Dalcroze Eurhythmics

Introduction
Dalcroze was a professor of harmony and solfge at the
Conservatory in Geneva in 1892. He realized that his students were
not able to hear harmonies that they wrote in the music theory
classes, and they could not create simple melodies and chord
sequences. In other words, they had a lack of sensitivity which
caused problems in the performance. Dalcroze then started to
experiment his pedagogical ideas in his class. He felt that the
musical feelings depended on the physical sensations and was
convinced that the combination of listening and the responses of the
body would generate a powerful musical force. He would ask his
students to walk and swing their arms, or to conduct while they
sang or listened to him improvise at the piano. Dalcroze called this
study of music through movement eurhythmics, from the Greek
roots eu and rythmos meaning good flow.
The philosophy behind the Dalcroze approach is that the best way to
achieve meaningful learning is to synthesize the mind, body, and
resulting emotions. Dalcroze believed that music education should
center on active involvement in musical experience. Technique and
intellectual understanding are important, but active experience
must come first.
The Dalcroze Method
The Dalcroze approach consists of three components: Eurhythmics,
which teaches concepts of rhythm, structure, and musical
expression through movement; Solfge, which develops an
understanding of pitch, scale, and tonality through activities
emphasizing ear training and vocal improvisation; and
Improvisation, which develops an understanding of form and
meaning through spontaneous musical creation using movement,
voice and instruments. It was Dalcrozes intent that the three

subjects be integrated so that the development of the inner ear and

creative expression can work together to form the core of
musicianship.
Eurhythmics
Eurhythmics is an introduction to the basic elements of music
through movement and sound. An essential idea in eurhythmics is
that students must be able to listen and respond musically with their
bodies. In a eurhythmics class, students typically are barefoot and
are moving in some way in locomotion around the room, in
gestures with hands, arms, heads, upper bodies, either in groups or
alone. It is common to begin a eurhythmic class with walking to
improvised music and responding to changes in tempo, dynamics,
and phrase in quick reaction games. Through these activities, the
students begin to understand how physical adjustments, such as
energy and flow of the body weight, need to occur in order to
physicalize the music.
Quick Reaction Games
Quick reaction games are frequently used in the eurhythmics class
in order to focus attention and increase learning. During the activity,
the teacher will make a signal, such as changing the dynamic,
playing accent, or say something, and the students have to change
their action.
I would like to demonstrate some games to you.
1. Rhythm Canon (experience doing and listening at the same time)
The teacher claps certain rhythm and the students follow
afterwards.
2. Passing ball (experience the meter): in this game the teacher
divide students into groups of 4 and form a circle (draw on
blackboard). The teacher will play music in certain meter, 4/4 for

example, and he students will raise the ball high on the last beat of
a measure before passing to their neighbor. This game gives them
an experience of not only feeling the accented beat, but also the
building energy that leads to the accent.
3. Moving to the music
The teacher improvises music and the student move freely,
showing the character of the music. If the teacher makes changes,
the students have to respond to the changes in their movements.
For example.
(Play youtube video)
4. Heep: Dalcroze teachers sometimes say Heep to indicate that a
change is going to happen.