Longy School of Music Concludes 27th Annual Summer Dalcroze Institute
The Longy School of Music is in the final week of its annual Summer Dalcroze Institute, one of only four such programs in the United States, which certifies music educators (preschool through college), studio teachers, performers, conductors, music therapists and movement specialists practical applications of Dalcroze principles for performance and teaching.
“Studying music in the Dalcroze way is to immerse yourself in music, body and mind,” said Lisa Parker, Director of Longy’s Summer Dalcroze Institute. “You are freed of the particular demands of an instrument to encounter music itself and find physical expression for its moods, rhythms, melodies and harmonies.”
The Dalcroze Method known as Eurhythmics is a unique approach to music learning developed by the Swiss composer and educator Emile Jacques-Dalcroze. The most significant and far-reaching innovation that Dalcroze brought to the learning process is the recognition that experiencing meaningful rhythmic movement associated with ear-training and improvisation facilitates and reinforces the understanding of music concepts, enhances musicianship and focuses awareness on the physical demands of artistic performance. When Dalcroze was asked to describe his method, he wrote that it was easy for him to explain how he conceived the idea, to quote the results and to demonstrate some of the exercises, but to obtain a better understanding of the method, personal experience was essential.
“Longy is the perfect place for such a program,” said Longy President Karen Zorn. “We are committed to the implementation of innovative methods of teaching and studying music. With only four such Dalcroze training programs in the US, we are proud to be a part of the world-wide community of Dalcroze educators.”
ABOUT LONGY
The Longy School of Music is a degree-granting conservatory and school of preparatory and continuing studies founded in 1915 and located in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The School has an outstanding faculty of 150 providing instruction to over 1,300 students. With a curriculum rooted in the tradition of western art music, Longy’s mission is to prepare musicians to make a difference in the world. Longy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the National Association of Schools of Music. For more information, visit Longy on the web at www.longy.edu.