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Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center

Carnegie Mellon was the first school in the country to establish Dalcroze Eurhythmics training in the curriculum for all music students. All undergraduate music majors take a four-semester sequence of Dalcroze Eurhythmics as part of the core curriculum. In 1968, the Carnegie Mellon School of Music was accredited by the Jaques-Dalcroze Foundation of Geneva, Switzerland, as a Professional Training Center to grant the Dalcroze Certificate and License. Since its inception, the Center, founded by Dr. Marta Sanchez, has attracted students from all over the world. From 1999 to 2009 the Center operated satellite programs in Taiwan; at the Nagoya School of Music in Nagoya, Japan; and in Korea at Hansei University.

Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a process for awakening, developing and refining innate musicality through rhythmic movement, ear-training and improvisation.

The Dalcroze Training Center at Carnegie Mellon operates throughout the year. During the academic year, students may enroll in the Dalcroze program to pursue the Dalcroze Certificate or Dalcroze License. They may also enroll in the program in conjunction with a masters degree in music education, performance, or composition.

Special for Summer 2023, the CMU Dalcroze Training Center is hosting the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies!! Please join us for the ICDS6 and the summer Workshops.

Every summer the Dalcroze Training Center offers a one-week workshop and a conjoint three-week workshop. Special for 2023, we have added a two-week option combining the summer workshops with ICDS6. All workshops offer classes at introductory and advanced levels. Both workshops offer performers, conductors, music educators (preschool through college), studio teachers, music therapists, movement specialists, actors and dancers practical applications of Dalcroze principles for performance and teaching. A minimum of two three-week summer workshops, totaling 18 units or 6 credits, must be successfully completed before a candidate is eligible to take the required exams for the Dalcroze Certificate. For those applicants who are prepared to pursue the Dalcroze License an additional 18 units or 6 credits is required. Entrance into the License Program is by audition/evaluation.

What is Dalcroze Eurhythmics?

Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a process for awakening, developing and refining innate musicality through rhythmic movement, ear-training and improvisation.

The Dalcroze Method known as Eurhythmics is a unique approach to music learning developed by the Swiss composer and educator Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. The most significant and far-reaching innovation that Dalcroze brought to the learning process is the recognition that experiencing meaningful rhythmic movement associated with ear-training and improvisation facilitates and reinforces the understanding of music concepts, enhances musicianship and focuses awareness on the physical demands of artistic performance. When Dalcroze was asked to describe his method, he wrote that it was easy for him to explain how he conceived the idea, to quote the results and to demonstrate some of the exercises, but to obtain a better understanding of the method, personal experience was essential.