KCA is happy to report that the archives are on their way.

• Five boxes were sent to the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét in March 2003
• Ten boxes went to the University of Maryland Libraries, Performing Arts Division on April 6, 2004
• Each institute will have some originals and some copies
• Both institutions will have a listing of the Kecskemét holdings and of the Maryland collection.

The KCA / KMTI archives contain material that dates from 1965 to the present. The total collection crosses many lines and represents a large part of the historical development of the Kodály phenomenon in this country and, to a smaller degree, in Hungary, through KCA's involvement with the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét.

Although three KCA staff members attended a week long summer course on archives in 1993 and a beginning was made soon thereafter to assess KCA and early KMTI inventory, it became apparent that this was a type of work that could consume a lifetime. The first step was to make a preliminary assessment of what kind and how much material we had; the second was to identify institutions that might be interested in acquiring and maintaining them; the third step is to select and prepare the material for transfer to its final destinations.

KCA is now in phase three of this work - namely, the choosing of which materials should go where, and which materials to save permanently or discard. This involves identifying all documents properly - a large task. KCA's board asked Denise Bacon to oversee this work; she was fortunate to find a knowledgeable person to assist her part-time.

The Kecskemét Institute and the University of Maryland make this valuable material available to musicians, researchers, historians and educators as soon as possible. Transfer of the remaining materials requested by Kecskemét awaits further funding. Transfer of the complete collection to the University of Maryland is now anticipated in 2007. The materials sent to Maryland in April 2004 are open to visitors now. These include student and faculty files, Minutes of the RCA Board of Trustees 1977 - 2003, Denise Bacon's Articles and Speeches 1965 - 2004, Books, PHD Dessertations and Choral Music by Graduates and Faculty, Kodály-Related Books and Books in Hungarian and English Used in KMTI and KCA Curriculum, IKS Bulletins, Kecskemét Year Books.