Author: Katie Couch

The recent professional development committee (PDC) conference held in Manhattan was unforgettable. In the short space of just a weekend, the Dalcrozians who attended were able to experience a wide variety of activities, games, repertoire pieces, and more. We kicked off the conference with a Friday night dinner meeting consisting of Chinese takeout, repertoire sharing, and a session (presented by Dalcrozian Sarah Schreffler) on Critical Response Process: a formula for giving constructive feedback in a safe and straightforward manner. Learning the steps for sharing feedback was a great way to kick off the weekend, which was one of the most ‘safe spaces’ I’ve ever encountered in a high-level Dalcroze situation.

Our sessions over the weekend were varied, with each of the attendees presenting on a topic at least once. ‘Wonderful’ can’t even describe the feeling of being with high-level Dalcroze colleagues as we gleefully participated in each other’s canons, systemizations, follows, and more. Even though the sessions were all on different topics, I found connections to be made throughout, including the idea of teaching/reinforcing nuance at every stage of the Dalcroze process (from the eurhythmics hall to the improv lesson to sight-singing exercises…).

This event was historic for our community in that several teacher-training program directors were able to share elements of their professional studies exams. We didn’t necessarily give each other feedback but rather were able to notice what was similar and what was different about each exam; reflecting the bonds that tie us all together (e.g., compound meter continuous canons) as well as the differences that make us unique (e.g., how to test students on their ability to perform dissociations). As far as I know, various US-based leaders of teacher-training programs had never met in this fashion before to discuss their curricula.

The first-ever DSA professional development conference was incredibly useful, inspiring, and uplifting. Before we even ended the weekend, we started to discuss when we can repeat this type of gathering. Looking forward to it, as our community begins to truly ‘move together!’

What follows below are the reflections of other retreat attendees:

It was valuable in so many ways. Thanks to those of you who created the agenda – it was thoughtfully planned with a near perfect mix of discussion and demonstration.  Downtime for meals was appreciated, too. Thanks specifically to Michael for solving the housing puzzle and dealing with the Lucy Moses school – which in turn deserves our gratitude. It turns out that being together in person is quite a different experience than gathering through zoom boxes.  We’re good people to be with! I was constantly intrigued by the variety in what we present, how we present, and what we particularly value, creating a remarkable tapestry. Viva les differences! And having Sarah Shreffler’s procedure to guide us no doubt helped us navigate graciously. Dealing with canons, follows, improvisation added to my store of possibilities, and the Dropbox compendium of wonderful pieces and materials will be invaluable.  I was sorry to have to miss the systemization presentations.  I’m adding one of mine to the Dropbox. I’m so glad we got one full Eurythmics lesson, and Arthur’s was brilliant. He is one welcome addition. Sharing our Level 1 Eurhythmics tests gave us a chance to see our similarities and also, at the more microscopic level, our differences. Let’s try to share Solfege and Improv tests as well.  Even more valuable for me was the general discussion that followed after lunch on how to attract more folks to our challenging/rewarding approach. I did find Saturday long enough to be exhausting for me – reflecting my own stamina limits – but I can see that we needed virtually every minute to cover so many areas. Congratulations and best wishes to all of us. Cynthia Lilley

The 3 days of sharing and dialogue were rich with both ideas and camaraderie. Presentations were not generally finished projects but were filled with questions and looking for advice or ideas. The Eurhythmics topics we explored were traditional including follows and canons. Hearing others play for them was a great way to self evaluate our own playing. Being able to analyze what worked well and discuss it was the highlight of these experiences.
Everyone was curious and supportive which is an optimum group experience. I particularly enjoyed canons. I am thrilled to now have the list of canons. I was introduced to some that were new for me to do in a class such as 4th beat canon and augmentation/ diminution canon. I will definitely be adding these to my teaching. Finally, I have a bad knee so movement is not always something I can do well. But I found ways to engage without optimum mobility. I am quite empathetic to students with limitations so it was good for me to experience being in challenging classes with my empathetic colleagues as teachers. Leslie Upchurch

I was glad to attend a partial of the retreat. Thank you for inviting me. The biggest impact on me was that the DSA community has made a huge cornerstone launching the 1st retreat which demonstrated the organization is willing to embrace Growth Mindset concept. There were new ideas which for many of us had never studied in depth during our previous trainings were shared by committee members. I saw the discovery moment, risk taking(in a good way,) adaptation, courage, trust with others. The idea of including “critical response” presented by Sarah into the retreat was a good plus. We may not be bought into the approach fully but it gave us a chance to hear from others and to know what is happening beyond Dalcroze and how we can highlight some of these ideas in individual’s work. I hope a session like this will continue to be programmed in the future. Challenge: it’s a good start and how to continue this great intention to run the yearly retreat moving forward. Be patient with the changes, conflicts arises among us due to various factors and viewpoints and how to find a reachable solutions to resolve these issues demonstrated an empathic attitude towards each other( teacher to teacher & teacher to student.) The balance among tradition, innovation, music, sensation, connection and others ….. I haven’t been in the professional teacher training level for many years and my certain skills were rusty but I was able to find joy in doing these activities with all in a musical way which made sense to me but not on a mechanical technical way. Bravissimo!! Mimi Hsu

I was inspired by the Eurhythmics exam sharing session, where we led the level 1 exam of our respective programs. It was so beautiful to see, with all the diversity in our teaching, how deeply interconnected and similar we are. Arthur Simoes

The PDC hopes that in future leadership retreats, more Dalcroze teacher-trainers will be able to join us! The DSA thanks the many Dalcroze educators who have changed lives through their work. Please, tell us about the educators who have inspired you or consider a donation to the DSA to support their legacy.