Loyola’s American Kodály Institute Founder Honored with OAKE Lifetime Achievement Award

 Founder and longtime director of the American Kodály Institute (AKI) at Loyola, Amy Carol Branum, has been honored with the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes a person whose impact on Kodály music education goes beyond excellence in teaching, leadership, or research and reflects a far-reaching influence that leaves a lasting mark on American Kodály music education. 

Amy’s recognition arrives during the 25th anniversary year of the American Kodály Institute. July 2025 marked a quarter of a century since AKI's founding at Loyola, a milestone celebrating the program’s growth and its continued commitment to training music educators through the Kodály approach.  

When Amy learned she had been selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award, she described a moment filled with memory and gratitude. At this stage of her career, the meaning of the award feels both personal and communal.  

“The reward of my lifetime’s work is the knowledge that thousands of children and music teachers have been touched by my teaching, either by working with me directly or by learning from those who trained with me,” she said.  

Amy traces her Kodály journey back to her undergraduate years, when she read Lois Choksy’s The Kodály Method: Comprehensive Music Education from Infant to Adult, which reshaped her understanding of music learning. 

The approach resonated because it offered a clear, child-developmental path toward music literacy through signing, moving, and repertoire. It also reframed what was possible for singers who, like Amy, had not been taught to read music through sight singing and ear training.  

That passion would become a theme of Amy’s teaching career, from classrooms to choral settings to teacher preparation.  

In 2000, Amy launched the American Kodály Institute at Loyola. She served as founder, director, and an instructor at AKI from 2000 to 2014.  

“For me, the creation and success of the American Kodály Institute was a dream come true, and Loyola University Maryland was the ideal place for it to be planted and grow,” said Amy.  

From the beginning, Amy wanted AKI to be a program of the highest caliber, with a curriculum that prepared “highly skilled musician-teacher-scholars who would change the face of music education by applying what they had learned to teaching children, with some of them going on to also teach teachers.”  

That commitment still aligns with AKI’s mission today. The institute provides a supportive environment for music educators and emphasizes strong musicianship, pedagogy, and research-informed practice. Just as importantly, the program’s strength has always been its people. Amy credits the collaborative spirit across Loyola, from faculty leadership to School of Education staff and campus partners who help AKI students and instructors focus on learning and joyful music-making.  

As AKI celebrates 25 years at Loyola, the School of Education also celebrates the legacy and impact of its founder. Today, the American Kodály Institute offers a Master of Education (M.Ed.) program, a post-baccalaureate certificate program, and continuing education workshops for music educators.  

Reflecting on the OAKE Lifetime Achievement Award and the American Kodály Institute’s anniversary, Amy notes that her teaching, leadership, and work with AKI have been crucial in her professional life.  

“The one that will leave the most lasting mark on Kodály music education is the American Kodály Institute,” Amy said. “It has lived on after my retirement, and I foresee it continuing to live on after I retire from life on earth, still doing the important work of preparing generations of highly skilled music teachers and teacher trainers.” 

For music educators who are considering attending one of AKI’s programs, Amy suggests to “deep dive into the features that make Loyola’s programs unique. From scientifically based curricular innovations to folk instruments and folk dance, Loyola provides an unparalleled teacher training experience that is thorough and comprehensive.” 

“AKI graduates say it is the best investment they ever made in their personal musicianship and teaching skills,” said Amy. 

Learn more about Loyola’s American Kodály Institute and its graduate programs in music education.