Pauline Wong
Pauline is a certified Kodály music educator, choral conductor, and pianist with teaching experience spanning three continents. Currently a piano teacher at St. Paul’s College and St. Columba College in South Australia, she holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Choral Conducting from the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy in Hungary, a Master of Music Education with Kodály emphasis from Holy Names University in California USA, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of the Philippines, where she also graduated Cum Laude. She is also an Orff-certified educator and a former board member of the Kodály Society of the Philippines.
Pauline has taught students across local private schools, international schools, and indigenous communities in the Philippines for over a decade and also briefly taught in several institutions in California, USA. She has led musicianship sessions both for adults and children, including the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth, Suzuki National Camps, and various church-based children’s choirs in Manila. She has given workshops on applications of the Kodály approach to music educators and music education students in the Philippines and in Singapore. She is currently a performing member, resident pianist, and musicianship instructor for the Adelaide Choral Ambassadors.
– Wednesday, 30 September
Exploring Philippine Folk Songs and Games in the Kodály Classroom – Nicholls Building Band Room
- Wednesday, 30 September
- 12:00 pm
This practical, hands-on workshop explores culturally authentic Philippine folk songs and games through the Kodály teaching process, showing how Kodály principles of preparation, presentation, and practice can be applied to musical traditions beyond the Western canon, with pedagogical integrity, cultural authenticity, and respect held in balance. Designed for classroom and studio teachers, it offers a practical model for culturally responsive teaching in Australia’s classrooms.
The workshop opens with the kulintang sound world, an accessible entry into an unfamiliar musical culture. From this foundation, participants experience a sequenced selection of folk songs and singing games, supported by song and concept analysis connecting repertoire to purposeful learning. Activities build core musicianship; singing, movement, listening, inner hearing, ensemble awareness, while developing curiosity and cultural awareness alongside joyful engagement.
A key feature is the extension activities built from the songs and games, adaptable to different ages and settings, using readily available materials from traditional to modern, showing meaningful engagement with diverse cultures doesn’t require specialised equipment.
Participants leave with adaptable strategies for diverse musical traditions in everyday teaching, and flexibility applying Kodály principles across cultural contexts.