EmileJaquesDalcroze18651950

WasaSwissmusiceducator,pianist,andcomposer.Hepursuedhis
musicalcareerinParisunderDelibesandFaur,inViennaunderBruckner
andFuchs,andattheConservatoryofGeneva,wherehereceivedafirst
prizeformusic,painting,andpoetry.Hewasthefounderandoriginatorofa
revolutionaryapproachtomusiceducationduringtheearlytwentieth
century.HispedagogicalideaswerestronglyinfluencedbyJ.Rousseauand
H.Pestalozzi.Dalcroze'smethodbecameveryfamous,andrepresentsthe
foundationformodernapproachesinmusiceducation.

Conceptandmethod

Somefactsonthephilosophyanditsdevelopment:

ThefoundationofthisnewideawasbaseduponDalcroze'sownteaching
experienceswithstudentsattheGenevaConservatory,Switzerland,where
hewasaprofessorforsolfgeandharmony.

Heobservedcritically,thataunilateralintellectualapproachtolearninga
musicalinstrumentdidnotenhancethestudent'srhythmic/musical
education.Foryearshesearchedforanewmethodbecausehewas
appalledatthedrynessoftraditionalteachingmethods.

Heplannedaconcepttorefineandtrainmusicalhearing,especiallyinner
hearing,thatdevelopstonalandharmonicsenses.Dalcrozewasconvinced
thatmusicalelements,especiallyrhythmanddynamics,butalsomelody,
pitch,phrasing,andharmonyweresubjectsthatcouldbeexperiencedthroughmovementandgesture.

Hecameupona"sixthsense"thathecalledthe"muscularsense,"today
calledthe"kinesthetic"or"senseofmotion."whichenablesustoperceive
feelingsofwellbeing.Thebodyinternallyreactstotheperceptionbythe
otherfivesenses.Thekinestheticsensetellsthebodyhowtocope,
prepare,andsetthestageformotion.Itregulatestherelationship
betweenthedynamicsandenergyofmovement,andcontrolsthebody's
positioninspace.Inotherwordsitdeterminesthepreparation,execution,
duration,andexperienceofmovement.The"muscularsense"isthe
connectionandcommunicationpathbetweenthemindandbody.

Theintertwiningofmentalandphysicaltrainingwastheultimateprinciple
underlyingDalcroze'spedagogy.Harmonization,unification,andintegration
ofthemindandbody,andrespectingthestudentasanentity,while
allowingforselfawarenessandselfexpression.Learningwasbecomingan
experienceinwhichthestudentplayedanactiveroleintheoverallprocess
offindingthesolution.

In1903Dalcrozepresentedhismethodofmusiceducationthathehad
developedduringtheprecedingtwentyyears.HecalleditEurhythmics
(Greek,Eu=good,rhythm=floworriver),aneducativeprincipleusingthe
basicelementsofmusicandmovement.Dalcrozecreatedanimpressively
extensiveprogramwiththousandsofexercisesandactivitiesemphasizing
rhythmicmovement(rhythmics),earandpitchtraining(solfge),and
improvisation.Lessonsweretypicallyheldinagroupsetting,nurturinga
creativeandsociallyinteractiveatmosphere.

HisfirstschoolwasestablishedinthegardencityHelleraunearDresden
inGermany.Thiscitywasdedicatedtoasocialculturalprojectpromotingfine
artsprogramstoinspireandedifyitscitizens.WiththeuprisingofWorld
WarI,Dalcroze'sworkwasdisrupted.Yearslaterhefoundedasecond
schoolinGeneva,Switzerland,calledthe"InstitutJaquesDalcroze"which
stillexists.

HismethodbecameveryfamousthroughoutEuropeinspiteofopponents
whoattemptedtoridiculehiswork.ThefamousdancersMaryWigman
andMarthaGrahamwerejustafewofhisstudentsbesidesotherfollowers
andsupporters,suchasBernhardShaw,RudolfvonLaban,Sergey
Rachmaninoff,IgnacyPaderewski,andMaxReinhardt.

TheobjectivesofEurhythmicswerenotonlytobeappliedtomusicclasses
buttoeducationingeneral,totheater,andtotherapy.Therefinementand
educationofwhatDalcrozecalledthe"muscularsense"wasthekeyissue
ofhisconcept.Atthetimenotmuchwasknownaboutthissense,andhe
oftenregrettedthathecouldnotprovideprofoundevidencetosupporthis
case.

Later,inthemidtwentiethcentury,researchersconfirmedtheexistenceof
the"kinestheticsense"(Kines=motion,thesia=awareness).Inchildhood,
kinesthesiaisthesensethroughwhichapersonliterallyexperiences
learningwiththebody.Thatiswhybynaturechildrenmovearound
constantlyandperceivethroughmotion.Itistheirwayofexploringthe
world,whiletheirperceptionestablishesmental"maps"thattheywilluse
therestoftheirlives.Thisfactgivesimportantevidenceoftheprofound
impactDalcroze'sconceptofmovementcanhaveinachild'seducation.

Hiscontributiontotheareaofmusiceducationinspiredmanysuccessors,
andtheycontinuedtodevelopeurhythmicsaccordingtomodern
pedagogical,psychologicalandphilosophicalstandards.SchoolsforDalcroze
teachertrainingwereestablishedinmanycountriesaroundtheworld,and
besidesSwitzerlandandGermany,alsoinScotland,Ireland,England,Russia,
Sweden,Austria,NewZealand,Australia,theUSA,andJapan.

Overtheyears,thebasicideaofDalcroze'smethodgrewwithits
descendantstowhereitnowcrossesthebordersofeducation,and
encountersotherareassuchascreativemovement,dancetherapy,
methodsofphysicalandmentaltherapies,moderndance,opera,theater,
andpantomime.

LinksandComments

Someofthecommentsfoundinthefollowingrelatedsites:

TheDalcrozeSocietyofAmericacommentsonDalcrozeEurhythmics:

"Dalcrozetrainingstimulates,develops,andrefinesallthecapacitieswe
usewhenweengageinmusic:oursensesofhearing,sightandtouchour
facultiesofknowingandreasoning,ourabilitytofeelandtoactonour
feelings.Coordinatingthesecapacitiesisthekinestheticsense,the
feedbackmechanismofthenervoussystem,whichconveysinformation
betweenthemindandthebody.Theeducationofthissensetothe
purposesofthemusicisattheheartoftheDalcrozework.

Thisapproach,soradicalinitsinceptiononehundredyearsago,has
founditsmomentinthecurrentexplosionofinterestandresearchinmusic
education.Thenewestdiscoveriesandtheoriesoflearningpointexactlyto
theteachinginnovationsthatDalcrozeproposedatthebeginningofthis
century."

www.dalcrozeusa.org

"DalcrozeEurhythmicsisauniqueapproachtomusiceducation.Itisbased
onthepremisethatthehumanbodyisthesourceofallmusicalideas..."
"Itallowsustogainapracticalphysicalexperienceofmusicbeforewe
theorizeandperform."

www.dalcroze.org.au

"Dalcrozestressedtheimportanceofsensoryexperience,thevalueof
pleasureandchallengeindevelopingattentiveness,concentration,andthe
innatepotentialforcreativity."

www.dalcroze.com