Webinar 01: Prof. Elisabeth Danuser - Relationship Building

Relationships and aesthetics in the creative process of music and movement / eurhythmics

1.      The subject in the aesthetic creative process

In the learning process of music and movement, the individual stands at the centre as an independent subject. The key to the necessary interaction between teacher and student is the quality of the relationship that is established, so that an appropriate basis for creative development can be created.

Learning in music and movement/eurhythmics means learning by doing and places the learner at the centre. The different perspectives on culture and art open up a wide range of experiences. These can be used to great advantage by people aged 0 to 100, at different stages of development and from different backgrounds.

2.      The educational relationship

The importance of the quality of the relationship between teachers and pupils has been proven both neuroscientifically and pedagogically.

In his introduction to the lecture "The educational relationship, neuroscience and pedagogy in dialogue", Prof. Joachim Bauer, Professor of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, says:

 "Social experiences are evaluated by the brain, responded to with biological reactions and shape the child's brain.”

He continues: "Relationship experiences in general and educational experiences in particular are converted by the brain into biological processes: whether we like it or not, the human brain turns psychology into biology. Interpersonal relationship experiences activate (and deactivate) genes, shape the neural circuits of the brain (which led to the concept of 'neural plasticity') and are an essential prerequisite for the development of a child's self."

(Bauer, 2017)

If we now relate these statements to the establishment of an educational relationship in the creative process of music and movement, it soon becomes apparent that various aspects are interconnected in the context of aesthetic educational processes.

In this short text, I would like to define three areas that are decisive for the quality of relationships in teaching processes. These are

A the relationship to oneself – to one's own creativity

B the relationship in interaction through resonance

C the relationship in relation to the specific craft.

3.      The relationship with oneself and one's own creativity: allowing creativity to emerge

In our lessons, we create an aesthetic environment – with as much freedom as possible for everyone involved to contribute their own ideas.

The quality of relationships is supported by the way we use our own creativity in the teaching process. This means that the way we speak, move and make music plays an important role.

Music and movement are important vehicles for relationship quality. The choice of instrument must be made carefully: its size, possible uses and our ability to use it in interaction and movement play a major role.

The individual exploration of personal qualities and the specific expression of one's own creativity ultimately forms the basis of the network of relationships.

What we choose for lessons or for a project, be it pieces of music, songs or dances, always depends heavily on our personal perceptions and preferences.

However, if we want to create a broad basis on which all different individuals can develop their personal creativity, this is not enough. The courses therefore offer comprehensive training in arts education, enabling students to select and provide appropriate media depending on the situation and prior knowledge of the learners.

In relation to the development of creativity, this means teaching and shaping a wide variety of cultural techniques in the classroom. At the same time, however, sufficient space is created for the development of independent and individual approaches.

By leaving plenty of room for aesthetic design, always in interaction with the students, while at the same time providing very personal input for design processes, we allow new creations to emerge and are keenly interested in the ideas our counterparts bring to the table.

4.      Relationship is a resonant event

Stephen Hawkins defines resonance as follows:

"According to the wave theory of light, bright and dark rings are caused by the phenomenon of interference: a wave, such as a water wave, consists of a series of crests and troughs.
When two waves meet and the crests of one wave happen to meet the crests of the other wave and the troughs meet the troughs, they reinforce each other and a larger wave is created. We call this constructive interference. In this case, the waves are said to be 'in phase'.
The other extreme occurs when the crests of one wave coincide with the troughs of the other and vice versa. In this case, the waves cancel each other out – they are "out of phase". This situation is referred to as destructive interference.

(Hawkins, 2016:161-162)

Translated into the theory of education and psychology as a process, this can be interpreted as follows: Each participant in an educational process sends out a kind of "wave". If the teacher succeeds in tuning into the "waves" of the students, there is a possibility of constructive interference. All participants engage in a joint development process. This in turn means that the learning effect is significantly enhanced, as the waves reinforce each other. If this reinforcement does not occur, something like destructive interference arises. No positive reinforcement can take place and the creative processes remain rather flat and meaningless.

The basis for relationships is an inquiring attitude on the part of the teacher and their ability to support resonant processes. Curiosity about the uniqueness of creative processes and an inquiring attitude towards the emergence of design processes are essential for all teachers. Positive resonance-led processes can emerge from this foundation.

5.      Relationships are built on the foundation of good craftsmanship

Relationships are therefore based on empathy and creativity on the one hand, but also on very specific skills and knowledge on the other. The tools listed here have been developed over many years of teaching experience in interaction with students.

The core competencies of teachers include solid musical, movement and didactic skills.

They take into account the background of different cultures and allow for a wide range of often unpredictable design options.

Relationships are developed on the basis of the broadest possible didactic understanding of the structure and dynamics of lesson design. (Danuser, 2018)

Structure refers to the importance of formulating learning objectives and defining the skills to be acquired by pupils against the background of the learning objectives defined by institutions and curricula.

The dynamics of lesson design then refer to the process that arises from the interaction of all participants and is always unpredictable and new.

The resulting flexibility in lesson design makes an open relationship possible.

6 Conclusion

The role of the teacher is to use their basic attitude towards aesthetic design to build a relationship with their students that supports the learning process described above. The central question here is always the design of a teaching-learning situation in which artistic processes are set in motion and in which learners can gain relevant independent experience. The intention behind this is to motivate and awaken a joy for independent creative activity.

Hausen am Albis, 16 June 2021, Prof. Elisabeth Danuser

Elisabeth Danuser Zogg

Prof. Elisabeth Danuser is former head of the Centre for Continuing Education and director of studies for music and Movement at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

Since her official retirement, she has been developing coaching and mentoring services for individuals and institutions/organisations at Danuser GmbH. for coaching and mentoring for individuals and institutions/organisations and develops courses on music and movement, management and project development in the cultural sector in Switzerland and abroad.

She studied rhythmics and additional training in curative education in Zurich. Many years of experience in the field of music and movement/eurhythmics with people of all ages and with special needs, as well as in training and further education for teachers in primary, music and special schools.

Various publications on music and movement didactics, inclusion, teaching and learning processes, summary at www.elisabethdanuser.ch