Anyone who has ever been educated at a Steiner Waldorf school will have heard about Eurythmy, a practice of movement unique to Steiner Waldorf schools. In this article, our Eurythmy teacher, Jemima, tells us a bit more about the origins of Eurythmy, how it is put into practice and the value it brings to the education.
What is Eurythmy?
Eurythmy is an art of movement that first developed alongside the first Steiner Waldorf School in Stuttgart in 1919. Eurythmy is often described as making music and speech/ language visible through movement. Since its beginnings, it has developed into three main areas of work: Pedagogical, Therapeutic and Artistic. Pedagogical Eurythmy has been part of the Steiner Waldorf curriculum since its very beginning. It is usually taught throughout the school years, from Kindergarten through to Upper school. The various aspects of Eurythmy are adapted to support the curriculum and learning needs of the children as they move through the different stages of child development.
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, the main focus is supporting and encouraging learning through imagination, while also developing coordination, balance, spatial awareness and the ability to move with others. Through the imitation of the teacher’s movements, the children are invited into the world of stories, rhythms, gestures and imaginative pictures. Rather than being given abstract instructions, they experience movement through playful activities, allowing physical coordination and concentration to naturally develop.
Middle School
As the children grow, Eurythmy becomes increasingly connected to their developing capacities and to the subjects being explored within the wider curriculum. At this stage, Eurythmy becomes more technical and structured. There is a strong focus on all students to develop spatial awareness through both individual and group formations. Movement can support the experience and understanding of language, music, mathematics, geometry, history and other areas of learning, bringing an embodied and artistic dimension to the educational experience.
As the students approach the end of middle school and prepare for the upper school years, they are encouraged to take on increasing responsibility for creating their own artistic pieces. Students are supported in interpreting and reflecting on musical compositions and poetic works, and are encouraged to develop their own choreography. Through eurythmical movement, they express their understanding, creativity, and individual responses to the pieces they explore.
Eurythmy supports all areas of the students development by bringing learning into movement and making abstract ideas more tangible, memorable and meaningful. Through Eurythmical movement students engage with the wider curriculum and timetable in an experiential manner. This overall helps develop an deeper understanding of proportions, sequence, and structure, while strengthening concentration, listening, coordination, memory, and the ability to express musicality and language in a meaningful way.
As they progress, Eurythmy encourages students to interpret and transform their thoughts and feelings through their own movement. This develops independent, creative, and flexible thinking. In this way, Eurythmy helps all students to develop a deeper and more integrated understanding of what they are learning.
If you’d like to know more about Eurythmy or would be interested to try it yourself, get in touch, we would love to hear from you!
