Why does Dalcroze work - the research
Becoming a Dalcroze teacher that holds a professional certification is an intensive process as you progress through the training it challenges you as a musician, a teacher, and as a human. There's a reason the training is so intensive and when you take a peek at the research behind the method and why it works, you can appreciate the complexity and benefit of the method.
We are still learning more about our human brains and bodies and how they are connected, but Emile Jacques-Dalcroze was ahead of his time in figuring out how to teach music. In the research paper Émile Jaques-Dalcroze as a visionary pioneer of Neurologic Music Therapy
the authors state "Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950) anticipated contemporary neuroscientific concepts in his educational method of learning and experiencing music through movement, namely Dalcroze Eurhythmics. He developed the idea of sensorimotor integration as it relates to musical experience and thus contributed crucially to the emergence of Neurologic Music Therapy." They go on to talk more about brain plasticity and the concepts of embodiment in this article.
Diamond, A. (2013). Annual Review of Psychology
Adele Diamond’s 2013 article, "Executive Functions," published in the Annual Review of Psychology details how cognitive control and self-regulation develop in the brain. She does not specifically study Dalcroze Eurhythmics, however Dalcroze Eurhythmics naturally addresses many of her findings in regular classes.
Diamond identifies three core components of executive function (EF):
- Inhibitory Control: The ability to control impulses, resist temptations, and stay focused.
- Working Memory: The capacity to hold and manipulate information in mind over short periods.
- Cognitive Flexibility: The skill to creatively adapt to changing rules, perspectives, or circumstances. [1]
Connecting to Dalcroze Eurhythmics
Dalcroze Eurhythmics, which teaches rhythm, structure, and musical expression through physical movement, actively engages and builds these exact pathways:
- Physical Inhibition: In Dalcroze classes we often use quick reaction as a tool for learning. A quick reaction exercise requires active listening and then a quick reaction in the body to respond to the change. One classic example is the use of the words "hip" and "hop": when the music is playing and you are moving a regular walking pace when the teacher says "hip" you move twice as fast. When the teacher says "hop" you move twice as slow. The teacher can quickly asses if the student has heard and responded to the cue, but the teacher makes it fun and joyful to try to make the change immediately in your body. The teacher is able to make this happen because they are improvising music at the piano or drum and can play with the class to make the cues happen at novel intervals.
- Divided Attention & Working Memory: In Dalcroze classes we often will first make an association with a musical sound (i.e. step with the beat), and then we will ask the participants to then disassociate from that sound and do something different with their hands or their voice. This divides the attention in the brain and it requires one of the movements to be come automatized in a way that the brain doesn't have to think to make it happen, but you can start to rely on your body and the feeling it generates to stay in time or to stay with the beat.
- Joyful Cognitive Training: Joyful movement is a core Tennent
