Article / Essay
Some Ideas to Consider When Working with Young Adults
Dated June 22, 2012 | Added June 14, 2026
As a companion to a demonstration class featuring students from Rhythmic-Solfège IV at the 2012 DSA National Conference, Jeremy Dittus shares reflections from working with this age group.
- I tend to be very sensitive about who is observing the students in weekly classes. Every situation is different, but I often find that parents can be distracting, which can compromise the students’ Dalcroze experience. Often, I ask the students to decide if their parents can/should stay and watch. Sometimes I’ll suggest that parents can stay, but only if they actively participate like the students. It gives the parents a better understanding of what’s going on in class, and the students feel less exposed.
- Survey and study the students’ musical interests. Find creative ways use music they enjoy in the lessons. It will make their Dalcroze experience feel more relevant to their daily lives.
- Systemizations can work very well with recorded music (Rests, Augmentation/Diminution, Syncopation, Additive Anacrusis are all subjects that I have used with success employing this Dalcrozian approach).
- Certain types of reaction exercises can also work well with recorded music, especially once the students have a fair grasp of the subject material; verbal reactions are particularly useful, but visual and tactile reactions can be used, too.
- Students often like to improvise (vocally, instrumentally, in movement) using popular music themes.
- Make difficult tasks seem less challenging: Inhibition/Incitation and Association/Dissociation exercises can be made more light‐hearted when Maroon 5 is the source of musical inspiration!
- Use “Mystery Solfège Tunes” in assignments. For example, I’ll print an extract from a popular melody without the words in the students’ homework. Their job is to sing it using numbers and note names and discover the title of the song for next week.
- Find ways for the students to take more control in the classroom. The more responsibility and autonomy they have on a regular basis, the more significant the course will feel to them.
- Have them call the changes in verbal reaction exercises.
- Aim to be a nurturing guide, but have them choose the repertoire, costumes, and movement for their Plastique Animée experiences.
- Have them play the role as teacher in offering constructive criticism and/or ways to improve when other students perform in class.
- Using materials/props can be beneficial, but only in as much as they are attractive to the students. My general guide is as follows: if I don’t find an activity interesting or meaningful, then they probably won’t either! Still, I make sure that the prop isn’t the real focal point…whenever possible, I aim to focus on the “body as the instrument”.
- I find that today’s young adults crave variety, so I tend to plan different types of activities/subjects in one lesson that develop sequentially over the course of several weeks. This way, the learning has a more long‐range development, and the students have time to let ideas marinate over time. Additionally, I feel I can be more flexible and spontaneous because I am not tied to developing one idea in a given time period, so I can meet the students where they are more easily.
- Set your goals and expectations high, and don’t settle until you achieve those goals. The more I challenge the students, the more they take pride and have confidence in their efforts. Consequently, they tend respect the Dalcroze work more, too.
- Be extremely specific about what you want to see in their movement/gesture, and be ready to demonstrate with conviction. I find that the more demanding and specific I am with movement, the more comfortable students feel about the class. Because most young adults do not have an extensive movement vocabulary, it is crucial to help them develop a working vocabulary. Review and add to this vocabulary often.
- Be explicit about why you are having students perform a particular exercise. They may not need to know the pedagogy per se, but knowing how a given activity is helping to develop their “body as the instrument” can be crucial for their willingness to be challenged and work hard both inside and outside of the classroom.
- Parent education is vital. Parents need to be instructed as to the what, why, and how the Dalcroze work is important to the students’ success. Demonstrations, informational handouts, etc. can be a real aid in this regard.
Watch a Video of the Demo Class
This class was presented and recorded at the 2012 DSA National Conference.
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Jeremy Dittus
Dr. Jeremy Dittus, Diplôme Supérieur, enjoys a career as a pianist, theorist, and Dalcrozian. He has performed and/or presented Dalcroze master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He directs the Dalcroze School of Music & Movement (Dallas, Texas), teaches on the faculty at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and serves on le Collège de l’Institut Jaques-Dalcroze. The Dalcroze School of Music & Movement (founded in 2010) offers courses for youth ages 4–18, adult enrichment, full-time study toward the Dalcroze Professional Certificate, Dalcroze License, and post-License study. Publications include several journal and book articles, seven volumes of teacher-training textbooks, Embodying Music Vol. I–IV and Moving Sound Vol. I–III, along with ten volumes of DSM youth curriculum: Eurhythmics I and II, Rhythmic-Solfège I–V, and Advanced Dalcroze I–III.
About the Author(s)
Jeremy Dittus
Dr. Jeremy Dittus, Diplôme Supérieur, enjoys a career as a pianist, theorist, and Dalcrozian. He has performed and/or presented Dalcroze master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He directs the Dalcroze School of Music & Movement (Dallas, Texas), teaches on the faculty at Hope College in H…
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