Building Global Connections

Director of L’Institut Jaques-Dalcroze since 2006, Silvia Del Bianco holds a singular position in the global community of Dalcroze practitioners. Yet, remarkably, many of us here in the United States know precious little about her or the institution she heads. So I’m excited that, for this inaugural issue of Connections, we are featuring a conversation she and I had via Skype this past November, a few short months after I saw her at the International Dalcroze Congress. Our talk gave me a chance to get to know her better. She shared with me how she envisions the role of the Institute, in relation to the international Dalcroze scene, to be sure, and also in relation to the American community of practice.

Born and raised in Avellaneda, a port town of Buenos Aires, in 1958, Silvia Del Bianco has had a fascinating life and career in music. After earning two Diplomas in Music Education and Piano at the National Conservatory in Buenos Aires in 1979, she pursued training in Europe, earning a degree in Edgar Willems’s system of solfège in Lyon in 1986, and, in the following year, her Dalcroze Diplôme Supérieure after a mere three years’ study in Geneva. In the following decade she taught at the IJD as Professor of Rhythm and Improvisation—a position she also held at the High School of Arts in Bern, Switzerland, where she also served as the Dean of Eurhythmics until 2003.

Amid the sweep of globalization transforming the planet at a breathtaking pace, Silvia faces particular challenges in bringing an institution steeped in local history and culture into the Third Millennium. Her expansive vision is enabling this institution to redefine itself in terms of several continuums defined by such polar oppositions as: Local/ Global, Traditional/Innovative, and Competitive/Cooperative. In light of some stereotypes that have clung to this surprisingly progressive institution during its century of existence, she is helping to shatter some of the persistent myths that influence people’s perceptions.

I was struck by this highly accomplished professional’s humility, a feature that makes her highly approachable, as well. An anecdote she shared in another interview, available on YouTube, sheds some light on the intuitive connection she felt to this work from her first encounter with it:

This is a Swiss method, but it came quite naturally to me. The first time I set foot in the Institute and saw their work, I realized that I was doing the same thing since my childhood, when I used to play the piano for my dolls and imagine them moving along with the music. I was shocked to discover that this idea actually existed in real life!

Note: Special thanks to Jimmy Mora for his English translation of this interview.

“A Language That’s Not a Language”

William Bauer: Two years after earning your Diplôme you were invited to join the College. And you were quite young still.

Silvia Del Bianco: I was just thirty-one. I was extremely surprised. I was the youngest for quite a long time. I asked myself, “Why are they asking me?” At that time I didn’t have a very strong background in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. I’m not a person who had just come from the music school in the Institute. The first time I did eurhythmics, I was twenty-six. I came with a background as a musician—when you start doing eurhythmics relatively late in your development, you ask yourself a lot of questions: Why does it work like that? Why should a musician do it? What should I change? How do I explain it so it makes sense for a musician, and for an adult, to start doing all those movements? I think that was an important element for them.

Very soon after I finished my Diploma I was asked to join the school in Biel, in the canton of Bern where the Institute had a satellite program; students there could pursue their training for two years before fulfilling the residency requirement in Geneva. When I joined that team, they decided they were going to separate from the Institute. Coming from a Swiss-German background, they were interested in exploring what possibilities there were to develop other applications of eurhythmics.

I found myself in a context where I was the only Dalcrozian in a group of people who were even integrating other methods. We had a Kodály teacher, Edgar Willems for the solfège, in French, and we had Orff as an elective. That experience was very interesting for me, because you need to find your place in a context that is made of different identities.

When you work in a context where we are all Dalcrozians, it’s not so necessary to explain what you’re doing; we understand us among us; we have a special language that’s not a language. I found it very interesting to work with people who came from such different backgrounds, and for them it was not so obvious why the label “Dalcroze” was so important.

I see what you mean. It makes you think about how others from different musical approaches would perceive what we do and helps to build a bridge to it.

Exactly! The idea of the bridge is extremely important. We need to be very humble to see that even if, for ourselves, what we do is the best, we need to accept that it is one way to come to it, but it’s not the only way. Other people have different ways to come to this knowledge, and to the practice, and to the creativity, and to improvisation. We can come together with a specific goal, which is to help the student go further in his development and to help him find a way to be most useful to others.

Yes. Going along with what you’re saying, each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, so we can be very complementary. I find that, working with Suzuki people, Dalcroze can fit like a hand in a glove.

I can understand. For me it was very rich to work with the Kodály people, because of the voice—the use of the voice, even the fixed “do”/not fixed “do” debate, different ways of teaching. It was very good to work with some of the people who were doing Taketina [recently, the Swiss Dalcroze practitioner Fabian Bautz shared this with us here in the USA] and others who teach rhythm by moving in place rather than through space. Once when we were preparing a demonstration with other teachers, I found it very interesting that I hadn’t realized my students could do very complex polyrhythms, three against four, etc., when they were just standing in one place and they moved focusing on the vertical impulse, like African dance, just with body percussion; but when I had them take it through space, going forward and backwards, including the horizontal impulse, and using tambourin, it was difficult for them. I discovered just how important this concept of using space is. Not just standing in one place, but using it. Because when you need to work with the weight of the body, and when you get involved in moving in the same room among other people, it brings another level of complexity. It becomes a different exercise.

Yes, that’s right; you’re multitasking. Comparing it to the Brazilian approach of Lukas Ciavetta, O Passo, and John M. Feierabend and Peggy Lyman’s Move It! (which both involve moving in place), Dalcroze is the only approach I know of where you are traveling through space and dealing with balance issues.

Exactly.

And also interacting throughout the space…

…with other students. For the group that makes a very specific goal. We put them in a situation like chamber music where you need to feel the others without talking, and be present even when you are not playing. You’re working on all those elements in eurhythmics; you become extremely good in other situations.

Yes, like playing in ensemble, for example.

“It Will Die If You Don’t Move”

William R. Bauer: I’m curious, it sounds like, from your earlier experiences in Biel, and as you moved into your current position, you had experiences that shaped your perspective on the Dalcroze practice. The Congress gave you a chance to see so many colleagues from all over the world. I would imagine that you’re forming a vision of what you would like to see happen in the next ten or twenty years.

Silvia Del Bianco: I already had the vision of how the Institute would develop before I came, and that’s why I came. Because I always thought the Institute had a very interesting role in Geneva—because it’s very specific for Geneva—in Switzerland, and in the world. For the director and other persons who are leading the Institute, it’s very important to see how these various levels of articulation come into play, how we manage to respond to the expectations of such different publics (local, European, world-wide).

Here in the Institute we have a large population of participants, from babies five months old till seniors who are 84 or 85 and everything in between. The activities they do reveal different aspects of eurhythmics that we can convey to a large public. But there is always so much happening here, it’s difficult to convey. I wish I could make it more visible. I wish there could be more contact with the rest of the world. The possibility of working in “nets” should be developed. It would shed a light on the value of what we have here.

And I am very sensitive to the things that are being produced outside of Switzerland. There are a lot of extremely good teachers abroad. We should get involved with them and then work in a “net” situation. I’m always extremely thankful of all the things that have been done outside. Most of our colleagues don’t have the support of a group of teachers behind them, to talk, to discuss, to see what happens. And yet they do it with a lot of motivation and engagement.

Yes.

I was one of those, too. For twenty years of my professional life I was a lone Dalcrozian in Biel; so I can be extremely sensitive to that reality. I hope that’s what I tried to do these nine years I’ve been here as director, to support a lot of the young people who come through us, the people we find in the Bachelor [equivalent to the Dalcroze Certificate], the Master [the Dalcroze License], and the Diplôme Supérieur. I’m extremely concerned about the support and the space of reflection that I could give them and I stimulate their courage to ask themselves all the time why they are doing what they are doing, and not just to repeat what they learned…

Exactly

…to create their own way. And to feel the responsibility they have in the method’s evolution. Because that is the most important thing.

Yes. In fact, I noticed your bio mentions your interest in developing new applications of Dalcroze. And this is one thing I find fascinating about the dynamic between Geneva and America. I think because you have a physical site, a building, a fully running school with many aspects of the training operating at all times, in a way you can be more playful about the practice and explore the possibilities more freely. In America, and I think we’re like this about classical music, too, very often we get caught up in trying to preserve things from the Old World rather than develop them.

I think that’s a risk. It’s a question I ask myself very often: What should we preserve? And in what ways should we move forward? What are the essential things from our heritage? This is extremely important. Why is it still necessary to do something that was done twenty or thirty or fifty years ago? What are the aspects that we should not do just because that’s how we’ve always done things? And we need to let eurhythmics change.

Because actually when Dalcroze founded this work, it was the idea of continuous movement, and I think that is not just words! That is a fundamental principle! We need to respect our heritage, but we need to take it further. Every time I have a student in front of me I’m very aware of my responsibility to that idea—just keep moving. Maybe you have arrived at one thing, one level of understanding or development; but don’t think that, just because you have that, you have everything! On the other hand, you also need to talk with others, so you are sure you are not moving too far away from the principles. But never stay in one place: It will die if you don’t move.

Especially because in the next couple of years we will have students who were born in this millennium. If you don’t let the practice grow and change to meet their needs, it will feel completely irrelevant to them.

Yeah, exactly.

They will experience the world so differently from the way we did when we were their age.

“Harmonization”

William R. Bauer: Incidentally, when you mentioned “nets” before, what did you mean?

Silvia Del Bianco: When I said “nets” I meant contact among the people in the Dalcroze world. There are so many people who have been just doing these studies here and abroad. I mean, in America alone you had so many people who contributed to eurhythmics over the last century. And this is remarkable, because for much of that time there was no strong network. There was no easy way to get in touch with most of them. So we didn’t know where they were, what they were doing, what they did throughout their lives. And I think now we should use this new technology to make the construction and the history of what has been done during the century visible.

Absolutely. That’s why I wrote those articles about Hilda Schuster.

I can understand.

She was a very important person in shaping the American legacy and the American heritage. In some ways, she has given us a certain challenge that we have to face also.

Another thing I want to do, and I’ve already done it in a way, is what I would call harmonization [said in French]. We need to create a proportion, or bring into balance, or reconcile the various forms the method has taken in different countries and different societies. Each society is so different, the local laws are different, the various curriculums in the schools are different. So they needed to change the method to fit it to their unique situation. And on the other hand, we need to have a certain amount of points that are the same for everybody. In French we have the word harmonization. Do you have something like it in English?

Maybe “consensus.”

I think it’s that.

Of course, we also have the same word in English—it’s a musical term: to harmonize, to bring the elements together.

But in the way we use it in French, perhaps consensus would work. If we are working on a project, you and I may have individual differences; but to work on the project together we need to also have common elements. If we are to construct something together, we need to find points that are good for you and that are good for me.

We also use the expression “common ground.”

Well, that’s one of my goals. In terms of certification in different countries, or differences between eurhythmics here, or eurhythmics in Australia, say, or eurhythmics in Mexico, what makes it recognizable as Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and what are the points where we can say, “Ok, we’re not going to make Argentinian people move like Japanese people, or like Swiss people.” And we need to have respect for that diversity. But there are some other points that we need to make extremely clear for all of us.

For instance, we have a method where we don’t have recipes. It’s not just a question of repeating. It’s a question of being conscious of what we’re doing so we understand why we’re doing it. That’s a main element. And it needs to be at the core of what it is, even though our cultures are different. I think the Institute still has a ways to go on making this point precise, and clarifying the different types of practices and training programs world-wide, and motivating the different partners to get involved in the discussion.

Some people may think that in my role of director I could just write down a document with descriptions of the expectations in terms of teaching, programs, assessments, etc. But I am sure that kind of attitude would not be beneficial, and it would not help or satisfy the Diploma teachers. We need to discuss, and work together. That is the reason I organized the journée d’études this July, before the congress. There we opened up a space to sit together with the people who are responsible for the training programs in the world, and we sought out those common elements that we needed to clarify. My main goal in the time I still have at the Institute is to achieve a good articulation among the training programs at the international level. I think because of my personality and background, I can be useful in this way…

I agree.

…because of what I’ve gone through in my life, I can be present to that aspect, because I’m very sensitive to these differences in culture and, on the other hand, I’m also very sensitive to what Dalcroze should stay or be.

You bring other things, too—you have the credibility you gained from being a performer, and a musician, and a Dalcroze teacher, and a member of the College; and to have that background and be from Argentina, which allows you to bring a different element to Geneva, I think helps people feel they can approach you.

I hope!

I would imagine that in many ways the meetings before the Congress were really groundbreaking because they gave you an opportunity to move your agenda forward.

Exactly. It provides another source of credibility. It’s not just the head of the Institute that thinks this or that must be done, but it’s the international community of Dalcroze teachers who need this and that to be done, and who agreed to go down this or that path. There was no confrontation. The esprit, the feeling of those days was so intense and so filled with good will, with a lot of recognition of what has already been done, and a lot of desire of working together.

Several people who were there told me it was great. And I feel you have a historic moment to pull these forces together.

I’m aware of that, and I’m working on that. I’m happy that Karin Greenhead, Louise Mathieu and Hélène Nicolet agreed to go further. We worked on the calendar so we can come back with more information to the people. And we are working to resolve the technical aspects of creating a platform on the Internet that will be available in 2016. That will be very helpful. We’re pulling together a lot of material, videos and things, and asking people to send us those, so we wish that we will have very good news to report in 2016. It’s a big project that will take four or five years. We need to go deeper into analyzing the different needs and expectations in the Dalcroze community regarding training programs and certifications. That would be helpful for everybody.

Yes, it’s wonderful.

New Pathways

Silvia Del Bianco: In terms of the various projects at the Institute, and the new applications of eurhythmics, my main idea in that is to get involved in projects with the scientific world. For that we’re working closely with the Department of Neuroscience in the University of Geneva. They helped us with two projects we were working on, and we did a small research project with them as well. I think it’s very important to get involved with the medical people in terms of seniors, Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other diseases and situations where eurhythmics could be a help. Our partner in this field is the University Hospital in Geneva. I’m not considering eurhythmics as therapy. It’s well known that music and movement activities can help to maintain and improve the quality of our lives. So those could be very good applications of eurhythmics that were not so well known until now.

William R. Bauer: I agree, and I’m thinking, when you say “not therapy,” you want to be clear, we can make no claims to heal people directly.

Exactly! We can’t heal people, but we could work together with doctors, so we can have better results. Because they have the knowledge we don’t have, and they can help us identify the type of activities that make people in this situation go further, have less pain, or be able to take fewer drugs. For us the collaboration with doctors this year was very important, because they told us immediately which Dalcroze exercises and aspects [of the practice] helped people make progress or feel more lively. What you’re talking about is supporting people’s wellbeing. Exactly. When we had the project with Alzheimers patients for a year, it’s not that we healed. We didn’t heal. But the wellbeing was at the end of every lesson. The week after, someone from the family would come and say, “She was calmer. She was more receptive. We had the feeling that she was not angry, and perhaps she could sleep better.” Those are very tiny things, but they count a lot.

Absolutely. It almost creates a framework for healing to take place.

Exactly.

It’s really admirable that you’re cautious about this point. Obviously there are legal issues, but moreover credibility issues. There are people out in the world making all sorts of claims about causing or influencing results that they can’t support with evidence.

“It Comes to a Point Where Changement Is Needed”

Silvia Del Bianco: Bill, in your email you asked me if I have specific insights or feelings to share with the American community of practitioners. I’m not somebody to give advice, so it’s not meant in that sense; but I should say I admire a lot what America has done to develop eurhythmics, in very different ways, with different…colors, I should say; because the various personalities of Dalcroze your teachers could be complementary. You have had a very long, solid history. I respect that. There is a lot of work that has been done to make it what it is now.

I think when problems come, as they did, when people think they want to be more free to do this thing or other, well, perhaps it’s a better solution to have two groups. That is the reality of Switzerland, too. We have a Dalcroze society and we have the German part of Switzerland that has a Eurhythmics society. In my opinion some points are essential: to have respect for what people do, not to judge them too quickly or easily and to still come together and dialogue.

William R. Bauer: I appreciate your saying that. I’ve been trying to provide a modulating influence over the development of the AES formed by David Frego and Kathy Thomsen. As you were saying about yourself, I feel I’m in the right place at the right time.

I can imagine.

Because I’m setting a tone in the discussion that is respectful…

Exactly.

…but I’m also trying to help them be clear about what they are communicating.

Exactly. I think these two points are very important, and make it possible to have a dialogue, to communicate, as you said.

I noticed a few years ago that you gave a workshop somewhere with Reinhard Ring…

Yes.

…and that spoke volumes to me about your ability to build bridges across what may be difficult areas.

I work a lot with the German people, who do not use the name; and it was even funny, sometimes, they said to me “I don’t think you’re Dalcrozian”; but sometimes they were against something without really knowing what it was. But it was extremely helpful to work together, to see what one person could do and what the other could do, and where each was at their best. Because, as you said, we all have our weak points and our plus fort [strong points]. It’s very important to have those kinds of relationships.

If I had a wish for the Americans, it’s to consider the huge history that you have, be proud of that history and of being able to produce what you did in all those years. But perhaps to accept the situation now. It comes to a point where “changement” or evolution is needed. And to be able to work together. It doesn’t mean you do the same thing; to consider that they go in different ways, and to accept it. To see what we could do in common. And perhaps you come to the decision that it’s not possible—but it’s a reality.

Also because we’re each filling different gaps in our society.

Yes.

I think for the American community to read your words will be inspiring. My hope is to work with [DSA Vice President] Jeremy Dittus to build a stronger bridge with Geneva, so our younger students can travel over and get the Diplôme, and become trainers. We need those desperately, as you know.

For the Diplôme, there are a lot of things that have been arranged in terms of being able to do a part of it in America with the supervision of Diplôme teachers over there. Being able to do some exams through Skype, or part of an exam through Skype. We will keep moving forward and thinking about these kinds of possibilities.

That’s exciting. Until now it has seemed like an impossibility. But when I came to Geneva this summer, I felt a breath of fresh air, in terms of what could happen. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.

Thank you for the time we shared.