Kodály method included in UNESCO World Heritage list

Budapest, December 2 (MTI) – UNESCO’s intergovernmental committee for the world’s cultural heritage has included Hungarian composer, researcher and music teacher Zoltán Kodály’s method for the preservation of folk music in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Hungary’s human resources minister told MTI on Friday.

Zoltán Balog said that the Kodály method has been included in the register of good safeguarding practices, as a method to be spread and followed in other countries.

“We trust that this international recognition will contribute to the strengthening and renewal of learning music at school,” the minister said. He added that the Kodály concept has already been adopted and applied at all levels of education in many countries.

The concept is based on the idea that preservation of the musical heritage should start at an early age, such as including learning playful folk songs in kindergarten activities.

According to UNESCO, “over the past century, the Kodály concept of safeguarding traditional folk music has helped to promote, transmit and document local practices in Hungary and assisted communities abroad for similar purposes. … It advocates: making traditional folk music accessible for everyone through mainstream education and civic organizations; teaching music skills; encouraging everyday use of the music by communities concerned; researching and documenting it using local and international strategies; coexistence between research, education, community culture and composition; and respect for all music traditions.”

The concept has been incorporated in school curricula since 1945.

So far, southern Hungary’s end of winter Busójárás masquerade, the folkdance house method, and the popular art of the Matyó people have been traditional cultural assets included in the UNESCO list.

Photo: szentesinfo.hu