Developed and created by Rudolf Steiner and his wife Marie von Sivers, eurythmy is a movement art form that aims to give expression to the inner nature of music and the spoken word. At Shearwater, eurythmy is an integral part of the curriculum and the program has steadily grown along with the School, spanning from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Music eurythmy is often featured in our work, blessed as we are with wonderful piano accompanists Ken Naughton and Ross Nobel. Children learn to move elements of music such as pitch, rhythm, beat, tones and intervals. These aspects of music, as well as poems, verses and stories are moved on specific choreographic forms.
Eurythmy forms start simply with straight lines and curves in the early years, moving onto more complex geometric forms with elaborate transitions. Working with these forms allows the children to move together with increasing independence, complementing the children's growing spatial and social awareness.
Our eurythmy classes also include exercises with copper rods and concentration exercises, which aim to increase dexterity and flexibility of both body and mind. The aspect of working together as a class on a form, and the
satisfaction of striving and doing these exercises well, helps to build the social fabric of the class and the School.