What age range is eurhythmics for?

We are often asked, "What age range is appropriate for eurhythmics?"
I teach eurhythmics to preschoolers aged 0 to 5, as well as high school students aspiring to become nursery school teachers. I also apply eurhythmics to elementary and junior high school students learning the piano, teaching them solfege lessons on rhythm and nuance.

You may ask, "So, eurhythmics is an educational program for children?" However, the concept of eurhythmics itself can be applied to adults as well.
When adults experience eurhythmics for adults, they often say, "I realized I was using parts of my brain that I don't normally use! It's truly brain training!"

In fact, the content of classes for 5-year-olds with extensive experience in eurhythmics is quite advanced, and there are many situations where the class teachers and parents are not able to complete the tasks (i.e., the content is advanced even for adults) unless they take the class very seriously.

I started studying eurhythmics as an adult, so I'm not as good as my classmates who had been doing it since childhood. I think I struggled until graduation, but there were many times when my brain became excited when I encountered a new topic in class.
This is purely my personal experience, but I think that eurhythmics stimulates the brains of not only children but also adults, making it truly a form of brain training.

First, experience

There are many subjects in eurhythmics, but this order of learning is the eurhythmics method. First, it is important to experience it with your mind and body, that is, to feel it with your brain and muscles.

Information such as text, diagrams, and sheet music is more effective after the experience, and by receiving this information after the experience, it becomes experiential rather than just superficial knowledge.

This is because the brain and muscles experience the time that accompanies rhythm, the space required to express it, and the energy required to sense that space, making it easier for memories to be retained. Some people even say that memories are stored in the muscles.

In my eurhythmics classes, although appropriate for the students' age, I try to keep verbal explanations to a minimum and encourage them to listen to the sound of the piano.
There are all kinds of children: some who notice sounds, some who notice that others notice sounds, and some who don't notice at all, and that's okay, in fact, that's a good thing.
As the class gradually comes to share a common understanding of the same music, everyone becomes one in spirit...it's a pleasure that only those who have experienced it can understand.
Sharing time with friends and strangers is the power that music has.

Jump! Jump!! Jump!!!

I mentioned earlier that eurhythmics is also difficult for adults, but you may be wondering, won't children get bored of such advanced things before they can master them?

That's the power of music. Repetition is essential to mastering anything, but having great music to do it with makes the repetition less painful.

Take jumping for example. Children really love jumping. They learn to jump when they can walk, and some children find it fun and hop anywhere they want.

Some kids hop around so much that you wonder if they get tired. Whenever they find a small step, they jump.

In eurhythmics, jumping is considered a very important experience.
By combining big jumps, small jumps, jumps forward, jumps backward, jumps sideways, etc., you can create a variety of jumps.

When jumping, the preparation that occurs just before the body floats is called "anacrusis," and in eurhythmics, the breathing and muscle movements involved are considered to be one of the most important aspects.

There's a limit to how much verbal guidance alone can help children learn such important things, right? Even if you explain it to them verbally, like, "First, bend your knees. Exhale completely and then take a deep breath, look forward and stretch your knees with force, while you do this...", they'll get bored before they even understand.

But if you have music that matches that nuance, you can minimize the amount of explanation you need.
Children between the ages of 1 and 3 love to imitate and copy, so if you encourage them to jump like a frog, a rabbit, or a dolphin to music, they will perform some amazing jumps. (Personally, I love the way children jump like dolphins!)

So, does that mean that 0-1 year olds who can't walk can't experience jumping? No, in eurhythmics, even children who can't walk try to jump. They can really feel the anacrusis!!
With eurhythmics, you will have fun and before you know it, you will be able to jump.
They listen to the sounds with the thought of wanting to jump, so they also develop their listening skills.

Music has a great power to absorb things while having fun. When providing eurhythmics classes for children, you want to choose the best music possible.

Profile

Mai Sato
Started playing the piano at the age of three. Studied composition at Osaka University of Arts. Obtained Diploma A from the Eurhythmics Research Center. Provides eurhythmics instruction and dispatch services at nursery schools and kindergartens. Lead eurhythmics instructor at Cocowa Nursery School. Lecturer in the learning program at Pinocchio Kindergarten and general producer of the Music Festa. Eurhythmics instructor at Sorairo Children's Home. Part-time instructor at Tokyo Metropolitan Harumi Comprehensive High School, Adachi Shinden High School, and Oji Comprehensive High School. Gives classes to high school students aspiring to become nursery school teachers, discussing eurhythmics and the childcare field. Lecturer at Pinocchio House Music Club (elementary school eurhythmics at after-school programs). Piano instructor at Newmic Music School (currently teaching 25 students aged 5 to 82). Head of the Newmic Eurhythmics Circle. Head of Newmic Music School.

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~Learning the power of music through eurhythmics~ Vol.1 "Listen and feel with your heart"