2. Dalcroze and Arts
“I look forward to a system of musical education in which the body itself shall play the role of intermediary between sounds and thought, becoming in time the direct medium of our feelings…The child will thus be taught at school not only to sing, listen carefully, and keep time, but also to move and think accurately and rhythmically. One might commence by regulating the mechanisms of walking, and from thence proceed to ally vocal movements with gestures of the whole body. That would constitute at once instruction in rhythm and education by rhythm.”
(E. J. Dalcroze – “The Place of Ear-training in Musical Education” (1898) – in Rhythm, Music and Education – pages 4 -5)
Eurhythmics
Dalcroze Eurhythmics can be defined as a method of teaching music using natural body movements with its roots based in the work developed by Swiss music educator Emile Jaques-Dalcroze in the beginning of the 20th century. In essence, this method derives from the concept that the human body possesses all the ingredients necessary to understand the musical phenomena; the natural movements, as a reaction to the listening activities, are the basis for the study of rhythm and the connections that occur between body and mind can help one better understand music theory.
As a student of the Dalcroze method, and while participating in, and observing eurhythmics classes, I can clearly see the results accomplished by this work. The basic organic movement of walking, for example, is transformed into the concept of Continue reading “Dalcroze, Arts and People – part 2”