The Kodály effect: Measuring musical literacy in Dutch primary school children

Ingrid Roig

Name: Ingrid Roig Main Subject: Music Education according to the Kodály Concept Research Supervisor: Suzanne Konings Title of Research: The Kodály Effect: measuring musical literacy in Dutch primary school children. Research Question: What is the effect of Kodály inspired music education on musical literacy in Dutch primary school children and how can musical literacy be measured? Summary of Results: Recent years have shown a growing effort to increase the number of music lessons in Dutch primary schools. Nonetheless, an apt way to track children’s individual musical development is currently lacking, and no studies have been conducted to investigate the beneficial effects on musical literacy. The Kodály approach to music strongly emphasizes musical literacy, and prior research shows evidence of a positive impact on specific music skills. This thesis presents a study investigating the effect of Kodály inspired music education on the musical literacy scores of one hundred and thirty-four Dutch primary school children, Mage = 8.72 years. Children were randomized into two groups: a Kodály music intervention group and a control group. Gordon’s IOWA Tests of Music Literacy provided data on musical literacy outcomes. A Musical Aptitude test assessed the learning potential for music. Musical literacy increased significantly in the music intervention group compared to the control group. Children with a high musical aptitude showed greater improvement in musical literacy scores than children with a low musical aptitude. The present results indicate a beneficial influence of Kodály music education on musical literacy. In the second part of the study, the focus lies on developing a Dutch instrument and materials to measure and track the individual musical literacy development of Dutch primary school children. A pilot version and materials that music teachers can use in their classrooms are presented. Biography: Ingrid Roig (Argentina, 1986) studied Psychology and Developmental & Educational Psychology at Leiden University with a special interest in learning potential. In 2020 she started her studies at the Royal Conservatoire. She is the founder of a choir school in Dordrecht where she currently conducts a children's choir and gives solfege lessons. She is also a music teacher in a Dutch primary school for gifted students.