Choosing Quality Folk Repertoire For The Elementary Music Classroom

Greg Wilfrid
Dearborn

“Just as proverbs condense centuries of popular wisdom and observation, so, in traditional songs, the emotions of centuries are immortalized in a form polished to perfection.” Zoltán Kodály stressed the importance of giving children quality repertoire in their lives, and the modern music classroom is the area responsible for showing children quality music. We’ll discuss how to choose high quality traditional folk music for your general music classroom that will encourage your children to become life-long lovers of music. We will also learn some playground/classroom games and rhymes that generations have passed down, fully encompassing the folk tradition.

Participants will be able to…

1. Define what makes a song of “high quality.”
2. Identify the student learning goal/objective of a folk song/game activity.
3. Understand the validity of children’s play in childhood development – social and beyond.

3.We will also learn a variety of new games – largely playground games and other games created by children, not adults writing textbooks – for use in the elementary music classroom.

Greg Wilfrid

Greg Wilfrid teaches Elementary General Music, Choir, and Jazz Band at Toffolon Elementary in Plainville, CT. He received his B.M, M.M., and Kódaly certification from the Hartt School of Music. He currently directs the Plainville Choral Society and presides on the board for the Kodaly Educators of Southern New England. He performs regularly around the northeast with other music teachers in The Jolly Beggars, a traditional Celtic folk band, as well as a solo traditional folk/singer-songwriter. He has presented in sessions at music conferences at the collegiate, state, regional, and national levels, on topics such as the first year of teaching, storytelling/improvisation in the classroom, and using traditional folk music in the elementary music classroom.