Our video introduces and summarises the following article:

Greenhead, K., & Habron, J. (2015). The touch of sound: Dalcroze Eurhythmics as a somatic practice. Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices, 7(1), 93-112.

 

Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a rich and multifaceted, living practice that has developed a

wide range of applications and pedagogical approaches during more than a century

of endeavour. 

Most researchers have situated this work within music education, dance and theatre history and therapy of various kinds. In our article we argue that it may also be considered a somatic practice owing to the ways in which movement, space, sensation, presence, touch and improvisation are central to the method. While recognizing that not all somatic practices include touch and improvisation, we focus on these aspects to explore the notion of the haptic nature of vision and sound, as they are manifest in the Dalcroze class. 

As research has shown: “Sound-waves travel through air and matter; they touch and penetrate body tissue through to the bone, setting it in motion” (Greenhead & Habron, 2015, p. 104). In our article we draw on personal experience and practical examples of widespread practice within the Dalcroze community to support our assertion that the haptic nature of sound invites and incites movement of body, mind and emotion and at the same time develops an awareness of self, others and environment due to the social nature of musical participation in general and of the rhythmics class in particular.

 

The article includes an extensive bibliography and is freely available for download from ResearchGate, or from the journal’s website. 

 

Our intention for the video was to bring the article to life, through giving demonstrations and examples of practice.

We begin by introducing the motivation for the article and explaining some of the historical background to Dalcroze and somatic practices. After introducing the six elements of Somatic Movement Education outlined by Beaudoin (2006), we consider some of the differences between Dalcroze and somatics and note how Dalcroze and related practices (for example, Rhythmik / Rhythmisch-musikalische Erziehung / Musik und Bewegungspädagogik) can provide a link between the fields of music education and somatic practice. The video was made during a Zoom call and the main part of it explores the seven types of touch that appear in a table in the article. These uses of touch frequently occur in rhythmics classes where pair and groupwork are essential to learning. We demonstrate some of these as they were adapted for online lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic. We end with some brief theoretical points about the nature of acoustic sound and its impact not only on the ear, but on the entire human body. 

 

Our original draft included a significant section on improvisation as this is central to Dalcroze practice and also to somatics but this made our article too long and we were not able to include it. For this reason the article focusses specifically on the touch element with references to improvisation.

 

Dr Karin Greenhead is a professional Dalcroze practitioner whose practice is strongly informed by her own background in solo and ensemble performance as a pianist, harpsichordist, violinist and singer on the concert platform and opera stage and by many years of working with dancers. She created Dynamic Rehearsal (DR), an application of Dalcroze principles and practices to the rehearsal and performance of musical repertoire which is also the subject of her PhD. Karin’s teaching currently focusses on DR and the education and training of musicians and Dalcroze professionals. She teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and widely internationally and is Director of Studies for Dalcroze UK and secretary to the Collège de l’Institut Jaques-Dalcroze, Geneva whose Diplôme Supérieur she holds. She is also a co-author of The Dalcroze Identity – the guiding document for the training of professional Dalcroze teachers - and of programs and systems of assessment for the Dalcroze Eurhythmics International Examination Board. Karin’s research appears at conferences and in a number of journals and book chapters; her Keynote presentation Adventures in music and movement: Improvisation – the essential means of teaching and learning in Dalcroze pedagogy (International Conference of Dalcroze Studies [ICDS5], Québec 2015) is available on YouTube. She is involved in Post-Graduate supervision and peer-review and is a founder member of the ICDS Scientific Committee. 

 

Dr John Habron is Head of Music, Health, and Wellbeing at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, where he leads the Health and Wellbeing Hub, teaches undergraduate and graduate modules, and supervises research projects. Having trained as a composer and music therapist, he now undertakes transdisciplinary research with particular interests in the practice-based, theoretical, and historical connections between music, movement, and wellbeing, especially in the field of Dalcroze and related practices. John’s research has appeared in Psychology of Music, Journal of Research in Music Education, and Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices. In 2016, he guest-edited a special issue of Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy (Dalcroze Eurhythmics in Music Therapy and Special Music Education). John is Extraordinary Associate Professor in the MASARA (Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications) research entity at North-West University, South Africa and is currently on the editorial board of the International Journal of Music Education. He has chaired the Scientific Committee of the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies (ICDS) since its founding in 2013.