Children's Chorus of Maryland & School of Music

Zoltán Kodály, prominent Hungarian composer and musician, was a founding influence for CCM Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus Dr. Betty Bertaux. Kodály directed a significant portion of his creative endeavors to improving the quality of singing and music training of teachers and children alike throughout the Hungarian nation. Kodály believed that music is meant to develop one's entire being: personality, intellect and emotions.
Kodály's advocacy for music education rested on the philosophy of "universal musical humanism": each person has musical ability that ought to be cultivated in order to benefit humanity. Kodály advocated that by developing independent musical thinkers, universal music education could help to enlighten society to the cultural riches present in music and help to create a more ideal society.

Based on singing as the first musical instrument, Kodály-inspired pedagogy is a comprehensive program that develops the ability to understand what is heard, and then transfers that learning to reading, writing, improvisation, and composition. Kodály-based methodological sequences are derived from selected musical literature that includes folk music and the music of the masters. Rhythmic, melodic, and metric element are extracted from the literature, arranged from simple to complex, and then methodically prepared, presented, and practiced.