Dalcroze in Action
Aural Reactions #1
The 21st century Dalcroze teacher often uses current technology in the classroom to connect with students in a contemporary manner. Such technology includes the use of recordings. While the use of recorded music versus improvised music can be a topic of hot debate, it is no secret that recorded music has a definite place in…
Read MorePlastique Animée: The Importance of the Embodiment of Musical Expression and Communication
This essay considers the benefits of approaching musical expression and performance using the mindset and practices of a plastician, and how this can provide insight for instrumentalists, audiences, and music students. A personal account of the author’s first hand experience of performing Plastique Animée, it discusses the process and enlightenment from the point of view…
Read More“Learn to Improvise:” A Journey in Writing this Book
Editor’s Note: Leslie Purcell Upchurch has recently released a book on improvisation; this post contains her reflections on the writing and design process. Links to find the book are at the end of the article! Origins… During the 1990s, I was teaching at a piano school where the faculty were asked to write a semester-long…
Read MoreICDS6: a Review
The International Conference of Dalcroze Studies at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Wednesday- Saturday, August 2-5, 2023 Pittsburgh gave us four sunny days for the annual International Conference of Dalcroze Studies, the academic/research arm of Dalcroze education worldwide. This year’s theme “Ecologies of Practice in Music and Movement,” entailed exploring Dalcroze practice as…
Read More6th International Conference for Dalcroze Studies
“Ecologies of Practice in Music and Movement” Interested in research and practice of Dalcroze Eurhythmics and related fields? Save the date for a unique summer learning and sharing experience at the 6th International Conference for Dalcroze Studies to be held for the first time in the USA at the Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center of…
Read MoreShared Improvisations
Hello Dalcroze USA community, A few months ago, we published a blog with improvisation inspiration in the form of a randomized dice game. Although you can go back and read about the game here, the guidelines were basically to use a set of practice dice to assign musical parameters, such as tonality, meter, tempo, and…
Read MoreImprovisation Dice Game
Ever feel stuck in an ‘improvisation rut’? We all depend on well-learned chord progressions and patterns, but sometimes Dalcrozians (and improvising musicians in general) need a little inspiration to find their way to something new. One remedy is by listening to others play. One of the great benefits of the recent National Conference (January 13–15,…
Read MoreIntroducing: “Dalcroze Education for Youth”
Designed for New Dalcroze Teachers Have you ever taught a Dalcroze class to children ages 4-6? Or perhaps you are working on the pedagogy requirements towards Dalcroze certification and plan to do your practice teaching with this age group? Maybe you are thinking of creating a new course for 4-6 year olds in the near…
Read MoreGetting Racism Out of Music Education: An Open Discussion
This past August and September on the last Sunday of the month the DSA has hosted informal Zoom discussions on racism in music education. These gatherings have been well attended, with over twenty participants joining from all over the world. I agreed to lead these discussions, inspired by recent events. After George Floyd was killed…
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…
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