Embodying Music: Textbooks for Dalcroze Teacher Training towards the Dalcroze Professional Certificate

Dalcroze Education is an experiential way of knowing music through the body. This dynamic and profound philosophy stems from an oral tradition that can be traced back to those who studied directly with Émile Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, Switzerland during his lifetime:  1865-1950.  Recent trends in music education and Dalcroze students’ stated needs have demanded more specificity and accessibility; these books aim to meet those needs by providing examples of many important skills necessary for a successful Dalcrozian without being narrow or prescriptive.  Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Solfège, Improvisation, Plastique Animée, and Pedagogy are all addressed in these volumes to prepare students to earn the Dalcroze Professional Certificate; students using this text should be enrolled at an authorized Dalcroze Training Center run by someone who holds the Diplômé Supérieur from the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, Switzerland.  Students who use these books should already have had a fair amount of musical training; an undergraduate degree in music is recommended (though not required) as the starting point for readers of these texts.  It is my hope that these books will enable individuals to gain access to la Méthode Jaques-Dalcroze with more efficiency and facility while maintaining the high standards of musicianship that are required to offer joyful and musically inspiring coursework in Dalcroze Education.