SPECIAL ISSUE Dalcroze Eurhythmics in music therapy and special music education Dalcroze Eurhythmics as a psychomotor education for children with special educational needs: An interview with Marie-Laure Bachmann (original) (raw)
Related papers
2014
There is a longstanding relationship between music therapy and Dalcroze Eurhythmics, an approach to music education that had its beginnings in the reform pedagogy movement of the European fin de siècle. Émile Jaques-Dalcroze , the founder of the approach, initially focused on educational aims, but was soon to include therapeutic ones as well. During the early twentieth century, Dalcroze teachers applied the approach to their work with disabled children. Such applications have continued to develop to the present day and have expanded to include palliative treatment in HIV/AIDS and gerontology.
In this article, we discuss the potential of Dalcroze-inspired music education for students with special educational needs (SEN), based on preliminary findings of an ongoing PhD study (ethnographic practitioner research) and the experiences of the first author when teaching music in a special education school for ten years. In that practice, the holistic approach based on Jaques-Dalcroze's educational ideas was found to offer valuable and meaningful learning experiences and a tool for a deeper understanding of music, oneself and others. The research design consisted of a music and movement intervention for a group of Finnish grade 8 and 9 SEN students over a period of one school year. This paper draws on the first author's reflections on the intervention (field notes and research diary) as well as on the teacher interview data. The preliminary results of the study indicate that the Dalcroze approach fosters equal opportunities for SEN students to experience music and to deve...
A conceptual discussion of embodiment in special music education: Dalcroze Eurhythmics as a case
Approaches: Music Therapy & Special Music Education, 2016
Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) have difficulties in learning, perception and communication that often pose challenges for participation in traditionally organised music lessons with instruments. Embodied approaches to music education concentrate on utilising body movements to create and enhance learning. As embodied musical activities are drawn from the personal experiences of the students, it is possible to meet the diverse needs of learners efficiently. In this article, we provide introductory remarks on the conceptual content and sphere of embodiment in the context of special music education. We use Dalcroze Eurhythmics as an example, as it is deeply grounded in embodied music making and has a long history of being applied in this area. KEYWORDS embodiment, special music education, special educational needs, Dalcroze Eurhythmics Sanna Kivijärvi is a doctoral candidate at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki (Finland). She has an interdisciplinary training background with an emphasis in special education, music education and sociology. Sanna is engaged in various international academic research projects that focus on music education with students who have special support needs. Her research interests focus on the ways in which music education can advance equity and social justice at all levels of society. Katja Sutela is a doctoral candidate and part-time university lecturer at the University of Oulu (Finland), teaching music and movement and special music education. She has taught music to children with SEN in a special school for ten years. Among her research interests are embodiment, special education, narrative inquiry and the relationship between music education methods and pedagogical thinking. Katja is currently undertaking a PhD regarding the development of agency in bodily musical interactions with children who have SEN.
Research Studies in Music Education 33, 47-58., 2011
The article examines the role and relevance of certain so-called music education methods used in current educational practice. As different pedagogical approaches and teaching methods aim at good and educative experiences, they suggest an ideal story of success and a direction of growth for the self of the music learner. In this article, these ideal stories are seen as embodying the normative metanarratives of music education. As an example, the article constructs a metanarrative of Dalcroze pedagogy. Jaques-Dalcroze’s texts are analysed as articulating a certain conception of the human being, alongside ideals as to how the competencies of human beings are developed through music and within music education. The article then discusses how methodological metanarratives as normative frames for representing success stories may be used in today’s teacher education in developing teachers’ cultural metacognition and in leading the profession towards a critical narratology, to enrich the reflective practice of future teachers.
The touch of sound: Dalcroze Eurhythmics as a somatic practice
Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices, 2015
ABSTRACT Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a rich and multifaceted, living practice that has developed a wide range of applications and pedagogical approaches during more than a century of endeavour. Most researchers have situated this work within music education, dance and theatre history and therapy of various kinds. In this article we argue that it may also be considered a somatic practice owing to the ways in which movement, space, sensation, presence, touch and improvisation are central to the method. While recognizing that not all somatic practices include touch and improvisation, we focus on these aspects to explore the notion of the haptic nature of vision and sound, as they are manifest in the Dalcroze class. Drawing on practical examples of widespread practice within the Dalcroze community as well as personal experiences, we assert that the touch-like nature of sound not only makes contact with the body, inciting physical and emotional movement, but also develops awareness of self, others and environment due to the social nature of musical participation in general and of the rhythmics class in particular.
The practical applications of Dalcroze Eurhythmics.
Nordic Research in Music Education Yearbook Vol. 6, 75-92, 2002
This paper examines Dalcroze applications in the field of music education. There are as many variations in the teaching of Dalcroze Eurhythmics as there are teachers. Even so, there are also many commonly shared aspects. In most of its practical applications, Dalcroze Eurhythmics supports other musical studies. The approach is applied to teaching musical behaviour and to deepening the experience and understanding of a musical event or musical concept through bodily movement prior to, or in conjunction with, the development of instrumental or vocal skills. It aims at creating a dynamic partnership between sensing, musical actions, thinking, feeling, and bodily movement. It especially develops creative expression, inner hearing and a sense of rhythm together with a kinaesthetic awareness of musical sounds and it also encourages active involvement and concentration on the part of the students. According to the teacher and the particular application, emphasis is either put on rhythmic movement, ear-training or improvisation. In the professional training of musicians, the Dalcroze approach is applied to various subjects: to solfège, music theory, rhythm, instrumental, conducting, and performance studies. It is also widely used with young children in kindergartens as well as in elementary and music schools.
Frontiers in Education
This qualitative study presents an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of three flute players who practice Dalcroze Eurhythmics, an approach to teaching, learning, and understanding music through exploring various music-movement relationships in social, creative, and rigorous ways. Our research seeks to understand how these individuals make sense of their lived experiences of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in learning, rehearsing, and performing contemporary music. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed and interpreted to create codes and categories in each data set. A cross-case analysis brought to light eight main themes: Body and breath; The body as a 'way in'; Learning through the body overcomes specific technical difficulties; An embodied relationship with the score; Deeper knowledge and connection to music; Clarifying own interpretations; Communication with the audience; A bigger picture beyond the instrument. This study provides new insights into how learning through Dalcroze Eurhythmics can help individuals prepare repertoire for performance. As such, it may be of use to Dalcroze students and teachers, to flute performers and teachers, and to teachers and performers of other instruments who wish to explore the potential of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in learning, rehearsing, and performing contemporary music. The analysis also reveals insights that may be relevant to other repertoires.
Contemporary Issues in Education 2021, 2022
Practical work with children of preschool age in contemporary pedagogy requiers professionals to adapt to their interests, habbits and way of thinking. The educational system as a whole has important role in anticipation of learning situations close to new generations and in accordance to their age(s). Following the dynamics of changes in the preschool educational system, the paper is specially focused to the status of music and kind of relations of preschool teachers and children towards the music as practical skill. The subject of this paper is understanding the importance of changing the educational policy in professional work with children of early and preschool age and in future preschool teachers' education. The aim refers to the quality of the future preschool teachers' informing about implementation of the integrated approach and understanding the eurhythmics, both as concept and method, in practical work with children of preschool ages. Integrated approach and pervasion of collateral areas in the new conception of learning, leads to music becoming an accompanying activity in learning process. The official use of Dalcroze method with children in kindergarten has shown as significant in musical pedagogy today since it puts the music in the foreground, making it as the essential factor in integrating areas to with is in contact.