Cyrilla Rowsell

Kodály in Action

After gaining a Bachelor of Education degree, Cyrilla Rowsell became a class teacher in First and Primary Schools for eleven years. During this time, she became increasingly interested in the Kodály approach and attended many courses, including Summer Schools, in Britain and Hungary. She obtained the British Kodály Academy's Advanced Musicianship Diploma with Distinction in 1991.

Since then, Cyrilla has taught solfège, methodology and conducting on BKA Summer Schools and currently teaches Elementary and Intermediate Level Year courses to groups and individual students. She teaches in a Bromley Primary school and on the String Training Programme at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Cyrilla has run courses around the country for organisations including the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, the Dalcroze Society, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, the European String Teachers’ Association and for various schools, education authorities and Music Services, including projects in Barnsley and Belfast and on the Isle of Man.

Cyrilla is an experienced choir director and has conducted her Primary school choir both at the Royal Festival Hall (where they were Music for Youth finalists) and many times at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon.

Cyrilla has recently co-written, with David Vinden, a Kodály music scheme for Primary schools entitled Jolly Music (www.jollylearning.co.uk).

She also hopes to establish the first British Kodály School, following the model of the Hungarian music Primary schools (www.britishkodalyschool.org.uk).