Bethany Richards and Professor Jerry Jaccard, Department of Elementary Music Education
The purpose of my trip to Hungary was to observe and analyze the Hungarian music education system, realize its strengths, and adapt what I learned into my teaching here in America. My specific research assignment was to investigate the relationship between private and public music lessons and how by working together they can be most effective.
The very first lessons I observed were private piano lessons at Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest, Hungary, taught by Gábor Eckhardt. In one of the lessons the student was working on a Bach Fugue. Fugues are very intricate pieces with three of four individual melody lines being played at the same time. For this lesson the student had prepared to play three of the four lines and sing the other in solfege (this is very difficult). The student did this for all four lines. This was an incredible example of integrating the student’s knowledge of solfege from her training in her general music class classes in the public school. By playing the fugue and singing solfege simultaneously, the student was combining the knowledge from both her private and public music training, making the music more applicable in both settings and challenging the student to push her limits.
In casual conversation at this same school, teacher Lenke Igó explained the importance of developing a child’s ear training before he or she begins private instrumental training. In Hungary, this is done the public school music classrooms. Starting the kindergarten, the children begin their music classes with extensive ear training. They sing and sing and sing. They learn all kinds of music concepts simply through singing. Then, when they begin their private instrumental music training, their ears already know what’s going on. Their instrumental training becomes much more applicable, meaningful, and real because of the training they received in their public school music classes.
Being a musician whose music training happened almost exclusively in private instrumental lessons; I can hardly comprehend what it would have been like to learn what these Hungarian children learn in public school. To have such a connection between my public and private training would have been incredible. In all of the schools we attended in our two-week observation period, I could see connections made between private and public music training. Connections such as, singing, ear training, composers, time periods, intonation, the list goes on and on.
I learned so much from these observations and interviews. I have already started experimenting with many of the ideas I have just discussed with my own private piano students. I am excited to continue this exploration with my public school music students when I begin my student teaching and eventually in my own classroom. I believe that the things I learned have from the Hungarian teachers, administrators, and students are invaluable and can make America’s music education stronger and much more successful.
This is ongoing research that will truly never end. I will continue to analyze notes, interview transcriptions, and videos taken during my observations in Hungary in order to make my teaching even more successful. I hope to travel back to Hungary many more times in professional career and become even more familiar with Hungary’s incredible music education system. I plan to attend more schools, interview more teachers and administrators, observe more classes, and learn all that I can. In order to make this as successful as possible, however, I will either need to learn to speak Hungarian, or travel with someone who can translate for me. We were fortunate enough his trip to have our incredible mentor, Dr. Jerry L. Jaccard, who is fluent in the Hungarian language, travel with us and do a fair amount of translating. We were also often provided with translators at different schools and in different interviews to make them as rewarding as possible.
The things learned while in Hungary have already and will continue to shape me as a public and private music instructor. I feel like I have just barely cracked the door open to a whole world of things I can learn to become the best educator possible. This trip to Hungary was a beautiful success and has inspired me in so many ways. I will continue this research throughout my whole life and look forward to making America’s music education as strong and successful as possible.