Health-musicking through Dalcroze Eurhythmics

Abstract

Émile Jaques-Dalcroze was a Swiss music pedagogue who advocated the use of musical activities to develop different human qualities such as consciousness, personality, temperament, the subconscious, the muscular and nervous system, imagination, thought, behaviour, action, confidence, concentration and freedom of spirit. Many of his statements and intuitions are fully recognised in certain contemporary music therapy approaches, theories and practices. The aims of this article are to: acknowledge the presence of health and wellbeing in Jaques-Dalcroze’s understanding of Eurhythmics; discuss the contributions the method has made and does make in therapeutic or wellbeing contexts; and to develop an understanding of current Eurhythmics practice from the perspectives of contemporary music therapy theory. The article begins with a discussion of the ‘health-musicking’ concept and goes on to use vignettes of the author’s practice as a Eurhythmics teacher and music therapist to illuminate the argument. A second section relates the theory of communicative musicality to improvisation practices through a health and wellbeing lens. Finally, the conclusion exposes diverse ideas on how to carry out a Eurhythmics practice through a health and wellbeing perspective.