Remembering Anne Farber

You may have read in the latest issue of Dalcroze Connections the memories that Dalcrozians shared of their time studying and collaborating with Anne Farber, one of the most formidable Dalcroze educators of our generation. One of the few American holders of the diplôme supérieur, she was the director of the New York Dalcroze School and taught and presented at numerous music institutions around the world.

To continue these remembrances, the DSA is reposting a video in which people discuss their memorable moments and Dalcroze experiences with Anne. Originally hosted by the Virtual Dalcroze Meet-up (VDM) in 2023, this video features commentary by Stephen Neely, Aaron Butler, Greg Ristow, Leslie Upchurch, and Cynthia Lilley.

Anne worked with students of all ages throughout her career. Below is a short video of Anne Farber teaching children in NYC at the Lucy Moses School was filmed and edited by Mattie Kaiser in 2014; that video is here for your perusal:

Finally, in 2016 the New York chapter of the DSA published a collection of Anne’s original music. Some of these pieces and songs were used in teaching Dalcroze music concepts, along with other music that exists simply for music’s sake. The forward, by Aaron Butler, appears here:

Throughout her career, Anne wrote original music and arrangements for her lessons and classes. Many of us lucky enough to study with her have cherished the hand-written copies of her music, hoping never to lose them. Now, with the creation of this volume, we can easily teach, share, and perform all of Anne’s incredible work. We recognize that this is only a preliminary collection. More compositions will doubtless surface and be included in subsequent editions. Anne’s music is so important because she, as a teacher, is so artistic. Her pieces brilliantly combine a pedagogical offering and a musical offering. Anne’s teaching and her musicianship are inseparable: at her most pedagogical, she was most musical; at her most artistic, we all learned.

You can find copies of this publication still for sale.

If you have any memories or content of Anne that you’d like to share, please leave us a comment below!