Nebraska Wes-leyan University. Sue Leithold-Bowcock presented a host of wonderful ideas in “Lesson Planning for Upper Elementary Students.” We had almost 20 music teach-ers in attendance from the Omaha and Lin-coln area. Sue explained her processes for planning, showed us a clip from the 2015 OAKE conference of the implementation of her planning with her own students, and then guided us through the process as we worked in groups to create engaging lesson plans.

Levels courses will be offered through the University of Nebraska at Omaha this summer from June 9–24. Davis Middle School (Omaha Public Schools) will be the site for these summer courses. We have approximately 11 students registered for levels this summer.

We are working on our workshop schedule for the 2016–2017 school year. I look forward to sharing our schedule with everyone very soon!

Enjoy the rest of the school year with your students!

SLAKESt. Louis Area Kodály EducatorsVicki Strode, [email protected]

KEI spring workshop with Kathy Thomsen

Summer 2016 35

TRIKETri-City Kodály EducatorsMatthew Parker, [email protected] Southern DivisionAmy Chaffin, [email protected]

It is finally spring, and all my plans to work in my yard have been thwarted by al-lergies. Achoo! Alas, I shall look forward to the rains to wash away the pollen, and con-tinue spring cleaning and painting one room at a time until it’s safe to go out and play in the dirt again. Such is the life of a retiree!

Can you believe our Southern Division Mini-Conference in Atlanta, GA, is just around the corner? August 19 and 20 will be here before you can blink your eyes. If you haven’t registered to attend, please go to www.sdoake.weebly.com. The deadline for early registration is Friday, August 5. What a bargain you will get at $75 for the weekend, beginning with Friday Commu-nity Dancing at the Clarkston Community Center with the Chattahoochee Commu-nity Dancers, calling by Robbin Marcus; continuing all day Saturday at Henderson Mill Elementary with Jill Trinka exposing us to the art of dulcimer playing in three different tunings. If you do not have a dulcimer, “not to worry,” we will provide dulcimers. Just be sure to fill out the regis-tration form with that information includ-ed so we can reserve one for your use.

The Hampton Inn at Northlake Mall will be our official hotel for out-of-town guests. However, if you would like more of a “Southern Charm Experience,” sign up for our Home Stay program, where KEGA members will provide a bed and breakfast atmosphere and take “real good care of you” at no charge! Get to know your fellow OAKE members as we unite in a weekend of fun, dancing, and music-making. Ya’ll come now, ya hear?

KEGAKodály Educators of GeorgiaVonda J. Vrieland, [email protected]á[email protected]

Hammers, screwdrivers, glue, and wire cutters came in handy during our last workshop for the 2015–2016 season. Robbin Marcus presented “The Alexan-der Technique, Appalachian Dulcimer Building, and Instructional Jam Session.” Participants learned specific ways for

music teachers to move, lift, play games, sing, and conduct on daily basis using the Alexander Technique. In the other part of the workshop, Robbin assisted in dulcimer building and instructed how to play the dulcimer. Our chapter would like to thank David Cross and Backyard Music for help-ing us with ordering dulcimers.

As my presidency comes to an end, I would like to give a shout out to Amy Chaffin for all her help and support over the past few years and Marylou Swann for keeping me in line. I would also like to thank the KEGA Board for all their hard work in making this season a success and Mount Paran Music Ministry (Mark Blankenship and Chris Jenkins) for gener-ously letting us use their facility. I leave the KEGA chapter in capable hands and excited to see what they have in store!

KEFKodály Educators of FloridaCynthia Tickel, [email protected]://floridakodalyeducators.weebly.com/

KETKodály Educators of TexasRebecca Juarez, [email protected]://sites.google.com/site/Kodálytx/

It is hard to believe the school year is almost over! KET was well represented at the Texas Music Educator’s Conven-tion in February. KET board members Lauren Bain and Rebecca Juarez presented workshops, as well as our featured clini-cian, Lamar Robertson. We had several KET members, Meredith Riggs and Loren Tarnow, present at the national OAKE conference in March. We will also present four scholarships to KET members for summer training courses in Texas.

The following programs are offered:• Austin ISD Kodály Initiative, June

6–17, [email protected]• Kodály Institute of Southwest Louisi-

ana and Southeast Texas, June 14–July 3, [email protected]

• Midwestern State University, June 20–July 2 [email protected]

• Plano ISD/SMU, July 5–21, [email protected]

• Southeast Texas Certification Program, June 13–30, [email protected]

• Texas State University, July 11–27, [email protected]

• University of Houston/ Kodály Initia-tive of Houston, July 18–Aug. 5, [email protected]

KONCKodály Educators of North CarolinaNancy Stover, [email protected]://bit.ly/KodályNC

LAKELouisiana Association of Kodály EducatorsCasey Doucet, [email protected]

MTAKEMiddle Tennessee Association of Kodály EducatorsKaren Mueller, [email protected]/groups/352480474795095

OKEOklahoma Kodály EducatorsKatie Robertson, presidentoklahomakodalyeducators@gmail.comoklahomakodalyeducators.wordpress.com

OKE hosted a fabulous make and take spring workshop with Kayla Genty and Erin Pitts. Everyone left with something for their sub tubs! This summer, we will be hosting the workshops for the levels programs at the University of Oklahoma. On June 24, Cecile Johnson presented “Singing Games: Developing Cooperative Spirits in Musical Play” for the level I stu-dents in Norman. On July 22, Eddie Lou Strimple will be presenting a pedagogy workshop for the level II students in Tulsa. We are looking forward to hosting Aileen Miracle in the fall. She will be presenting “Nurturing Musical Growth through As-sessment” on Saturday, October 1.

In between hosting workshops, we are busily planning the 2018 Oklahoma City conference. Our president, Katie Rob-ertson, is cochairing the committee with Southern Division president Amy Chaf-fin. Three OKE members are sitting on the committee—Lindsey Schroder, Tony Flores, and Sandy Knudson—as well as Lauren Hirsh (KMEK), Rebecca Juarez (KET), and Scott Sexton (Mississippi). Make plans now to join us in OKC March 22–25, 2018!

SECKESoutheast Chapter of Kodály EducatorsCathy May Dunstan, [email protected]://secke.weebly.com/

SHAKESweet Home Alabama Kodály Educators Ted Hoffman, [email protected]

SHAKE is pleased to announce the election of the 2016–2018 executive

Kodály Envoy36

board: Lea Hoppe, president; Becky Hal-liday, vice-president/president-elect; Joy Smith, treasurer/secretary; and members-at-large Deanna Bell and Marsha Alexan-der.Western Division

AKTSArizona Kodály Teachers SocietyJoshua Block, [email protected]

CCKECentral California Association of Kodály EducatorsEmily Anderson, [email protected]

EEKEnchanted Educators of KodályMika Proctor, [email protected]

KASCKodály Association of Southern CaliforniaApril Johnson, [email protected]

NCAKENorthern California Association of Kodály EducatorsSarah Cane, [email protected]

NKENorthwest Kodály EducatorsAlina Gibitz Stroh, [email protected]ály.org

NKE is in an exciting period of transi-tions. Many thanks to Alina Stroh for her time of incredible service as president of our board. We would not be where we are now without the countless hours of work you have done, and we are so grateful for you and your service! We are greatly look-ing forward to having another great leader, Melissa Headrick, who is transitioning to the role of chapter president over the sum-mer. We ended the year with a fantastic March workshop weekend, consisting of an evening of chapter sharing, and a day of upper-elementary activities, songs, and strategies, presented by Christopher Roberts. We are anticipating another year of relevant, engaging, and applicable workshops in the 2016–2017 academic year. Our planned workshops consist of a chapter sharing, a workshop led by a music therapist who will discuss strategies for students with special needs, a work-

shop, a choral workshop weekend, and a workshop led by an established music cur-riculum developer. More information will be available on our chapter website.

ROCKERegional Organization of Colorado Kodály EducatorsJenny Authier, [email protected]

ROCKE finished up the year with Julia Shaw presenting “Developing the Child Singing Voice in the Kodály-Inspired Classroom.” Julia has a rich background in the children’s choir world, studying with Henry Leck, and she has a wealth of ex-perience in the urban setting. We learned many easy ideas for improving technique for young singers, rehearsal ideas, and leveling choral repertoire. ROCKE highly recommends Julia as a presenter!

Congratulations to our new ROCKE presidency: Jenna Olschlager, Laura Da-vis, and Joe Dewinkle.

ROCKE is awarding a $500 scholar-ship for the Colorado Kodály Institute (CKI), which will be July 18–30.

ROCKE lost a member of our chap-ter to cancer, Susan Tobias. She will be remembered as a wonderful and gracious woman. She had an extensive music book collection, and many of her books will bless future music education students at Colorado State University, as they re-ceived a large book donation from her.

SWOKESouthern Washington and Oregon Kodály EducatorsJohn Hillan, [email protected]

SWOKE spring choral festival

Kurt Cereske did a wonderful job con-ducting the SWOKE Spring Choral Festi-val on Friday, April 15. We had 200 sing-ers participate and highly recommend Kurt as a guest conductor and clinician. Our chapter is looking forward to networking

with students at the Portland State Kodály Institute in August and welcoming Jo Kirk as our clinician at the state in-service day on Friday, October 14—if you’re in the area, please join us! Always keep up on SWOKE news via our website.

UFOLKSUtah Fellowship of Local Kodály SpecialistsMarie Haws, [email protected]://ufolks.wordpress.com/

Our last workshop of this school year was a wonderful “choral sharing” work-shop. We held our workshop at a beautiful restored church that has been purchased by a group of professional choirs, the Salt Lake Choral Artists, in Salt Lake City. Both the location and the presenters were inspiring! We had several of our own members share, as well as the world-renowned conductor of the Salt Lake Choral Artists, Brady Allred. He kindly allowed us to participate in the rehearsal with his top-level professional choir. What a beautiful experience! The members who attended came away with ideas for how to incorporate more literacy into their choir rehearsals, as well as inspiration for increasing the caliber of their choir performances.

We were also glad to support our local Kodály certification program, the InterMuse Academy, at Brigham Young University, as they begin their two-week program at the beginning of June.

OAKE SUSTAINING MEMBERS

J. W. Pepper & Son [email protected]

McGraw-Hill [email protected]

Quaver [email protected]

Silver Burdett/Pearson [email protected]

West [email protected]

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Kristina AbellaBrooklyn, NY

Lisette ArmstrongAlexandria, VA

Anthony ArnoldSan Jose, CA

Melissa BakerTallula, IL

Kristin BallChandler, AZ

Melinda BaumNowon-gu, South Korea

Evan BillingsLas Vegas, NV

Meeghan BinderNorth Riverside, IL

Nikki BlacketerAllen, TX

Kimberly CarterAmarillo, TX

Linda CassidyUniversal City, TX

Haydn CastletonRio Rico, AZ

Annie CavanaughBurbank, CA

Jeanie CavenderGeorgetown, TX

Lydia ChaffeeSeattle, WA

Marilyn CharmSan Francisco, CA

Deborah ChowZanesville, OH

Heather ChristiansenProvo, UT

Alexander ConleySayreville, NJ

Hanna CrandellPoteau, OK

Sarah CurrierHouston, TX

Amy DagenaisJacksonville, FL

Dayita DattaArcadia, CA

Patrick DauwerDuxbury, MA

Anais De La MorandaisRedondo Beach, CA

Xiomara Di MaioLafayette, CA

Karolyn EberhardtValatie, NY

Grace EdwardsOakley, CA

Erik EkstromMinneapolis, MN

Svetlana EpshteynLos Angeles, CA

Kaitlyn FaselerLubbock, TX

Corey FisherFrisco, TX

Sharon FletcherOrem, UT

Logan FletcherColumbus, OH

Christina FlynnBurbank, CA

Gloria FoxPuyallup, WA

Deanna FrancesShabbona, IL

Czarina FranciscoLoma Linda, CA

Elayne GabbertLake Charles, LA

Jenny GafronHoffman Estates, IL

Reagan GearLumberton, TX

Elizabeth GeisewiteBrooklyn, NY

Kevin GoddardLancaster, NY

Kaethe GrabenhoferCedarburg, WI

Kristen GravleeLilburn, GA

Hannah HansardLubbock, TX

Liane HarperAliso Viejo, CA

Brooke HarrisStillwater, OK

Stephen HartmanMoore, OK

Melissa HartshornSan Antonio, TX

Karen HearnColumbus, GA

Whitney HogueNorth Richland Hills, TX

Jeong Young HongSanta Fe, NM

Lindsey HowardGloversville, NY

Kaitlynn IgariTacoma, WA

Laura JenksMcKinney, TX

Abigail JohnsonSammamish, WA

Grace KaprelianPorter Ranch, CA

Madeline KidwellEdmond, OK

Kevin KingWolfville, Canada

Anna KooglerBoylston, MA

Judith KoretHamden, CT

David KwonWhittier, CA

Kelly LarsonBothell, WA

Sarah LenLong Beach, CA

Charles LevyBeverly Hills, CA

Caroline LipseyStevensville, MD

Caroline LipseyStevensville, MD

Cathy LopezCarrollton, TX

Kimberly LostetterSan Francisco, CA

Lisa MastHarrisonburg, VA

Joan MathenyPleasant Grove, UT

Sadiemarie MayesHyde Park, MA

Jacqueline MessinettiRocky point, NY

Francis MitchellBangor, CA

Martin MonsonFullerton, CA

Elliott MorottiStevensville, MD

Sarah MoyerManassas, VA

Robert MurilloFort Worth, TX

Matt OchsAllen, TX

Allison OrobiaChicago, IL

Abigail ParkerWichita Falls, TX

Breanna PoageUrbandale, IA

Nichole PolizziBeverly Hills, CA

Kimberly RansomLos Angeles, CA

Carol ReevesWatkinsville, GA

Michael ReillyVallejo, CA

Anne ReinkingBurbank, CA

Bob RidgeLanghorne, PA

Lucia SchaeferWashington, DC

Anne SchoeppBen Lomond, CA

Erica SeeleyUrbandale, IA

Valerie SellersGrand Prairie, TX

Taylor SelveyMustang, OK

Cara SemlerKearneysville, WV

Megan ShaneYukon, OK

Brian ShawBexley, OH

Kaitlin SimonsonHenderson, NV

George SimpsonBoston, MA

F. Thomas SimpsonPasadena, CA

Kelsey SmithGlendale, CA

Rebecca StewartSand Springs, OK

Mary StoneAmes, IA

Missy StrongMount Ephraim, NJ

NEW MEMBERS FIRST QUARTER 2016

See complete member listings on www.oake.org. Restricted solely to the personal use of OAKE members and official OAKE business.

Lauren SummaLiverpool, TX

Carol SwinchoskiWall Township, NJ

Ian TamBurbank, CA

Lizzy TaylorSouth Hill, VA

Siyuan TianNew York, NY

Allison TjossemFort Collins, CO

Kelly ToddLubbock, TX

Paden TownManhattan, KS

Katherine WilliamsonLos Angeles, CA

Laura WillisHopatcong, NJ

Stefan WolfOsseo, MN

Yen Yeen WooSingapore

Rebecca WrightHawthorne, CA

Moriah WynkoopSouthington, CT

Rujing XiongNew York, NY

Kodály Envoy40

Guidelines for ContributorsThe Kodály Envoy seeks articles

about Kodály-based music education at all teaching levels, as well as articles on related music and music education topics.

Kodály Envoy articles are double-blind peer reviewed by practicing profes-sionals who have expertise in the Kodály concept and writing and editing,and significant teaching, practicing, and research experience. Manuscripts and other documents accepted for publication are edited to conform with Kodály Envoy style policies, which can be found at www .oake.org/envoy or be obtained from the editor.

Submission of a manuscript implies that the article is not currently under review by another publication and has not appeared elsewhere in part or entirety.

Contact: Send all manuscripts, articles, reports, news, letters, items for review, other contributions, questions, comments, suggestions, and requests for permission to reprint to the editor: Elizabeth Pontiff, 46781 Backwater Dr., Sterling , VA 20164; 571-434-0516; [email protected].

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PUBLICATION INFORMATION2016–2017 OAKE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Officers

PresidentMary Allmon [email protected]

President ElectAnn [email protected]

Vice PresidentKevin [email protected]

SecretaryMary Neeley [email protected]

TreasurerKathy [email protected]

Administrative DirectorGary [email protected]

Ex Officio Members

National Conference Business DirectorNancy [email protected]

Past PresidentPaul [email protected]

Editor, Kodály EnvoyElizabeth [email protected]

Members at Large

Karen [email protected]

Robbin [email protected]

Staff

Administrative Coordinator Colleen Graves, [email protected]

National Advisers

Higher EducationJerry [email protected]

IndustryKathy [email protected]

InstrumentalBrian [email protected]

Secondary EducationJeanne [email protected]

Eastern Division

PresidentDonna [email protected]

Regional RepresentativesPhilip Montgomery, [email protected]

Michelle McCarten, [email protected]

Midwestern Division

PresidentTom [email protected]

Regional RepresentativesEva Floyd, [email protected]

Sarah Oyler, [email protected]

Southern Division

PresidentAmy [email protected]

Regional RepresentativesKatie Robertson, [email protected]

Jerid Morisco, [email protected]

Western Division

PresidentLucinda [email protected]

Regional RepresentativesEtna Thompson, [email protected]

Heidi McIlroy, [email protected]

OAKE National Conference

AUDITIONS OPEN AUGUST 15

Philadelphia, PAMarch 23 - 26, 2017

Audition for the OAKE National Honor Choirs!

Philadelphia, PA March 23 - 26, 2017

Lynnel Joy JenkinsYouth Choir

Instructions and submissions found at oake.org/choirs

Fred MeadsChildren’s Choir

Rollo DilworthChamber Ensemble

Susan GlassConcert Women’s Choir

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PAID

Ames, IA 50010Permit No. 14

Organization of American Kodály Educators10801 National Blvd. Suite 590Los Angeles, CA 90064

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Documents

Kodály Envoy - Oake · the Vaughan Williams Library from 1979 ... national Folk Music Council, vol. 23, April 1963. p. 1. ... 4 Kodály Envoy