FISH IN THE POND

The results and methods of our experiment

Published in “Education in Kindergarten”/1999. No. 6.

Our complex aesthetic educational experiment lasted for two decades. It was part of the musical education, and also part of the therapy, pedagogy and psychology. It didn’t replace the method and curriculum of pre-school music education, it was and remains the pride and international success of our country. Only a few dry-nurse, teacher and music teacher were involved in our experiment. But our sessions have always been public, we had many visitors from home and abroad over the past decades. It’s important, that I documented the experiment for two decades, with versatile writings, photos, videos and recordings. The “mediation” of the entire series of session taped on the spot is unique – and unrepeatable in our today’s environment -, which included the regular recording of the children’s verbal expressions. I published short selection of these in my book, called Music Raises my Hands.

In my next, recently published book I managed to show some the children drawings, paintings, some from many. I wrote this book for three years, selecting and grouping my experiences of many years of teaching. I wrote explanations to the series of experiences to that a stranger reader could understand how the magic becomes a method. Meanwhile the magic stays magic, same as in my teaching. Not just in mine. In every teacher’s (I call everyone like this who teaches children or adults in kindergarten, school, foster care, hospital, in any level of institution), where the soul is encouraged.

Where teaching can stand out from the palisade of the craft, can grow around the boring plank like a creeping plant, or can grow ramose bushes. Or possibly a blooming, fragrant spring tree, in never-seen white and fresh green. Any miracle is possible in pedagogy, as all the children are individual wonders, neither similar to us nor to each other. Their discovery is the reward of our teacher-lives. A rich reward. 

I began from the music, from the real, valuable, soul nourishing and refreshing music. From a music that nourishes, refreshes and strengthens me as well. In my book, I wrote about how I connected to Kodály in this, who is not only my master but everybody’s. I set up my teaching with music, in music, not only because it is the essence of my being, but because of its infinite possibilities. I found the infinite possibilities in the children. I have found everything that is exciting to find, but many more generations are need to investigate entirely, generations of children, parents and teachers.

What does child-centred teaching mean? Discovering the children. But can I discover the unknown without being prepared? Being unaware? Aimlessly? What are the chances of going to Antarctica wearing a randomly chosen sandal?

Every worthy explorer knows, possess and enriches the repository of knowledge. In our case, it is the music and we study the children without a break. Of course, me as well.

What do I give to my students? The expertise and the methods of gaining these over my past 5 decades of teaching. Who could learn from it? Who comes with antennas suitable for receiving knowledge, who is prepared for regular learning. A lecture, a presentation, a course could inspire and help anyone who would follow this path. Informs, emboldens, encourages. It encourages who can be encouraged, even the hesitant. To learn? That’s different! Enthusiasm is essential, an eternal glowing ember. The scent rises from the incense sprinkled ember – everyone’s individual ember. The frankincense seed is: learning, attention, ceaseless self-development, the creation’s all-time conditions. And in addition to gaining knowledge, the training of imagination and engrossment.

Teachers in training often find me with their needs for their thesis. The lead professors show my books and films as one of the possible new ways. I help them with pleasure, I give them what is available from my writings and films. (Everything, that is ready to be shared, as the majority of the material is still waiting to be processed, or waiting for helpers in processing.) Many of my old students, who attended my teacher trainings, or my various courses, or visited my – always public – lessons, work in many places. (Years go by, the talented music teacher, who organised a successful training for me, was one of my music kindergartener thirty years ago.)

The TV and radio do their part, my words, pictures reach strangers by chance, and they reach out or signal years after, that they received my message.

Can it be learned? According to my belief, yes. In my experiences, those who don’t have talent in dance, or pretty appearance, renewed in it. There is one thing that is essential: freedom of the soul. It manifests in the look, the gestures, face and moves; and in words but only in small parts. (The easiest to lie is with words.)

What is the hardest? Respond immediately to the “thread” children provide through their reaction. This is a very fine thread, sometimes vibrates in the light like the freshly released thread of the spider, barely visible. Yet, it spins its superb web.

 Let me tell you an example: one of our course attendees holds a demonstration class with her own kindergarteners in their usual room. They sing their songs excellently, repeating many times, skilfully. From mid-lesson we see the movements on music, related to my topic, with music heard from a tape recorder. The teacher starts with a little imagining game. „You can be fish in the pond. Many different types of fish. Be the type you would like to be.” 

One of the 10 in that nursery group, a four-and-a-half-year-old boy: is a talent. I rarely find someone like him. I don’t know what his talent would be yet, for now his inner attention is what fascinates me. He moves while sitting (none of the children moved from the sitting position), he only move his arms. I immediately see that he is transformation, you can tell by his look. The two-minute long music is repeated several times, Marci (as I call him), stays in the state of his mind floating, therefore his movements are expressive, they capture the audience. They’re not dance-like, it’s not about that, but Marci in his own world creates with his movements. I can sense this straight away. If they examine my blood pressure, my heart beat or my brain waves, my emotions could be easily seen. 

The group moves as a group for a while, then the solo performances come. Several children perform, then at the end all of them say: “I was a fish.” The teacher could ask: “Trout? Catfish?” Then maybe the children with fishing fathers would come up with their ideas. Or she could ask: “Little fish? With shiny fish scale? Big, sluggish, slow fish? Goldfish, briskly moving?” With such things, she could start the happy realisation how diverse the fish are. According to this, the diversity of the children isn’t a problem either, so if Marci is different than Ádám, that could only be joy for everyone.

Moving forward, she could ask: “A shy, careful little fish, who hides between the stones, or a strong shark who bravely snaps the others?”, or: “Were you a daddy fish and had sons as well? What did you sons do?”, or: “Did you have hydrophyte friend in the pond? For example, swaying, shiny, yellow water lily? How did you talk?”
I don’t have to go into details here, what can be revealed form such questions, if the teacher asks from her true adult soul and not only for pedagogical professional reasons. When it is Marci’s turn to speak, the teacher’s question. “What were you?” Marci’s answer: “Stork.” The teacher: “What kind of fish?” Marci, after a little hesitation: “Shark.” 

Can I teach the teacher that Marci’s stork was most valuable part in her session? Finally, someone is not a fish but a stork. If we float forward on this spider thread, not only Marci will remember that his individual idea was appreciated, but the others as well. This is how the series of, and even the need for individual manifestations formed in my groups, then the blissful awareness of the existence and appreciation of independent and free individuals. Personalities, admired by many, unfolded in front of our eyes, over the years, of course. If we want individualities and not compromising imitators, every little act of ours counts, even our eyes flashing from appreciation. Is that a problem that the stork is different from the fish? Is that a problem for the stork? He is the creative person here. But is that a problem for the fish? The teacher could have showed the stork with a clever turn, how to make friends with the fish, who are – albeit – imaginal. Can the stork dance with the fish? And who else would like to transform into a different thing in the pond? For example, into a water drop? Or frog? Or ray of light? Or reed? Or into a child cycling around the pond? (To make as many options as possible.) This is how I shape the individuals’ possibilities towards the beauties of working together. 

That’s why my children created their collaborative “dances”, scenes for the given music in incredibly various ways. Which was perhaps, a two-minute long part of a Bach prelude. But Bach composed it, out of pure soul with great beaming. It is worth living in such light, evolved alone, as well as collaborating with peers. The collaboration with peers is useful, important and valuable in many aspects of life, it helps the productivity of society. It can be nurtured through various activities, but only the arts can shine it through with its own light. Because the vibrations of music affect every cell of the body directly, the children can easily take it in and attune to it by their movements.

My discovery is simple and really natural. Yet, the teachers face many difficulties if they try it in their groups, mostly because it is harder to manage groups in their freedom. Especially in groups that used to discipline. Children can learn the joy of movements born in freedom only from their own experiences, something extraordinary beautiful that makes it worth to pay attention to themselves, each other and the music.

I can’t imagine teaching in a different way. I realised, however, that in the current educational system of transferring and assessing knowledge, only well-trained teachers should be entrusted with tasks that can be ruined by superficiality and inattention. In routine, based in habitual practice, different methods should be used. For this reason, I only undertake teachers for accredited trainings whom I personally select. The attendees in our group cannot be more than 20, because in addition to our session, everyone also receives individual assignments according to their own needs. I cannot take on teachers, who don’t possess the time for learning.

The total number of lessons in our sessions 30 lessons per year, for three years, but they have to devote much more time to their individual learning. The teachers, who attend to our trainings, learn the correct way of necessary documentations for their job by working with their own classes.

Of course, we will continue to organise various courses for parents, nursery teachers, teachers, musicians, special-needs educators, and for those who are interested in raising, teaching, healing children. Participants get inspiration, insight, information in these. They can watch our videos, listen to our music collection (the videotapes and music tapes cannot be copied, their sale and usage are subject to permission), they can take part in the demonstration classes of our children groups. Then they can request their admission to the small accredited group, starting the following semester.

It started as an experiment, became a programme. Only few could use it, but as of today, it is free to use, it can be introduced in kindergarten or in school lessons. Its possibilities are infinite. It is worth learning it. It’s a sin to ruin. We should take care of it!