Posts by Alex Marthaler
Executive Director’s Letter
Welcome to an exciting new year with Dalcroze USA! Earlier this year, we joined together at our 2024 National Conference in Oberlin, OH, and are embracing the momentum it generated. This fall, as we welcome new members and newly inspired volunteers, I look forward to fresh ideas that will expand the reach and impact of…
Read MoreMeet 2023 Keynote Speaker Mary Dobrea-Grindahl
The 2023 Conference is just around the corner and early registration is now open! If you know Mary and have seen her teach, you know how lucky we are to be welcoming her as our Keynote Speaker. Mary Dobrea-Grindahl, Diplôme Supérieur, Professor Emerita at Baldwin Wallace University, where she enjoyed a multi-faceted teaching and performing career for over 30…
Read MoreExecutive Director’s Letter
What’s next? As we move out of these last few years of pandemic restrictions, this is a question I often ask myself. As the executive director, one of my roles (in concert with the board of trustees) is to listen, reflect, and envision our future. Where are we—as the Dalcroze USA community—now? How did we…
Read MoreMeet 2022 Keynote Speaker Mary Dobrea-Grindahl
The 2022 Conference is just around the corner and early registration is now open! If you know Mary and have seen her teach, you know how lucky we are to be welcoming her as our Keynote Speaker. Mary Dobrea-Grindahl, Diplôme Supérieur, enjoys a multi-faceted teaching and performing career at Baldwin Wallace University, where she teaches piano, Eurhythmics, and solfège.…
Read MoreVideo: Theme and Variations with Cynthia Lilley
This class, recorded live at the 2020 DSA National Conference in Miami, FL, was led by Cynthia Lilley, Dalcroze License. The full lesson on how the Theme and Variations form can be especially useful in the Dalcroze classroom. Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony, Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” and Stravinsky’s Suite from “Pulcinella” illustrate the possibilities. Variation on a…
Read MoreVideo: Organic Rhythm with Dawn Pratson
This class, recorded live at the 2020 DSA National Conference in Miami, FL, was led by Dawn Pratson, Dalcroze License, and explores natural rhythms that accompany movement. These rhythms can be inspired by the breath, the heartbeat, or other sources of bodily motion; by spatial pathways and other spatial elements; or by moving in relation to…
Read MoreVideo: Making Joyful Connections with Silvia Del Bianco
This lesson was designed for the opening session at the 2020 DSA National Conference. As Silvia explains, her goal was to have a joyful start, with exercises that weren’t too difficult in terms of concentration and dissociation. Activities invite participants to develop their own movement vocabulary and deepen their connection with the body. In this…
Read MoreVideo: Introduction to Eurhythmics with Dr. Annabelle Joseph
How does a Dalcroze clinician put a room full of DSA National Conference attendees completely at ease while also asking them to take risks? Watch as master eurhythmics teacher Annabelle Joseph shows us how it’s done. Nearly the whole roster of conference attendees was there—and most of us had never met. Yet in short order we…
Read MoreVideo: Capriccio appassionato from 3 Morceaux, Op. 46
This dazzling performance comes from the February 2020 DSA Memorial Scholarship Concert, a fundraising event to support the next generation of Dalcroze Educators. Concert pianist Adalberto Maria Riva performs Emile-Jaques Dalcroze’s “Capriccio appassionato.” The entire concert livestream is available on YouTube, which also contains commentary from Riva himself. The DSA reflects the richness and diversity…
Read MoreVideo: Children’s Dalcroze Eurhythmics with Dr. Jeremy Dittus
This class, recorded live at the 2020 DSA National Conference in Miami, FL, was led by Dr. Jeremy Dittus, Diplôme Supérieur, and features students ages 11-13 from Rhythmic-Solfège V and Advanced Dalcroze courses from the Dalcroze School of the Rockies in Denver, CO. Check out a preview of the class below. Using movement as the…
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