ELE11 - Teaching

Music in
Elementary Grades 1ST Semester, A.Y. 2021-2022

Module 5
(Week 10-11)

Prepared by:

Markhill Veran Tiosan, LPT

Instructor

Name of Student: _____________________________________

Course/Section: ______________________________________
Date Accomplished: ___________________________________

The Dalcroze Method

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 Overview
Dalcroze eurhythmics, also known as the Dalcroze method or simply
eurhythmics, is one of several developmental approaches including the Kodály
method, Orff Schulwerk, and Suzuki Method used to teach music to students. Learn
what Dalcroze Education is and what makes it an essential part of the musical
awakening of students around the world. The benefits apply to more than just
musicians. What does a Dalcroze class look like?

Objectives
 Learn the concept of the Dalcroze approach in teaching Music.
 Understand the philosophy of the Dalcroze method as a teaching approach.
 Reflect on the Dalcroze method as a teaching approach.

Discussion
Dalcroze Approach
The Dalcroze method, also known as Dalcroze Eurhythmics, is another

approach music educators use to foster music appreciation, ear-training, and

improvisation while improving musical abilities. In this method, the body is the main
instrument. Students listen to the rhythm of a music piece and express what they
hear through movement. Simply put, this approach connects music, movement,
mind, and body.
Who Created This Method?
This method was developed by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, a Swiss composer,
music educator, and music theorist who studied with Gabriel Fauré, Mathis Lussy,
and Anton Bruckner.

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 Dalcroze was born on July 6, 1865, in Vienna, Austria. He became a
professor of harmony at the Geneva Conservatory in 1892, by which time he started
developing his method of teaching rhythm through movement, known as
eurhythmics. He founded a school in Hellerau, Germany (later moved to Laxenburg)
in 1910, and another school in Geneva in 1914, where students learned using his
method. Dalcroze died on July 1, 1950, in Geneva, Switzerland. Several of his
students, such as ballet teacher Dame Marie Rambert, used eurhythmics and
became influential in the development of dance and contemporary ballet during the
20th century.

What Are the Key Elements of the Dalcroze Method?

This method has 3 facets:

 Eurhythmics (Greek for "good rhythm") - Musical expression through

movement; developing musical skills through kinetic exercises. Students learn
rhythm and structure by listening to music and expressing what they hear
through spontaneous bodily movement. For example, note values and
rhythms are represented by stepping and clapping. engages the body in
rhythmic movement and active listening
 Solfege (fixed-do) - Helps develop ear-training and sight-singing skills.
develops internal melody and harmony, along with a holistic response to
musical notation
 Improvisation - Using instruments, movement, and voice. brings out the
creative spirit with the voice, an instrument, or the body

What Is a Typical Lesson Like?

Although it is generally referred to as a method, there is no set curriculum.

Dalcroze himself didn't like his approach to be labeled as a method. Hence, each
teacher uses a different approach based on his/her interests, training, and skills
while keeping in mind the age, culture, location, and needs of the students.

What Are the Key Concepts Learned?

The Dalcroze Method helps foster imagination, creative expression,

coordination, flexibility, concentration, inner hearing, music appreciation, and
understanding of musical concepts.

Why Dalcroze?
Dalcroze Education is a playful, experiential approach to teaching and
learning music. It is a process for awakening, developing, and refining innate
musicality through rhythmic movement (often called eurhythmics), ear training, and
improvisation.
This unique approach to musical learning makes music vivid for everyone,
from young beginners to adult professionals. When experiencing a Dalcroze class,
you begin to feel, express, and master the flow that is essential to music, dance, and
the other performing arts.

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 Dalcroze Education has been around for more than a century. The method
was developed starting in 1886 by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, a Swiss composer, and
educator. It features interactive games and exercises that help students learn to trust
their ideas and develop their intuitions. Today, his ideas about education have been
confirmed by scientific research.
Dalcroze Education is a rich, complex, multifaceted practice that encourages
each of us to experience it on our terms, as individuals. Each participant can define it
differently, through the lens of their own experience.
Benefits of Dalcroze Education
The Dalcroze approach can provide benefits for:
 Performers
 Teachers
 Dancers
 Actors
 Young children
 Seniors
 People with disabilities or special needs
Dalcroze Education is a key part of the curriculum at leading institutions, K-
12 to collegiate, around the world. It is so intuitive, from an early age children in
Dalcroze classes develop critical listening, motor, and social skills without even
knowing they’re learning. Yet it can also inspire musicians to reach for higher levels
of performance in their professional development.
No matter what level of training you bring to Dalcroze, you can deepen your
musical understanding and improve your body awareness. 
For musicians:

 Develop a stronger sense of rhythm and harmony

 Unlock easier, more expressive performance
 Heighten listening skills and intuition
 Understand music through the body

For dancers:

 Refine non-verbal expression

 Learn essential musical concepts
 Encourage aesthetic development

For seniors:

 Improve coordination and balance

 Enhance cognitive skills
 Strengthen memory function

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 Playfully experience musical concepts and use your entire body as a musical
instrument. When paired with private music lessons, Dalcroze Education promotes
deep learning in all musicians.
Scientific research supports many of the benefits experienced by participants.
The Dalcroze method has even been applied to many diverse fields, including music
therapy, team building, and mitigating the negative effects of aging.
A Dalcroze Eurhythmics Class
In a Dalcroze Eurhythmics class, students are moving in some way: in
traveling around the room, or in gestures with hands, arms, heads, or upper bodies.
Their movements are responsive to the music in the room. The teacher is probably
improvising this music at the piano or on another instrument. (Sometimes recorded
or composed music is used.)
The task is typically to move in space using certain guidelines, specific to the
musical piece. For example, the teacher may ask the students to walk around the
room, stopping the beat. Then, when the students hear a specific cue, they should
clap the beat instead. The game continues, with the students challenged to find new
ways to express the beat with their bodies.
The teacher shapes the music not only to the rules of the task but to what
they observe the students doing. The students, in turn, shape their accomplishment
of the task to the nature of the music – its tempo, dynamics, texture, phrase
structure, and style. Change is a constant in each lesson.
4 Principles of the Dalcroze Method
The Dalcroze education method rests on several core tenets.
1. Early music education: Émile Jaques-Dalcroze believed young children
should begin a music education as soon as possible. Thus, Dalcroze
eurhythmics instructors typically teach school-age children who are new to the
world of music.
2. Improvisation: Dalcroze teachers emphasize the role that improvising can play
in developing an intuitive understanding of music.
3. Immersive, tactile approach to the rhythm: Dalcroze Eurhythmics teaches
rhythm through dance and body motion.
4. Emphasis on the human voice: Through rhythmic-solfège, students sing
rhythmic articulations until patterns and subdivisions become second nature.
They learn polyrhythms, mixed meters, conducting, and counterpoint.

How Does the Dalcroze Method Compare to Other Musical Methods?

Because Émile Jaques-Dalcroze did not actually like his approach to be

labeled as a method, there is no set curriculum for music programs based on
eurhythmics. Many teachers are taught principles and techniques developed by
Dalcroze, but they are free to adapt their programs to the individual needs of their
students. This lack of structure, combined with the emphasis on physicality sets the

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Dalcroze method apart from other popular musical methods. For young students, the
Dalcroze method is often effective at engaging them and encouraging them to enjoy
the process of learning and playing music.

The Dalcroze method is also different from other contemporary musical methods
because of the emphasis on improvisation. Again, because improvisation
encourages children to play with the music that they are learning, it often increases a
student’s enjoyment and development.

Improvisation in the Dalcroze Method

Another central concept of the Dalcroze method is improvisation. Unlike other

popular musical methods, students in programs based on the Dalcroze method are
encouraged to improvise, based on their intuitive knowledge of rhythm. Improvisation
is thought to bring together all of the elements of a child’s understanding and
experience of music. Improvisation is especially important for children, as it is meant
to be closer to the nature of childhood play. Improvisation allows a child to interact
directly and spontaneously with music within a range of musical knowledge.
Improvisation helps children to internalize complex elements of music, such as
rhythm, pitch, and tone without having to read a musical score. Children enjoy the
improvisational element of the Dalcroze method as it encourages them to find their
way to enjoy and express themselves through music. This increased enjoyment,
especially for younger children, enhances their engagement with their musical
education.

Assessment
Article Review (20pts)
Look and read one article on the internet related to the effective use of the Dalcroze
Method in teaching elementary grades. Write an Article Review using the steps
below. Cite the article properly using the APA 7 style.
 Step 1: Write the Title.
 Step 2: Cite the Article.
 Step 3: Article Identification.
 Step 4: Introduction.
 Step 5: Summarize the Article.
 Step 6: Critique It.
 Step 7: Craft a Conclusion.
 Step 8: Reflection
Analysis (15pts each)
1. What is the philosophy of the Dalcroze Method?
2. Compare and Contrast Dalcroze Method and Orff Method using a graphic
organizer. Explain your work in one paragraph.
3. What are the pros and cons of the Dalcroze Method?

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 4. Suggest one learning activity that is based on Dalcroze Method. Explain!

Rubric for Article Review

20

Rubric for Essay

CRITERIA

CREATIVITY Ideas were Ideas were Ideas were dull

written written fairly and incoherent
creatively (5pts) creative (3) (1)

CLARITY OF Ideas were Ideas were Ideas were not

CONTENT expressed expressed in a under (1)
clearly (5pts) clear manner
(3)

ORGANIZATION Ideas were Ideas were Ideas include

organized and expressed but unrelated
easy to could have sentences. (1)
understand (5 been organized
pts) better (3)

References

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Arts, M. A National Music Retailer With Resources For Parents, (2017, October 25).
What is the Dalcroze method? The Vault at Music & Arts. Retrieved
October 31, 2021, from https://thevault.musicarts.com/what-is-the-dalcroze-
method/.
Estrella, E. (2018, March 12). The Dalcroze method: A Primer. LiveAbout. Retrieved
October 31, 2021, from https://www.liveabout.com/the-dalcroze-method-a-
primer-2456419.
Marthaler, A. (2021, May 20). What is Dalcroze? Dalcroze Society of America.
Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://dalcrozeusa.org/about-
dalcroze/what-is-dalcroze/.

Perlman, I. (2020, December 9). Dalcroze method guide: 4 principles of eurhythmics

- 2021. MasterClass. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/dalcroze-method-guide#the-origin-of-the-
dalcroze-method.

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