First, We Sing! Kodály-Inspired Teaching for the Music Classroom | Teaching Guide for K-5 | Songbook with Lesson Plans, Repertoire and Music Literacy Tools | Hal Leonard | Susan Brumfield

Fantastic intro to the Kodaly method! I was lucky enough to take a class from the author and promptly purchased several of her publications - all worth their weight in gold. I'm transitioning from teaching high school instrumental music to elementary classroom music and have found this book to be incredibly helpful. It's already saved me hours and hours of planning time and given me a clear approach to structuring lessons. I highly suggest this for new teachers, teachers who are interested in Kodaly but don't want to spend tons of money taking classes or purchasing curriculum, or teachers who'd just like a fresh take on planning out the year. The Songbooks and Activity Cards are wonderful too!!

I recently ordered this book and have been enjoying going through it in the last few days. I learned much of what I know about Kodaly inspired teaching from 'Kodaly Today' which is a book that is a bit more comprehensive than this. However, this book is a terrific introduction, and even though I have been reading all I can about Kodaly for the past two years, I've still found a lot of insightful strategies, tips and other useful information. I definitely recommend this book for its clarity in presenting the Kodaly philosophy, for its l example lesson plans/teaching strategies and song lists. It's always the sign of a well written pedagogy book when after going through it, I feel even more inspired to teach music!

Dr. Brumfield definitely knows her stuff. This book is well-researches and well organized. Dr. Brumfield articulates her points clearly and logically. This is a core resource! A MUST for anyone new to a Kodàly inspired approach. These songs are clear examples with clear teaching plans. This is my no. 1 recommended resource for elementary music teachers. Thank you, Dr. Brumfield!

This book is a good overview, but if you've already taken some Kodaly levels, you won't get much out of it. It would, however, be great for someone wanting to dip their toe in and see if Kodaly levels are for them. Or it might be a nice book to require if you teach Level 1. It does a good job of summarizing the basics and isn't an overwhelming read.I'm interested in hearing how the books of strategies stack up, but I can't find any reviews. If you have those, please write them up!

I just received this book and although I like the materials in it, the book came in damaged. The resource is great but I’m disappointed with the delivery

This is one of the best books I have read on using the Kodaly method. There are clear sequences you can follow with many ideas on how to prepare, present, and practice each element. The most difficult thing will be deciding which activities I won't use!

General teaching advise is good. However, though the author talks about how important a multicultural song selection is, the book is predominately full of white, southern, gospel songs. 95% American folk. Some of these songs are even racist or misogynistic. There is very sparse - no representation for Indian, Asian and First Nations Cultures. Being a teacher in Canada nearly 50% of my students are of those ethnicities and it feels wrong to exclude them.