Posts by Michael Joviala
Musical Explorations into Meter
Part of a series of posts on the ‘musical subjects‘ I am working with in my classrooms and thinking about as a musician and teacher. You can find more of my writing on music and teaching from a Dalcroze perspective on my blog at https://joviala.com. I often turn to Walter Piston when I want some…
Read MoreGuest Editor’s Letter
Participating in a good eurhythmics class can be a bit like watching a great movie. The director’s filmmaking technique, when it is masterful, disappears once you are swept up in the flow of the movie. It’s only when we emerge from the film that we can marvel at the way it was put together: the…
Read MoreImprov Corner: Fourth Ree to One
This is a kind of two-for-one composition. In addition to the “disappearing division” rhythmic construction, there is an association at work here. Do you see it? Half notes are played as fourths, dotted quarters as thirds and quarters as seconds. The metric system may be interesting for the eurythmics classroom, but a little too restrictive…
Read MoreGeneva Notebook
In the fall semesters of both 2018 and 2019, I lived in Geneva to work toward the diplôme supérieur, which I earned in June of 2020. In this article, I’ll share my experiences and reflect upon a memorable period of my life. The IJD Geneva holds mythic status in the minds of many in the…
Read MoreThe 2020-21 Publications Committee
Over its forty-plus year history, the DSA has consistently released publications that document the activities of its members, generate interest in Dalcroze Education and Dalcroze Studies, and embody its members’ high standards for relevant content—in print, and more recently, online. Today, all of the organization’s publications are overseen by a newly formed—and highly energized—team. It’s…
Read MoreA Conversation With Anne Farber, Lisa Parker and Michael Joviala
Anne Farber and Lisa Parker have been close colleagues in the classroom and on the concert stage for over 30 years. In January of 2014, I sat down to talk with Anne and Lisa on the eve of a weekend of TriState DSA workshops. The series included a presentation to New York area Kodaly, Orff…
Read MoreConversation with Fabian Bautz
In March of 2017, Fabian Bautz was the featured presenter at the annual Tri-Chapter Workshop for the Dalcroze, Kodaly, and Orff societies of the New York City area. I first met Fabian at the Longy School of Music’s Dalcroze Summer Intensive in 2007. Based in Zurich, Fabian teaches both Dalcroze Eurhythmics and TaKeTiNa, a movement-based…
Read More40 Years of the “American Dalcroze Journal”: A Look Back
It’s humbling to see what our predecessors accomplished with the limited means they had available to them, especially as compared to what we now have at our disposal, what with conference calling, “Skype,” the Internet, etc. No doubt each step in the publication process took longer, with phone calls and “snail mail” instead of email.…
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