PRESTO - Learning, Teaching, Training Activities
City/country: Budapest, Hungary
Time: from 10 to 12 of October 2022
The aim of this LTT activity was to have a broader understanding of the Hungarian music education system and the application of the Kodaly concept on everday practice.
10th of October, 2022:
Lesson observation at the Kós Primary School (the Model School of the Liszt Academy and the Kodály Institute); teachers: Borbála Szirányi, Edina Barabás, Dávid Farkasházi)
09:00 - grade 7 (age 13) Borbála
10:00 - grade 4 (age 10) Edina
11:00 - grade 8 (age 14) Dávid
14:00 – 15:30 – observation of choir rehearsal Marczibányi téri Kodály School; teachers Eszter Uhereczky, Csilla Őri
walk to the statue of Kodály and the Europe Park (Európa Liget), then walk to the Royal Castle
19:00 – 21:15 Choir rehearsal of László Nemes with the New Liszt Ferenc Chamber Choir, Dome Hall of Liszt Academy
11th of October, 2022:
10:10 – 12:45 – lesson observation of lower primary lessons in Marczibányi téri Kodály School
10:10-10:55 grade 2 - Katalin Körber (pupils of the Hungarian Radio’s Children Choir)
11:05-11:50 grade 4 - Gyöngyi Puskás (pupils of the regular singing primary school)
12:00-12:45 violin lesson (pupil 12 yrs old) - Kornélia Csapó (the school combines a singing primary school and an afternoon music school in the same institution)
14:00 – Solfége in the afternoon music schools in Hungary - presentation by Réka Tóth at Jenő Ádám Music School
14:30 – 16:30 observation of Réka’s solfége lesson (age group 11-12 years old)
12th of October, 2022:
A full day in Kecskemét at the Kodály Institute
10:30 – 16:30 lesson observation
10:30-11:00 Choir - Anna Fűri and Máté Balogh present some of the choral pieces produced in IO2.
11:00-12:00 Solfege (Kata Körtvési)
12:00-13:00 lunch break (sandwiches, fruits – cost covered by us)
13:00-14:00 Zenezen (Anikó Novák, Katalin Körtvési)
14:00-15:00 Film about the Kodály Institute, an update on the renovation project
15:00-15:45 Methodology (László Nemes)
15:45-16:30 Creative instrumental chamber music (Lajos Rozmán)
16:30 – 17:45 walking in Kecskemét and meeting students of the Institute
City/country: Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)
Time: From Monday 01 August to Thursday 04 August, 2022
The PRESTO team members were given the opportunity to join the educational activities presented by NYCOS experts at their Kodály Summer School held in Edinburgh. The participants of the summer school came from all across the UK (and some from Ireland). Each morning started with a Warm Up/Communal Singing session where vocal training techniques, vocal health issues and gamified warming exercises gained a huge interest.
Topics/sessions the PRESTO team members joined:
- Solfége Musicianship (Levels 1/2; 3/4; 5/6; 7/8; 9/10)
- Singing Games for All
- Exploring Diverse Repertoire
- Repertoire for Young Choirs
- Developing Aural Skills (Secondary/Tertiary)
- Ensemble Singing
- New Go for Bronze (Primary)
Separate session covered the inclusivity issues, in particularly the use of British Sign Language in a Kodály-based teaching approach. OBE Paul Whittaker and his helpers held the sessions and also presented the results of a few pilot projects implemented in Northern Scotland.
The participants were also invited to an Edinburgh Walking Tour, to a Scottish Gin Tasting and to the closing Ceilidh.
Two wonderful live concerts made the LTT activity truly remarkable and unforgettable. Emerging young musicians, „nycosians” performed (Ankna Arockiam & Friends and Hannah Rarity & Friends). The summer school gave a complete overview of the achievements of NYCOS Education. Further PRESTO project updates in terms of NYCOS undertakings, presentation of the results so far, the current challenges of the Scottish Music Education System and a discussion on pending project issues closed the trip.
City/country: Helsinki, Finland
Time: From Tuesday 14 June to Thursday 16 June, 2022
14 June:
Visit to Caprice Oy Studio (Riitankuja 1–3 C, 00840 Helsinki), presentation of the studio equipments.
Observation of Géza Szilvay’s online introductory Colourstrings course to violin teachers from all over the world. The Colourstrings concept is the proprietary method of Géza and Csaba Szilvay, Hungarian-born string teachers, who introduced and prospered the concept in Finland. The concept is a Kodály-based, child-centred way of teaching string instruments to kids. Caprice Oy runs and manages the Minifiddlers Programme entirely based on the Colourstrings concept.
Observation of the online violin one-to-one masterclass of Hagai Shaham, who is an internationally renowned violinist and professor at the University of Tel-Aviv, co-operation partner of Minifiddlers.
Greetings and a small reception by HE Ambassador Klára Breuer, Ambassador of Hungary to Finland and Mrs Klára Pojják, Vice Director of Liszt Institute, the Hungarian Cultural Center in Helsinki; (Kaisaniemenkatu 10, 00100 Helsinki)
Concert in the Liszt Institute:
Olli Varonen, cello (Director of the Finnish Kodály Society)
Senny Herler, violin
Stella Henell, violin
Ellen Herler, viola
Natalia Lehtinen, piano
15 June:
A tour at the Sibelius Academy R Building (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9, 00100 Helsinki) and at the Sibelius Academy premises at Musiikkitalo (Mannerheimintie 13 A, 00100 Helsinki), with Manager Marko Myöhänen (Audiovisuals). It was followed by a presentation by Vice Dean Olli-Pekka Martikainen about the Finnish music education system, the role of Sibelius Akatemia within.
Liszt Institute hosted two important presentations:
-Géza Szilvay’s lecture and Colourstrings video presentation: Why are we partners in this Kodaly-based project? We learnt a lot from the long history of the evolution of the Colourstrings concept in Finland and the outstanding impact the alumni have on the classical music landscape of Finland today.
-Maarit Rajamäki: Caprice Oy – A quarter century of musical distance teaching. Activities in the Presto project. It was a truly impressive summary of the innovation and introduction of technology and digitization into instrumental teaching years ahead of time.
As an optional evening programme the team members could try a traditional Finnish sauna.
16 June:
Meeting in Caprice’s studio to evaluate the video examples, and have a group decision on the videos’ final formats in terms of design (logo usage, fonts), dubbing, subtitles, animations, voice-over, length, uploading and embedding to the final place in the KodályHUB, further usage.
Observation of Géza Szilvay’s online introductory Colourstrings course.
City/country: Dublin, Ireland
Time: From Monday 21 March to Wednesday 23 March, 2022
21 March:
Aural class with Bernie Sherlock at TU Dublin Conservatoire, Grangegorman, Dublin 7
The PRESTO team observed 1st and 3rd year students who received the aural training according to the Kodály concept.
MA in Choral Studies Session with Seán Doherty, Róisín Blunnie, Barbara Dignam at DCU All Hallows Campus, Drumcondra – choir rehearsal, creative games&compositions of tonguetwisters, spectrograph study results (presented as the undertakings of DCU in the project)
22nd March:
Conducting class with Bernie Sherlock, music class with Brian Dungan and Holly Woods at Wesley College, Ballinteer
The Wesley College is a private school with a special focus on music and sports. The PRESTO team observed music classes based on the Kodály concept and choir rehearsals with various age groups.
The Sing Ireland team presented the actual status of the Intellectual Output2 (choral strand) in terms of their undertakings.
The PRESTO team visited the rehearsal of the New Dublin Voices choir directed by Bernie Sherlock at the Carmelite Community Centre, Aungier St Dublin.
23rd March:
Further project updates in terms of DCU undertakings, discussion, wrap-up by Róisín Blunnie, live music by students and faculty and music making together in the music classroom and the historic chapel of the campus at DCU All Hallows Campus, Drumcondra.
