6 Book Excerpts
Excerpt 1: The Aims of Eurythmy as Pedagogy
The Aims of Eurythmy as Pedagogy
Eurythmy aims to balance the processes of development active in the growing child by integrating the spheres of Thinking, Feeling and Willing. A summary of these aims as found in the New Zealand Eurythmy Curriculum (Steiner Education Aotearoa New Zealand 2003) are as follows:
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Practicing the elements of eurythmic movement helps the children become more graceful in their movement, more co-ordinated, more alert and more at ease within themselves.
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Eurythmy reveals hindrances within the movement organisation, and this can indicate to the teacher what must be overcome in order to release them.
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Children form an inner connection to the qualities inherent in language and music thereby supporting the development of linguistic and musical literacy. This also enhances the child’s appreciation of and love for music and language.
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Working with geometrical forms and their transitions and metamorphoses in three-dimensional space (left/right, up/down, forward/backward) greatly assists with spatial orientation and an inner experience of geometry.
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As a social art, Eurythmy plays an intrinsic part in the development of the social capacity. Moving in a harmonious, dynamic and coordinated manner together with a group requires a keen peripheral perception and sense of personal space.
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Eurythmy fosters and supports the growing physical body in a harmonious, healthy and holistic manner.
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The Eurythmy curriculum provides activities that engage the sense of beauty and order in the awakening of the soul life of the child.
Rudolf Steiner, in his lecture on Eurythmy in 1923 stated that:
“In Eurythmy, body, soul and spirit work harmoniously together so that here one has to do with an
ensouled and spiritualised form of gymnastics. The child feels this. He feels that each movement that he
makes does not arise merely in response to a physical necessity, but that every one of his movements is
permeated with a soul and spiritual element, which streams through the arms and, indeed, through the
whole body. The child absorbs Eurythmy into the very depths of his being.” (Lecture GA 0279:1923)
In the pedagogical Eurythmy lesson, through studying works of poetry and music, the child learns to form and express his movements in such a way that the body gradually becomes an expression of what the soul experiences. This not only integrates the simultaneous expression of soul and body, but also nourishes and validates that ‘unseen temple’ – the child’s immortal soul. This is obviously not something that is taught overtly to the child; it is something that becomes an inner experience through repetitive ‘doing’ of the movement.
Excerpt 2: The Beginning Teacher
The Beginning Teacher
Getting prepared
I will always remember, with gratitude, my first mentor who, in answer to my question “what do I need to do to prepare” said: “Work on yourself”.
Having said that, there are some fundamental and practical aspects.
If you are setting up a new programme in a school – or taking on an existing situation on your own, it is useful and wise to set up all the resources first before you start teaching.
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Ensure that the Eurythmy shoes are fresh and clean, that there are sufficient in stock to accommodate growing feet, that there is dry and accessible storage for them and that there are ‘shoe bags’ or cupboards or shelves for the shoes in use.
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Copper rods need to be accessible and functional. Check that they are straight (some children love to bend them) and that the ends are protected with rubber stoppers.
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Music needs to be filed and indexed, preferably in sections, to ensure ease of access for the pianist. Sections can include: Hygienic work, Rod work, Music for Key Forms, Tone exercises, Tone performance pieces, Marches, Music for Movement (running, skipping etc.), Time signatures, Scales for all the keys, Concentration exercises, Pieces for Pitch and Rhythm, and Miscellanea!
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Piano and quality of sound. (See the section on The Eurythmy Room!)
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Chalkboard and good quality chalk (Lyra). The best option that I have worked with is a double-sided chalkboard on wheels, within a handsome wooden frame, which allows for changes in orientation within the room. I had a small shelf built in underneath the board for chalk and dusters (board cleaners) so that they are handy.
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Music stands come in very handy when you are learning new work – just so you can reference the work rather than stopping and having to leave the circle to do so. Music stands are also essential when you are lucky enough to have string musicians playing for classes.
Inner preparation
This section could fill a book. And a lifetime! We are always preparing ourselves inwardly to meet the world. Mindfulness, awareness, consciousness. We are mirrors of the world, and the world mirrors us.
“To see the world, look within yourself
To see yourself, look into the world.”
These words given to us by Rudolf Steiner hold all the mysteries of the universe. We are formed, shaped and honed by the same cosmic forces that eternally form the universe. We are as much macrocosm as the moon. We are a vital, unique and intrinsic mechanism of the whole of creation. We are free and redeemed and equipped to bring power, compassion and love to those whom we serve: namely, the children, students, teachers and support staff of the schools in which we are privileged to work.
Yes. That is all fact. And yet we still have to get up each morning and prepare ourselves internally to fulfil that task. Sometimes we may feel like ‘lone warriors’ wielding the Sword of Light in our endeavours. Teaching Eurythmy is a completely wondrous and joyous experience and an utterly frustrating one too. We have to be, as teachers, ready to reach inside and bring out one of many archetypes to deal with each situation that we encounter. Reg Down has detailed these archetypes in his wonderful book “Leaving Room for the Angels: Eurythmy and the Art of Teaching”. I would encourage you to purchase the book and study that section – and the rest of the book too.
Our internal state is so much more accessible to our conscious mind if our external state is calm and organised. Routine and rhythm, routine and rhythm, routine and rhythm. Morning rituals including quiet meditation, time with the rising sun, a brief sortie into nature, I Think Speech, IAO, Pentagram, Halleluia. One is then tuned and ready to go and feeling incarnate, can meet the world of children/students that are coming towards us expectantly.
The practice of moving backwards through your day before preparing for sleep is invaluable. As you recall the lessons, the interactions, the successes and the challenges, do not get tangled up with any of them, just hold them in consciousness for a moment and hand them over to the angels. And sleep well. The deep sleep of peace.
Excerpt 3: Behaviour Management
Unwavering Authority – Consistency of Delivery - Authenticity
Experience has taught me that:
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There is no substitute for authenticity.
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Consistency of delivery, self-presentation and standards cannot be compromised.
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Thorough preparation is as important as flexibility (being willing to ‘read’ the situation and take a different approach accordingly).
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Humour is as powerful and vital as compassion.
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Working on myself, consistently, vigorously, uncompromisingly and with deep honesty is my primary task.
Your own strength of uprightness, of absoluteness and of certainty needs to be present consistently whilst also allowing for vulnerability, humility and learning. I am very quick to apologise when I have misread something – sometimes I pick up something that seems one way, but the child will then explain that there was another cause for the action – and then I apologise. Quickly and sincerely. Or if I have used a word to describe work that is not up to par and I feel awkward about the impact that word has, I apologise and retract it and will find a better one.
It so often occurs that when I have called a child to attention, (which is akin to calling them to incarnation), to the awareness that I will not accept what has been presented – either as behaviour or work ethic – within the remainder of the lesson, the child displays something completely worthy of praise. I am always so humbly grateful that these moments present themselves so that the balance of discipline and praise can work deeply into the child and into the whole class. Look for those moments – but they must be real or else they will see through it. Authenticity, integrity and authority should all be in appropriate balance.
Excerpt 4: Basic Components for a Lesson
An example:
Basic components for a Class 5 lesson:
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Verse
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Threefold walking
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Concentration exercise
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Thus Spake Zarathustra
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Exploration of forms
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Rhythm/Pitch
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Continuous forms
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Rods
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Greek rhythms
In Class Five I introduce a concentration exercise with which we enter the Eurythmy room. Up until now we have entered with a March of sorts, and we form our circle and then begin when all are ready.
The exercise is taught as follows: We start in a line at the entrance to the hall with the right foot. All take a step forward with the right foot and then the left foot moves to the left side, extended away from the right foot and then left comes together with right. Right starts again, left to the side and then together. This is done seven times and on the eighth beat nobody moves. Then on the next beat the left foot steps forward, right foot to the side and together, repeating seven times and no movement on eight. We continue on into the room, stepping seven bars right foot first and resting on the eighth bar, followed by seven bars with the left foot first and resting on the eight, until the circle has been formed in the room.
Once the stepping has been learned I add some snapping and clapping with the hands. On the first beat the hands clap together and on the second beat the right hand (when we are stepping with the right foot first) clicks with thumb and middle finger, and then the left-hand clicks. So it is clap, click (Right hand) click (Left hand) for the three beats. When the left foot is leading then the left hand clicks first. However, there is no clicking or clapping on the eighth bar so it becomes obvious if someone is not counting or thinking as the clap can still be heard on 8! We enter the room in this manner, which awakens everyone, and then we start with our verse.
I used the following music: Allegretto Grazioso.
Excerpt 1: class 7 spiral sequence
Spiral Sequence Form
Music: “Puck’s Frolic” – Bert Antony
Start in a circle with even numbers and pre-pair them (A’s and B’s) before you begin.
Before the spirals begin, there are four bars of introductory music during which they stand still and in the fourth bar they clap on the last two notes. Clap clap and then they begin to move as follows:
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Each one is standing on the circle line in the inner curve (inside point) of the spiral. All move back and to the left – a bit behind the circle line to unwind the spiral - then come back in front of where they started and keep unwinding until they form an ‘outer circle’ – in other words the circle that they were all standing on has expanded.
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Then they do the same again, from the inner curve of the spiral, going forward and to the right this time and expanding to the place their starting place on the inner circle.
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Then they all do a small circle in front of themselves starting to the left and when they have completed that B pulls behind A as they form a ‘ray of the sun’.
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With B behind A they both form an ingoing spiral to the right and end with the tail of the spiral tucked in.
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Then all the B’s move in a bow starting right and forwards, to stand in front of A for a moment and then go left and backwards in a bow to stand behind A again. (The two movements form a small circle.)
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Then the B’s go the other way, A’s start to the right and they circle each other. They end the circle with B’s close behind A’s.
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Then they both unwind the spiral by circling one another closely the first time, expanding the circle a bit more the second time and then they all follow their noses to fully unwind the spiral and land in their original starting places. And here clapping twice as in the very beginning
The piece ends with a repetition of sequences 1 - 4.
Teach tones and include lots of second intervals once they have the form.
Excerpt 5: Class 7 Spiral Sequence
Spiral Sequence Form
Music: “Puck’s Frolic” – Bert Antony
Start in a circle with even numbers and pre-pair them (A’s and B’s) before you begin.
Before the spirals begin, there are four bars of introductory music during which they stand still and in the fourth bar they clap on the last two notes. Clap clap and then they begin to move as follows:
-
Each one is standing on the circle line in the inner curve (inside point) of the spiral. All move back and to the left – a bit behind the circle line to unwind the spiral - then come back in front of where they started and keep unwinding until they form an ‘outer circle’ – in other words the circle that they were all standing on has expanded.
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Then they do the same again, from the inner curve of the spiral, going forward and to the right this time and expanding to the place their starting place on the inner circle.
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Then they all do a small circle in front of themselves starting to the left and when they have completed that B pulls behind A as they form a ‘ray of the sun’.
-
With B behind A they both form an ingoing spiral to the right and end with the tail of the spiral tucked in.
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Then all the B’s move in a bow starting right and forwards, to stand in front of A for a moment and then go left and backwards in a bow to stand behind A again. (The two movements form a small circle.)
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Then the B’s go the other way, A’s start to the right and they circle each other. They end the circle with B’s close behind A’s.
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Then they both unwind the spiral by circling one another closely the first time, expanding the circle a bit more the second time and then they all follow their noses to fully unwind the spiral and land in their original starting places. And here clapping twice as in the very beginning
The piece ends with a repetition of sequences 1 - 4.
Teach tones and include lots of second intervals once they have the form.
Excerpt 6: Planning
