Maggie Boyd
Classically & Kodaly Trained
- Singing / Musicianship Teacher
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Choir Leader
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Early Years Tutor
WHO AM I?
I’m a Music Teacher based in North London and I've been teaching Singing and Musicianship with the Kodály approach for over 20 years to all ages and levels, including children aged from 6 months upwards. I also specialise in helping students who struggle to sing in tune and also people with Learning Differences.
At various times I also perform with children’s groups, choirs, jazz bands and different ensembles in the London area, the UK and abroad. I teach in nurseries, arts centres, after school clubs and I run voice workshops for: voice and healing, mental health and vocal confidence, among others. I sometimes lead community choirs and even hold local Artists' Parties (Soirees) to showcase all the arts.
Qualifications
Dip HE;
BMus (HE4) Canterbury Christchurch University;
CEE in Music Workshop Skills Goldsmiths’ University;
A lifetime study and association with
the Kodály Institute, Liszt Academy, Hungary
8 years of training and teaching Kodály Approach for ages 6 months - 2 years and up through Primary School
Enhanced DBS, regularly updated
HOW THE KODÁLY APPROACH WORKS
This fun approach to musicianship teaches you how to perform with other musicians, how to read the music as if you were reading words from a newspaper and hearing them in your thinking voice - it will teach you sight-singing. It will help you understand - the beat, the rhythm, the intervals, the melody, the form and the harmony...
It helps you develop confidence in your voice, your style and it grows your musicality. Using our normal singing voices and the brilliant Kodály Approach, we break down all the musical elements into so many fun musical games - that after playing them, we just can’t get it wrong again - ever!
Learning by doing, we train the ear to understand the music immediately and easily, giving a strong sense of where the Rythm fits against the Pulse, a feel for rhythm in movement and how the harmony fits together with the melody.
It's also excellent preparation for instrument study.
The Kodály Approach (pronounced "ko-dai") is a way to approach music education based on the philosophies of Zoltan Kodály, a Hungarian composer, author, educator, musicologist and folk song collector. This music teaching approach was developed by his colleagues and students in the mid-20th century based on his teachings and is still evolving today.
"Singing connected with movements and action is a much more ancient, and, at the same time, more complex phenomenon than is a simple song." Zoltan Kodály
The approach focuses on learning by ear, internalising music through the inner voice and through full body actions and expressions - as is common in folk music and dance. This idea can be applied to all types of music.
An example of a lesson could be simplified as: LISTEN - PLAY & SING - UNDERSTAND - READ & WRITE - CREATE
"Teach music and singing at school in such a way that it is not a torture but a joy for the pupil; Instil a thirst for finer music in him/her, a thirst which will last for a lifetime." Zoltan Kodály
Kodály wanted children to learn music from a young age. There is now much evidence to show that music enhances brain development and contributes positively to in all subjects.
MORE ABOUT THE KODÁLY APPROACH
Music improves Learning Outcomes
Many research studies and projects with schools point to the positive link between music and learning. Music has been shown to coordinate the left and right hemispheres of the brain using rhythm and melody, leading to success and confidence in all areas.
Kodály in Action:
The Guardian
How to improve the school results: not extra maths but music, loads of it
A Bradford primary school wants the world to know its newfound Sats success is down to giving all children up to six hours of music a week
The school bases its method on the Kodály approach.