‘Extra-musical effects’ and benefits of programs founded on the Kodály philosophy - Music education research review

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

Music education is widely promoted for its “extra-musical effects,” supporting whole-child development beyond performance skills. This paper reviews literature on how children benefit when music programs are delivered using the Kodály methodology, focusing on documented gains. Reported benefits include literacy and numeracy, spatial-temporal reasoning, and impacts on intelligence alongside social-emotional development. The review also highlights research gaps, pointing to needs for future studies and further investigations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Review of Literature

The Hungarian Music Primary School

Studies on Kodály-based music education

Identifying Research Gaps

‘Extra-musical effects’ and benefits of programs founded on the Kodály philosophy Jason Goopy Brisbane Boys’ College and University of Queensland Abstract Music education is often advocated as having ‘extra-musical effects’ contributing to the development of the whole child. The pedagogy teachers employ to deliver music programs could affect the significance of such benefits. This paper will review literature documenting how children benefit from receiving music education delivered using Kodály methodology. These benefits include literacy and numeracy skills, spatial-temporal reasoning, intelligence and social emotional development. Identifying gaps in research may pave the way for future studies and investigations. Key words: Kodály concept, Kodály methodology, music pedagogy, school music education, extra-musical effects Australian Journal of Music Education 2013:2,71-78 The study of music is often advocated as having‘extra-musical effects’ and benefits contributing to the development of the whole child. Research suggests that learning to think in one area of application can enrich thinking in other areas of application (Gardiner, 2000, 2008; Hallam, 2010) . Ways of thinking are largely independent of content, and generally will apply to all areas of learning (Ailello, 2003) . This is believed to bea distinctive characteristic of high quality arts education programs (Seidel, Tishman, Winner, Hetland, & Palmer, 2009) . The pedagogy teachers employ to deliver music programs and direct students’ ways of thinking could affect the significance of such extra musical effects and benefits (Butzlaff, 2000; Hallam, 2010) . Evidence suggests that music education programs founded on the Kodály philosophy offer a superior contribution to ways of thinking and holistic development that is statistically significant. This paper will review literature documenting how children benefit from Kodály methodology. These benefits include literacy and numeracy skills, spatialtemporal reasoning, intelligence and social emotional development. Identifying gaps in research may pave the way for future studies and investigations. Review of Literature The Hungarian Music Primary School The Kodály Concept was developed in Hungary under the leadership of Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) working with his former students of the Academy of Music and music teachers. Kodály set forth principles for music education and in collaboration with others composed and edited numerous song books, collections and teaching method books tailored specifically for children. In September 1946, a specialised primary school in keeping with Kodály’s principals was founded in Békéstarhos by Győrgy Gulyás, however closed in 1954 due to financial reasons. Inspired by the Békéstarhos example and encouraged by Kodály, Márta Nemesszeghy persuaded the Ministry of Education to allow an experiment in music education ata Kecskemét primary school. In October 1950, Nemesszeghy was granted permission for one class to trial singing lessons every school day following the music education principals of Kodály. This was the creation of the first Hungarian Music Primary School, later named the Zoltán Kodály Music Primary School (Houlahan & Tacka, 1998, 2008; Ittzés, 2006) . One reason Kodály and Nemesszeghy were able to convince the Ministry of Education to expand the Music Primary School was an unexpected result of such music instruction on the learning in other subject areas. As a result of the phenomenal success of Nemesszeghy and the children at the Kecskemét school, the next years saw a rapid rise in the development and dissemination of this new approach across Hungary, from the nursery school level to the most advanced classes of the Academy (Choksy, 1999; Choksy, Abramson, Gillespie, Woods, & York, 2001) . Kokas (1969) points out that the entire music curriculum in Hungary by this time had been influenced by Kodály, with differences only in the number of lessons and metho

FAQs

What does the paper mean by “extra-musical effects”?

It refers to benefits from music education that extend beyond musical training, contributing to broader whole-child development.

Which benefits associated with Kodály methodology are highlighted?

The paper highlights improvements in literacy and numeracy, spatial-temporal reasoning, intelligence-related development, and social-emotional development.

Why does the paper emphasize gaps in research?

It notes limitations in existing studies and evidence, suggesting that further research and investigations are needed to better confirm and extend findings.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine