Abstract:

Having grown up in an old English University city with a proud choral tradition for – exclusively – boys, I was somewhat surprised when I arrived in a Melbourne government co-ed primary school to find that these boys DID NOT SING. Was it because of COVID restrictions? Or a more defined gender divide? Were Aussie boys only interested in sport?! I made it my goal to get these boys up and singing, and jolly well enjoying it! I was grateful for my new training in Kodály pedagogy, because it reinforced my idea that movement, singing and wellbeing were all connected.

Over the past few years I have evaluated many different Kodály-inspired approaches to choral singing with potentially reluctant (particularly upper-) primary singers. I combine my Kodály training, classical education and contemporary interests into an engaging programme. Come along to my workshop to take part in an active choral session with warm-ups, ideas and games you can take home to your choirs and classrooms

Aim, outcomes, significance:

• Illustrate strategies for engagement that can make music learning more enjoyable and successful among divergent and diverse cohorts, in a hands-on session
• Demonstrate the adoption of classical and contemporary subject matter and ideas as complementary approaches
• Provide encouragement and practical strategies and activities that can be adapted to multiple settings, sectors, communities.