Music Ed Methods: Dalcroze
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In this series of music education posts, I would like to introduce you to the most popular methods for teaching music. Today I will talk about the Dalcroze method, also known as eurythmics.
Emile Jacques-Dalcroze
1. Creator
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950) was a Swiss composer, music educator, and music theorist. He spent some time as a professor of harmony at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland, and it was here that he started developing his method of teaching. He eventually founded his own schools in Germany and Geneva, where students learned music using his method. Several of his students, such as ballet teacher Dame Marie Rambert, used eurhythmics and became influential in the development of dance and contemporary ballet during the 20th century.
2. Philosophies
The Dalcroze method has three main philosophies. The first is eurhythmics, which is the process of developing musical skills through movement exercises. Students learn rhythm and structure by listening to music and expressing what they hear through spontaneous bodily movement. The solfege scale and improvisation are also essential.
3. Types of music and instruments
In this method, the body is the main instrument. Simply put, this approach connects music, movement, mind, and body.
Students learning using the Dalcroze method at his school
4. Typical lesson
There is really no set curriculum for the Dalcroze method, so each teacher uses a different approach based on her interests, training, and skills, while also considering the age, culture, location, and needs of her students. In doing so, teachers can foster imagination, creative expression, coordination, concentration, music appreciation, and much more.
5. Quote
“Music acts on the whole of the organism like a magic force which suppresses the understanding and irresistibly takes possession of the entire being. To insist on analysing this force is to destroy its very essence.” -Emile Jaques-Dalcroze
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Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services