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Abstract

This phenomenological study investigated the meaning of Dalcroze-inspired activities for first-year Baccalareus Musicae (BMus) students during a music education module and describes the essence of this experience for them. In the first semesters of 2011 and 2013, these movement activities were concurrently facilitated during workshops by a licensed Dalcroze teacher and during the semester by a senior lecturer in music education. In the first semester of 2012, a Dalcroze student in her final year presented workshops and another music education lecturer facilitated the activities. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews, reflective essays and reflective descriptions until data saturation was reached. Data were organized using Atlas.ti 7 and analysed by means of coding, categorizing, and the identification of themes. The following main themes have been identified: social integration, joyful experience, bodily experience, easier understanding, and musical expression. This article will provide a deeper understanding of what it is like for first-year BMus students in South Africa to experience Dalcroze-inspired activities. Their experiences can inform the use of Dalcroze-inspired activities in music education at tertiary level and support advocacy for the embodied and enactive view of music cognition.

Keywords

bodily experience Dalcroze Eurhythmics music education musical experiences phenomenological study

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The first experiences of music students with Dalcroze-inspired activities: A phenomenological study

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