Lesson Plans
Video: 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 MoreLesson Study Guide: Oh, the Places You Will Go!
This demonstration class was done with students ages 11-13 from the Rhythmic-Solfège IV and Advanced Dalcroze I classes at the Dalcroze School of the Rockies, where they have studied for 7-9 years or more. One of the thing’s that’s remarkable about this method is that it can work in marvelous ways when you first say…
Read MoreLesson Plan: Waltz of the Flowers
This lesson can be used for a wide range of ages and abilities. It may also be adjusted to fit a variety of classroom goals and settings. It explores measure groupings of 3’s and 4’s. Enjoy and please feel free to make it your own! Activity 1: Walks & Bows “Show me how you take…
Read MoreLesson Plan Editorial: Andante from Symphony No. 5
A few weeks ago, we released Joy Yelin’s lesson on subdivision, which uses the Andante from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. It is such a delight to use this familiar theme. With some tweaks here and there, I enjoy playing the marvelous melody, harmony and modulations of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Andante.” The students move with rapt…
Read MoreLesson Plan: Andante from Symphony No. 5
It is such a delight to use this familiar theme. With some tweaks here and there, I enjoy playing the marvelous melody, harmony and modulations of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Andante.” The students move with rapt attention, responding to the subdivisions of the beat which are inherent in the music. Begin with a slow tempo. The…
Read MoreLesson Plan: Living Music: Eurhythmics and Jazz Improvisation
This lesson was first presented at a New England Dalcroze Chapter Workshop, January 27, 2019, and is designed for adults of all levels. In this lesson, students develop some of the basic skills that go into jazz improvisation, working in various musical styles. Through their improvised movements, students experience the relationship between beat and measure…
Read MoreLesson Plan: Old Joe Has Gone Fishing
This lesson was presented at the 2012 DSA National Conference at Seattle Pacific University and teaches 7/4 with Benjamin Britten’s “Old Joe Has Gone Fishing” from his opera Peter Grimes. Benjamin Britten wrote this canon as a sort of faux sea chanty/drinking song. It is charming a capella; when heard in the opera with full…
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