The Kodály Institute, in a converted Franciscan monastery north of the main square, is the international centre for the music-education method developed by Zoltán Kodály, who was born in Kecskemét in 1882. Students from around the world come to study here, and the institute hosts regular concerts and recitals open to the public — usually free or for a nominal donation.
The small Kodály memorial room on the ground floor displays manuscripts, photographs, and personal effects of the composer-ethnomusicologist, including some of the original wax cylinders on which he recorded peasant singers in the early 1900s. The Franciscan cloister itself, with its arcaded courtyard, is worth a look. Check the institute's noticeboard for upcoming concerts.