Children & Teens
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze was born in 1865 in Vienna, Austria. He studied music and composition in Geneva, Switzerland and returned to study with the composers Fuchs and Bruckner in Austria. Dalcroze was also an actor and well-known for his sense of humor.
In 1892 he became Professor of Solfege, Harmony and Composition at the Geneva Conservatory. Dalcroze realized that music could be expressed in a more visceral manner, if experienced first through the body. He developed a series of coordination and quick reaction games and became a pioneer in Western music by letting his students step the music.
Dalcroze opened his own school in Dresden, Germany where he taught musicians, dancers, actors, and children. Later he opened a school and performance space in Hellerau, Germany that drew artists from Europe and the U.S. to study with him. World War I forced the closing of the school in Hellerau. In 1919 Dalcroze returned to Geneva and opened the Institute Jaques - Dalcroze where he worked until his death in 1950.
In present times Dalcroze Eurhythmics is taught worldwide in universities, music schools, and acting schools, to name a few. Eurhythmics is also used therapeutically for children and people with disabilities.
Sabine Heubusch © 2011
Sabine Heubusch
“Embodying music is the stepping stone to playing music.”