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