Becoming music: reflections on transformative experience and the development of agency through Dynamic Rehearsal

Dynamic Rehearsal (DR) is a way of clarifying interpretation and improving performance influenced by the ideas of Jaques-Dalcroze and developed experimentally by the author. It has been demonstrated internationally with singers and instrumentalists of all ages, beginners and elite performers who frequently describe it as a transformative experience. The underlying premise of DR and Dalcroze Eurhythmics (DE) out of which it grew is that music originates in the body and bodily movement and that musical participation of all kinds is a foundationally corporeal, personal and social event. These claims relating to the nature of music and musicmaking are supported by a wide range of philosophers, psychologists, educationalists and neuroscientists. In this paper a brief description of DR and an account of the experience of one performer are followed by the author’s reflections on the contribution of various elements of the DR process to its perceived effectiveness.