Moving into composition: the experiences of student composers in higher education during a short course of Dalcroze Eurhythmics

Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a well-established method for teaching musicianship and performance. It is applied to different age groups and in a wide variety of music education, dance, drama and therapy contexts. Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a very practical mode of learning, focusing on whole body movement, aural training using singing and improvisation. Moving into composition was a research project that brought Dalcroze Eurhythmics into music composition pedagogy in Higher Education. The aims of the research were to develop movement-based teaching and learning strategies for student composers, explore students’ experiences and perceptions of such approaches and identify areas for further research.