The Approach of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze

R. J. David Frego, Ph.D.

The Dalcroze approach to music education was developed in Switzerland in the early twentieth century by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. While the approach was initi intended for conservatory students, Dalcroze Eurhythmics soon expanded to the training of musicians, dancers, and actors of all ages, as well as to therapeutic applications. (for background, see pp. 4-6). Philosophy

The Dalcroze philosophy centers on the concept that the synthesis of the mind, body, and resulting emotions is fundamental to all meaningful learning. Plato sa his Laws: Education has two branches, one of gymnastics, which is concerned the body, and the other of music, which is designed for the improvement of the soul (Pennington, 1925, p. 9). Emile Jaques-Dalcroze believed that every musi should strive to be sensitive and expressive, and to express music through purposeful movement, sound, thought, feeling, and creativity.

Mead (1994) cites four basic premises that encapsulate the Dalcroze philosophy

1. Eurhythmics awakens the physical, aural, and visual images of music in mind. 2. Solfge (sight-singing and ear-training), improvisation, and eurhythmic together work to improve expressive musicality and enhance intellectual understanding. 3. Music may be experienced through speech, gesture, and movement. Th can likewise be experienced in time, space, and energy. 4. Humans learn best when learning through multiple senses. Music shoul taught through the tactile, the kinesthetic, the aural, and the visual senses.

Jaques-Dalcroze wanted to create an approach to music education in which sen and intellectual experiences are fused into one neuromuscular experience reinforcing the bodys response to music (Caldwell, 1995). He felt that this wou lead to performance at high levels, beyond expectation (Carder, 1990). He belie that music education should center on active involvement in musical experience Technique and intellectual understanding are important, but active experience m come first. Todays music education is based on the "sound before the symbol" philosophy, a legacy of Jaques-Dalcroze and Pestalozzi before him. Jaques-Dalc felt that students could practice and learn musical expression through the active discovery of time, space, and energy. He believed that as music moves, so shou musicians; therefore, rhythm is elemental to this philosophy. Jaques-Dalcroze taught that through rhythmic movement, musicians could experience symmetry form, tension and relaxation, phrasing, melody, and harmony. Experience shoul teach the musical elements (Martin, 1965).

Jaques-Dalcroze intended for his approach to develop musical understanding through eurhythmics and to help students develop immediate physical responsiveness to rhythmic stimuli. Developing muscular rhythms and nervous sensibility would ultimately lead to the capacity to discriminate even slight gradations of duration, time, intensity, and phrasing. Through rhythmic movem students would begin to think and express themselves more musically. Initially, Jaques-Dalcrozes conception of eurhythmics was designed for the education of conservatory musicians but soon expanded to the early musical education of children, and to those with special needs. His philosophy grew to include his bel in the development of a more musical society through rhythmic training in the schools (Campbell, 1991). Components

The Dalcroze approach, often identified as Eurhythmics, consists of three relate components. The first is Rhythmic Solfge, or ear training. Jaques-Dalcroze believed that students must learn sophisticated listening skills and develop "inn hearing." Musicians should be able to hear what they write and write what they hear. Music notation is meaningless unless realized in real performance or in the imagination. Solfge is taught using the fixed-do approach, based on the French system. Students develop sensitivity to pitches, their relation to each other, and the tonal framework. What makes Dalcroze solfge unique is that it is always combined with rhythm and movement, both locomotor and nonlocomotor.

The second component of Dalcroze music education is improvisation. Improvisa skills are developed sequentially and used in many ways. An instructor may pla the piano while students improvise movement, react spontaneously to verbal instructions, or change in musical character. In the reverse, a student might

improvise movement while another student accompanies with a drum, at the pi or in song. Students soon develop skills to be able to improvise musically and expressively on their own instruments. These spontaneous performance activitie are designed to improve response time and communication accuracy (Mead, 19

The third piece in the puzzle is the eurhythmics itself. Often considered the core the Dalcroze approach, eurhythmics was actually the last part to be developed. of equal importance with rhythmic solfge and improvisation, but not more. The term eurhythmics is from the Greek "eu," meaning good, and "rhythmy," meani rhythm, proportion, and symmetry. This idea embodies Dalcroze philosophy in t ways. First, human beings can experience symmetry, balance, and rhythmic accuracy in music through symmetry, balance, and rhythmic accuracy in movement. Second, the three components of the Dalcroze approach (rhythmic solfge, improvisation, and eurhythmics) are interdependent and must be taugh together. The three complement and reinforce each other, providing a complete and balanced musical education. Modern music educators and music therapists often identify the approach as Eurhythmics, though all three facets are implied. Lessons

A typical introductory Dalcroze lesson involves activities or games that require t mental and kinesthetic awareness. The lesson is presented in a somatic approac that allows the participant to hear and react physically to the musical stimulus, which produces body awareness and sensations. These physical sensations are transmitted back to the brain as emotions and a more developed comprehensio the experience. It is common to begin a Dalcroze lesson with walking to improv music and responding to changes in tempo, dynamics, and phrase in quick reac games. Through these activities, the students begin to understand how physica adjustments, such as energy and flow of the body weight, need to occur in orde physicalize the music. Through these basic instructions, the teacher can addre musical elements such as pulse, beat, subdivision, meter, rhythm, phrase, and form.

Intermediate Dalcroze lessons can address polymeters, polyrhythms, canon, tension and relaxation, breathing, conducting, counterpoint, and the interaction anacrusis, crusis, and metacrusis. Creativity is pervasive throughout the lesson. classes are in a group setting where the participants interact with partners or sm groups to develop the nonverbal communication skills and creativity necessary music and movement.

Plastique Anime, or more often referred to as plastique, is the culminating experience in a Dalcroze class. A plastique combines the skills addressed throughout the class, and from previous rhythmic experiences, into a loosely ba choreography that is both physically expressive and musical. The students are provided with the basics of the requirements and are asked to spontaneously cr an interactive composition with the music. Someone who is stepping into a Dalc studio at that moment would see music in motion and might not be aware that movement is spontaneous. Dalcroze in Todays Classrooms

Modern music education benefits from Jaques-Dalcroze's teaching in many ways Today's teachers focus on active learning on the part of the students. This impli

less instruction and more experience for the students (Caldwell, 1993). Dalcroze philosophy also places emphasis on musical behavior and expression, and their demonstration through observable movement. Visible evidence of musical understanding through experience takes some of the mystery out of the verbal definitions of musicality.

Another aspect of modern music education inherited from Jaques-Dalcroze is th celebration of the individual. Teachers expect to provide appropriate musical experiences for all their students. Creativity and imaginary play are encouraged through improvisation. Music class is student oriented, with groups of students actively thinking about, listening to, and analyzing and creating music (Johnson 1993).

Jaques-Dalcroze placed special emphasis on child-centered learning. He develop a particular interest in the natural development of the child (Johnson, 1993). Ac ages, Jaques-Dalcroze developed music teaching strategies that were age and ability-level appropriate. His approach to music learning was broken down into experiences for the primary grades, intermediate grades, and upper grades (Me 1994).

Dalcroze exercises and pedagogical principles are easy to apply to most teachin situations (Johnson, 1993). Multiage classrooms are becoming popular; Dalcroz exercises can be adapted to suit a variety of student skill and experience levels. Dalcroze teacher training allows instructors to become creative and flexible in th give-and-take of modern education. The ability to be spontaneous in the classro is valuable for all educators. Teachers can follow through unexpected teaching opportunities with ease, and provide students with a model of an adaptable and creative personality.

Today, Dalcroze Eurhythmics is taught in music preparatory schools and is part the music theory and aural skills curriculum in conservatories and universities throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. It also is used in K-12 m education, studio teaching, dance education, and therapeutic situation. Training the approach is available in the United States and in Europe. In addition, nation and international professional organizations exist to support eurhythmics teache and those interested in pursuing the experience. The Dalcroze Society of Americ posts the locations of training sites in the United States. www.dalcrozeusa.org

Jaques-Dalcroze believed the learning process involved direct sensory experienc He advocated kinesthetic learning. Through movement, learning comes through experience in addition to observation. Varied musical experiencesincluding movement, singing, improvisation, music reading and writing, and playing instrumentsreinforce musical learning (Johnson, 1993). Moreover, JaquesDalcroze believed that the way to health was through a balance of mind, body, senses. Many people have discovered that they can improve and refine skills by rehearsing a combination of movements, first in the real body and then imagini going through these movements with special fluidity in the kinesthetic body. On can then return the same movement in the real body, allowing the improved flo kinesthetic rehearsal to carry over into actual movement (Abramson, 1980). Background mile-Henri Jaques was born into a musical home on July 6, 1865. His Swiss

parents were living in Vienna, and young mile and his sister Hlne were supported in their artistic education by their mother Julie, herself a fine music teacher and pianist. She had studied the philosophy and teaching methods of educational reformer Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827). He was an early advocat teaching through the senses and through experience, not merely through the written word. He also supported the addition of vocal music instruction to schoo curricula. Pestalozzi's influence on Madame Jaques was evident in her son as we Since the Dalcroze approach centers on the philosophy that experience in music key to musical understanding, it seems that Pestalozzi and Dalcroze philosophie share common ground (Collins, 1993). Childhood in the Jaques household was a time of singing, playing, dancing, acting, and creating. Emile had a happy childh and was described as "lively, friendly, and even contemplative for a child" (Spec 1990, p. 5).

In 1875, the family moved to Geneva. After several years in a private school, Jaques enrolled at the Geneva Conservatory. At the age of eighteen, he had not decided upon a career. The following year, 1884, he went to Paris where he stu drama at the Comdie Franaise and music at the Paris Conservatory. Young Em reveled in the artistic atmosphere of the city. A passionate young actor and musician, he also found time to compose and perform, singing as he accompani himself on the piano.

While in Paris, mile Jaques became familiar with the teachings of Mathis Lussy (1828-1910), a piano instructor and writer. Lussy wrote extensively on the subj of expressive musical performance and musical understanding (Caldwell, 1995) Through Lussy, mile Jaques learned of the process of scholarly inquiry: to recognize problems; to approach them scientifically; and to devise methods for their solution (Spector, 1990). mile Jaques interests were shifting toward an emphasis in music, and after a visit with his family in Geneva in the summer of 1886, he accepted the position of assistant conductor and chorus master at the Thtre des Nouveaux in Algiers, North Africa. Algeria had been a French colony since 1847, and consequently felt the influence of Western European culture. m Jaques underwent two changes while enjoying his first professional employmen Feeling that his youthful appearance might inhibit his effectiveness as a leader, began sporting the mustache and goatee he would maintain for the rest of his li This was also the time when he added Dalcroze to his birth name Jaques. It see that a composer of polkas in Bordeaux, France, also had the name Emile Jaques avoid confusion, mile-Henri borrowed the name Valcroze from a friend, change the first letter to D, and was known thereafter as Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (Spect 1990).

After one season, Jaques-Dalcroze returned to Geneva in 1887 and, later that y moved to Vienna and enrolled at the Vienna Conservatory in the studio of Anton Bruckner (1824-1927). Their collaboration was brief: Bruckner insisted that "de dumme Franzose" study harmony from the beginning, which Jaques-Dalcroze refused to do. Eventually Bruckner attempted to have Jaques-Dalcroze thrown o of the conservatory, but was thwarted by the faculty. Adolf Prosniz (1827-1917 invited Jaques-Dalcroze into his studio. It may have been Prosniz who helped Jaques-Dalcroze focus his musical concentration and learn to study music with greater depth (Spector, 1990). In spite of his clashes with Bruckner, JaquesDalcroze considered their association valuable. Bruckner's intolerance and authoritative style were the antithesis of Jaques-Dalcroze's loving, playful natur Perhaps this experience helped to solidify his idea that an effective teacher is on

who respects and educates the whole child.

Spring of 1889 brought Jaques-Dalcroze's return to the Paris Conservatory and composition study with Gabriel Faur. The twenty-four-year-old musician made most of his opportunities, moving in the same musical circles as Csar Franck a other artists of his stature. Jaques-Dalcroze continued to compose an assortmen songs, ensembles, and sketches based on the customs of the day.

In 1892, Jaques-Dalcroze returned to the Geneva Conservatory, this time as a professor of solfge. He began to question the teaching methods of the day and wonder what improvements he could make. Careful observation of his students showed him that while the students could be good musical technicians, they oft did not hear or feel the nuances of the music they were required to play. Just keeping a steady beat was often difficult for the students. Jaques-Dalcroze bega by getting the students up from their seats keeping a steady beat by moving ab the space. From there he added other fundamental qualities of singing, breathin walking at various tempi, skipping, and conducting with large gestures (Odom, 1998). He then added quality to the movement by asking them to physically rea to the improvised music that he was providing at the piano. These qualities incl legato, marcato, and staccato movements to complement the music. Cooperativ work with a partner allowed the students to experience timing, space, strength weight, creativity, and cooperative learning. By adding rhythmic movement to music, students acknowledged the body as the first instrument of expression (Dutoit, 1971, p. 9). As instructor of solfge, Jaques-Dalcroze believed that the compartmentalization of music courses was detrimental to the pupils' true musi development (Carder, 1990). By combining solfge with rhythmic movement an improvisation into rhythmic gymnastics, as he first called this work, JaquesDalcroze began to teach in a holistic style.

From 1903 to 1910, Jaques-Dalcroze actively pursued the development of a teaching approach based on rhythmic gymnastics. However, his colleagues at th Geneva Conservatory considered him something of a radical. The disapproval th met his innovations was due partly to the conservatory faculty's unwillingness t condone his experimental techniques, and to have its students become "perform monkeys" (Dutoit, 1971, p. 14). Another branch of resistance was from Geneva society itself. Jaques-Dalcroze's students dressed in short-sleeved tunics, with b legs and feet, to allow free movement in class. This was quite an affront to mos Genevans, who lived according to the rigid morality of the early twentieth centu

People outside of Geneva, however, were keen to adopt Jaques-Dalcrozes philosophy of music and movement education. After a demonstration of his approach in Berlin, Jaques-Dalcroze received an offer to develop an institution f rhythmic study at anhttp://www.real.com/?src=blackjack experimental Garden being designed north of Dresden, Germany. The premise of Hellerau was to be a community that combined a planned industrial settlement with a school for artis development attended by children and adults. Between the period of 1910 and 1914, Hellerau became a cultural center for music, theatre, and dance.

In partnership with Adolphe Appia, a noted theatre designer, Jaques-Dalcroze supervised the construction of a school and performance space that was noted f its architectural and theatrical innovationsinstead of a proscenium, the space now open, which brought the audience closer in to the performances. In additio all components were completely modular, which allowed the performers to mov

the stage in front of the audience (Spector, 1990). During performances, studen were not categorized as musicians, dancers, or actors, but functioned as all thre In the summers of 1912 and 1913, audiences flocked to Hellerau to see the stu summer performance of Glucks Orfeo ed Euridice. These demonstrations attrac notable artists and teachers from around the world: theatre luminaries Konstan Stanislavsky and George Bernard Shaw; dancers Mary Wigman, Sergei Diaghile and Rudolf von Laban; and musician Darius Milhaud (Martin, 1965).

With the outbreak of World War I, the Hellerau school was closed and a perman school was founded in Geneva. Jaques-Dalcroze, recognizing the need for qualif instructors, designed a professional training curriculum that enabled others to t his approach. Instructors continue to graduate in Dalcroze Eurhythmics from th Dalcroze School in Geneva. These graduates have established training schools i many cities around the globe (Dutoit, 1971). Jaques-Dalcroze continued writing composing, and teaching in Geneva until his death in 1950. Besides his teaching philosophy, he is also remembered as a prolific composer of songs, operettas, a large-scale festival presentations. References

Abramson, R. M. (1980). Dalcroze-Based Improvisation. Music Educators Journa January, 1980. Caldwell, J. T. (1993). A Dalcroze perspective on skills for learning music. Music Educators Journal, 79(7), 27-28. Caldwell, J. T. (1995). Expressive singing: Dalcroze eurhythmics for voice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Campbell, P. S. (1991). Rhythmic movement and public school education: progressive views in the formative years. Journal of Research in Music Education, 19, 12Carder, P. (Ed.). (1990). The eclectic curriculum in American music education (2 ed.). Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference. Collins, D. L. (1993). Teaching choral music. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Dutoit, C. L. (1971). Music movement therapy. Geneva, Switzerland: Institut Jaques-Dalcroze. Jaques-Dalcroze, E. (1920). The Jaques-Dalcroze method of eurhythmics: rhyth movement, Vols. 1 and 2. London: Novello, 1920. (Orgininal work published 1918) Jaques-Dalcroze, E. (1921). Rhythm, music and education (H. F. Rubinstein, Trans.). New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. (Original work published in 1921). Jaques-Dalcroze, E. (1931). Eurhythmics, art and education (F. Rothwell, Trans Cox, Ed.). New York: Barnes. (Original work published in 1930). Johnson, M. D. (1993). Dalcroze skills for all teachers. Music Educators Journals 79 (8), 42-45. Martin, F., Dnes, T., Berchtold, A., Gagnebin, H., Reichel, B., Dutoit, C., Stadle E. (1965). mile Jaques-Dalcroze: Lhomme, le compositeur, le crateur de rhythmique. Neuchtel, Swisse: Baconnire. Mead, V. H. (1994). Dalcroze eurhythmics in today's music classroom. New York Schott Music Corporation. Odom, S. L. (1998) Jaques-Dalcroze, Emile. International Encyclopedia of Danc Vol. 3. New York: Oxford. Pennington, J. (1925). The importance of being rhythmic. New York: Knickerboc

Press. Spector, I. (1990). Rhythm and life: The work of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press. Recommended Additional Readings and video

Aronoff, F. W. (1983). Dalcroze strategies for music learning in the classroom. International Journal of Music Education, 2, 23-25. Bachmann, M. L. (1991). Dalcroze Today. An Education through and into Music Parlett, Trans.). New York: Oxford University Press. Dale, M. (2000). Eurhythmics for Young Children: Six Lessons for Fall. Ellicott C Maryland: MusiKinesis, 2000. Driver, E. (1951). A Pathway to Dalcroze Eurhythmics. London: T. Nelson and S Findlay, E. (1971). Rhythm and Movement: Applications of Dalcroze Eurhythmic Secaucus, New Jersey: Summy Birchard, 1971. Joseph, A. (1982). A Dalcroze Eurhythmics Approach to Music Learning in Kindergarten Through Rhythmic Movement, Ear Training and Improvisation . Doctoral dissertation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. Leck, H. & Frego, R. J. D. (2005). Creating Artistry Through Movements. (DVD) Milwaukee, Hal Lenard #08744511. ISBN: 0634098381. Moore, S. F. (1992). The Writings of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze: Toward a theory fo the performance of musical rhythm. Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University. (University Micro-films International, MI 48106).

David Frego, professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the University o Texas at San Antonio, received a G.M. from Brandon University in Canada, and M.M., M.M.Ed. and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. In 1998 he established Dalcroze Research Center in the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute a The Ohio State University. He regularly presents workshops in Dalcroze Eurhythmics throughout the globe. Dr. Frego is past-president of the Dalcroze Society of America. Videos: Four Variations on a Theme: Dalcroze approach, presented by David Frego