The Hungarian music pedagogue and music psychologist Klára Kokas (who was born in 1929 and died in 2010) centered her pedagogical concept on children’s creativity, human relations, acceptance and complete attention to others. This world view and ideology was constructed around a child-centered sensitivity, music being her primary pedagogical resource.

The goal of this paper is to explore the main elements and characteristics of Klára Kokas’s pedagogy, which were revolutionary in the fields of personality development, music and complex art education compared to the practices of the reform pedagogy trends in 20th century Europe and the United States (Pukánszky-Németh, 1996). These elements represented a special method of education, and they contributed to ability development through music, motion and manual arts. We call it the Kokas-method.

After this a newly developed discipline will be presented based on the music pedagogy of Klára Kokas and research on it. This educational innovation has been part of the higher education program of the Liszt Academy in Budapest since 2014 (Deszpot, 2015).

The main elements of the lecture are: presentation of specific characteristics of music education methods of Klára Kokas and presentation of music teacher training based on self-experience and music, according to the Kokas-method. An outline will be presented on the importance of teacher education based on improvisation and effectiveness.

As a response to the recent Hungarian national curriculum according to the newest educational goals, the Liszt Academy of Budapest started a new optional discipline in its music teacher educational concept: the introduction of the Kokas-method. This presentation relies on the recent research of Vass-Deszpot (2017), whose research is a qualitative one, using interviews and their analytical and morphological investigations.

The goal of the course is to work on the inclusion of alternative pedagogy in traditional teaching forms, where the emphasis is on the child.

We first analyze and summarize the pedagogical methods of Klára Kokas and her own musical activities, and then we will methodize its principles, concepts and art pedagogical elements. Next, we will outline the contours of the Kokas method. This part of the lecture uses qualitative research methods as text analysis from a phenomenological point of view. The presentation draws those characteristics and specifics which construct the Kokas-method. Our analytical and systematizing research methods rely on her publications, writings, essays, books, short-film compilations, movie archives and interviews, as well as my personal experiences. The most convenient way to draw out the main elements and characteristics of Klára Kokas’s pedagogy is to analyze and conceptualize its phases and moments around some expressions and principles which show its strengths and weaknesses. We will methodize, then classify and briefly display these features one by one as a phenomenological description. After being involved in the complex art pedagogy methods of Klára Kokas, we can certainly confirm that she really is a reform pedagogue, although her concept does not cover the development of skills and competencies as a whole. It also beneficially develops socialization, association, communication, coordination skills and abilities, aesthetic sense, empathy and concentration. In other words: it is holistic education. The accent is on personality development and self-expression through musical inspiration.

As a result of our research, we also expect to reveal those components which are modifying the Kokas-activities into a reform pedagogical method, and they also turn Klára Kokas into a reform pedagogue. The expected result of the research is to give a presentation on an effective sample course for adult and higher education. Documents of the lifework of Klára Kokas will be processed with new focuses. The elements which reflect her spirituality, her ideological approach and their effects on personality will be explored and methodized. This is the way of applying the pedagogy of Klára Kokas on new educational fields. As an outcome of my research, some methodological guidance will be created for teachers, educators, kindergarten teachers, religious and music teachers, preceptors, pastors and youth foundation workers, specialists or volunteers, who are working in the field of mental health education.

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