The Method Jaques-Dalcroze
An Overview
Jaques-Dalcroze Education is an education in music and through music, which brings about the unification of the body, mind, and spirit through specific exercises and practices in Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics, Jaques-Dalcroze solfege, and Jaques-Dalcroze piano improvisation.
It is an approach to music education where one first confronts the body through specific exercises in eurhythmics that serve to align, and strengthen. Eurhythmics serves to enhance the skills of coordination, balance, special orientation, and quick reactions so that the body may attune to every nuance of musical expression. In effect, the body becomes a living musical instrument.
At the same time, one confronts the mind through the study of music theory, music form, music analysis, and pitch, which collectively is knows as solfege. As one trains and attunes the body through eurhythmics, music parameters such as rhythm, pitch, meter, phrase structure, etc., become linked to specific physical sensations and movements. Once firmly allied, these sensations and movements may be recalled at will and used to enhance one’s musical performance or to intellectually identify specific components of a given composition such as key, meter, rhythm structure, harmonic language, etc.
As the body merges with the intellect through solfege and eurhythmics, one has confronted and dispelled the fears, and doubts of his/her musicianship. With this enlightenment, the spirit of the student is stimulated, bolstered, and strengthened. A new joy emerges which allows the student to simply let go and submit freely to his/her honed musical instincts through the art of imporvisation.