Fine-tuning the process

Buslig also realizes that individual effort is, of itself, not enough. The project ushering the Kodaly method into the campaign against poverty needs more local seeders. As well as Hungarian "music backpackers "enlightening children, it seems an even more important task to nurture local teachers.

Since 2017, 850 teachers around China have been trained in the Kodaly method. Even during the COVID-19 outbreak in China earlier this year, the program continued through live online broadcasts.

Huang Wenjuan, a math teacher from the rural area of Jianghua Yao autonomous county in Hunan, took part in the online program from March to June. The primary school she works at does not have a fulltime music teacher. She underwent training and took responsibility to teach her students to sing in chorus, because singing is also her hobby.

"I'm not that professional a singer," Huang tells China Daily. "And the music class used to be a case of me singing a line first and then having the students sing it back. I found many children were out of tune, but I didn't have a good way to correct them.

"However, with the hand signs and Kodaly method's other approaches, it works more easily," she says, while recalling with excitement her first tentative classes using the method with third grade students.

"The students who mastered the method can also practice vocalizing the standard tune at home without mimicking me," Huang says.

"We are also encouraged to take into account the individual needs and abilities of each student, rather than applying a single format to all."

Huang now regularly sends the video clips of her music classes back to the teachers at the Beijing Hungarian Culture Institute for follow-up evaluation.

"I also make time to impart some basic principles of the Kodaly method to other teachers I know," Huang continues. "I hope that one day all students in Jianghua can learn music in such a happy way."