Abstract: The object of research of this work is the creative and pedagogical activity of the Dutch conductor, composer and teacher Pierre van Hauwe (1920-2009). The subject of the study is the conceptual foundations of his pedagogical theory of "Playing with Music", which has become widespread not only in European countries, but also in South America, Africa and Asia. The authors of the article consider in detail the features of P. van Hauwe's concept, the foundations of which are based on the elements of the Zoltan Kodai system, which became widespread in Hungary, and the method of musical education of Karl Orff, whom P. van Hauwe met in Salzburg. Special attention is paid to the methodical publication "Playing with Music" ("Spielen mit Musik"), where P. van Hauwe outlined his concept step by step, accompanied by specific recommendations for teachers. The research used theoretical (analysis, synthesis, etc.) and empirical (comparative-historical, structural-typological) research methods. The main conclusions of the study: P. van Hauwe's pedagogical activity had a great impact on the development of music education not only in the Netherlands, but also in other countries of the world. His concept of "Playing with music" ("Spielen mit Musik") combined elements of the educational systems of two outstanding teachers of the twentieth century – Z. Kodai and K. Orff, as a result of which it became a natural continuation of the development of European musical and pedagogical thought. A special contribution of the authors of the article to the study of the topic, reflecting its novelty, was a detailed analysis of the methodological publication "Spielen mit Musik" ("Playing with music"), on the basis of which the essential relationship of the ideas of P. van Hauwe and his predecessors was revealed. Also, for the first time in Russian musicology, the facts of the musician's biography are more fully disclosed.