Eurhythmics (Rhythmique) Classes: What's the Difference? An Entry Point to Music Education
Why this topic is on your mind
“Now that my child is 2, we went to a Yamaha eurhythmics trial nearby.” “I heard there’s a eurhythmics session at the ward’s parenting salon too.” Around age 2 is when eurhythmics becomes a realistic candidate for a first activity. Piano and English are still too early, but with eurhythmics, parent and child can take part together, and there are classes by age in months. That is exactly why, once you start looking into it, one question after another comes up.
- What’s the difference between Yamaha and Kawai? The monthly fees differ quite a bit too; what accounts for the difference?
- The ward’s childcare support center also has free eurhythmics; is that enough?
- Is it true that “going to eurhythmics improves a child’s ear for music”?
- Until what age do children usually go? Is there a time to switch to piano?
- In the first place, how is it different from playing a CD at home and dancing?
The theoretical background and research evidence on eurhythmics are set out in detail in our separate article on Dalcroze eurhythmics (Japanese). As the next question, this article concentrates on “as actual classes, what to choose, how, and how to engage with them”.
Map of eurhythmics classes in Japan
The places called “eurhythmics classes” in Japan differ in design philosophy, monthly fees, teachers’ backgrounds, and where children go next, depending on who runs them. First, here is the overall picture.
Major music school chains
Yamaha / Kawai
Classes for ages 0-3 at music schools operating nationwide. The curriculum is designed by headquarters, and materials are standardized. Monthly fees are roughly in the ¥5,000-8,000 range. The biggest feature is that a path is set up to instrument courses such as piano and Electone from age 3 onward. Clearly designed as 'an entry point to music education'.
Private music classes / early learning centers
Small local classes
Eurhythmics classes offered alongside piano classes or early learning centers. Easily shaped by the teacher's individuality and background, but in return small groups and flexible responses can be expected. Monthly fees are often in the ¥3,000-6,000 range. Many classes taught by holders of Dalcroze qualifications are also in this group.
Municipal / childcare support facilities
Parenting salons / children's centers
Eurhythmics sessions held once or twice a month at municipal childcare support centers, children's centers (jidōkan), parenting drop-in spaces, and so on. Free or a few hundred yen. More in the nature of 'an event for parent and child to enjoy' than a continuous curriculum. A low hurdle as a first experience.
The question “which is the right one” has no meaning, because the “eurhythmics experience” itself for a 2-year-old does not differ greatly in essence wherever it takes place. What differs is how systematic the curriculum is, where children go afterward, monthly fees, ease of access, and fit with the teacher.
The positioning of Yamaha eurhythmics and Kawai eurhythmics
Both companies often have classes by age for 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-year-olds, and they are designed on the premise of the preschool course from age 3 onward (connecting to piano, Electone, etc.). Materials include dedicated CDs, picture books, and small instruments, so children can listen to the same songs at home outside lessons.
However, no research exists that demonstrates differences in effect by company, such as “Yamaha improves the ear for music” or “Kawai develops emotional sensitivity”. What research observes is “the effect of music + movement activities in general”, not differences between particular brands. Let’s keep this in mind evenly.
Eurhythmics at local childcare support centers
An option not to be underestimated is free or low-cost eurhythmics sessions held at municipal childcare support centers and children’s centers. The programs are more in the nature of one-off events than a continuous curriculum, but in terms of the function of “a 2-year-old having a eurhythmics-like experience once a week”, it works well enough here too. Watching how your child responds here first, before starting a class with monthly fees, is a choice that makes sense both in research terms and for the household budget.
Typical class content by age in months
What makes “eurhythmics” hard to picture is that its content differs quite a lot by age in months. There are some differences between classes and schools, but the rough typical flow is as follows.
- Class for 0-year-olds
A time of being held and immersed in sound and movement
Parents sway to music while holding the child, wave cloth beside a sleeping baby, and listen to the sound of the piano. Rather than the child 'doing eurhythmics', it is time for the parent to be with the child to music. In research terms, Trainor (2012) and others report that musical experiences in infancy bring about changes in the brain's processing of sound, so it is not 'an age at which there is no point'.
- Class for 1-year-olds
The budding of bodily responses to sound in children who can stand and walk
Children who can walk walk and stop to music holding a parent's hand, and children who sit move together while being held. They try making sounds holding a tambourine or bells. At this age they still cannot all do the same movement at once, and it is normal to see each family moving differently. A time when there is no need to worry that 'only my child is different'.
- Class for 2-year-olds
Walking, running, stopping, and skipping become distinct
Movements such as walking / running / stopping / crouching become distinct, matching the speed and strength of the piano. Singing simple songs together, doing finger plays to picture books, taking turns with small instruments. Children begin to influence each other, and 'other children doing the same thing' becomes a stimulus. The main age range covered by this article.
- Class for 3-year-olds
Musical games with rules, and a bridge to instruments
Activities of listening and judging increase, such as 'sit down when the teacher's piano stops' or 'jump on the red notes'. Time spent touching keyboards and percussion grows longer, and at Yamaha and Kawai the connection to the following year's preschool course (piano, Electone) comes into view. When to 'graduate' tends to become a topic of discussion around this time.
What this flow shows is that there is no single activity called “eurhythmics”; activities that are close to different things at each age are called by the same name. What a child experiences in “eurhythmics” at age 0 and at age 3 is completely different.
What “develops” and what “doesn’t develop” in eurhythmics classes
Reading the research frankly, what you can expect and what it is better not to expect from eurhythmics classes are fairly clearly divided.
What can be said to develop
A study that randomly assigned 6-month-old infants to an interactive (active) music class or a class of only listening to music passively, and compared brain activity and behavior 6 months later
is a representative work showing that musical experience in infancy has meaning in itself. In the group participating in the active music class, positive changes were observed in patterns of brainwave responses to sound, preferences for music, communication behavior, and more.
What can be said to “develop” in eurhythmics classes is roughly the following areas.
- Familiarity with music itself: natural responses to songs, instruments, and rhythm
- Musical coordination of the body: the near-transfer ability to move the body in time with sound
- Time for parent and child to be absorbed in the same activity: 45-60 minutes that are hard to create at home
- The experience of being in the same place as children of the same age: a fresh stimulus for a 2-year-old
What cannot be claimed to “develop”
On the other hand, claims such as “going to eurhythmics makes children smart”, “raises IQ”, “makes them talk earlier”, or “will definitely make them better at piano” are not strongly supported by research.
A meta-analysis of the transfer effects of music training on cognitive and academic skills, integrating 38 studies (3,085 participants in total)
concluded that the transfer effects of music training on cognitive abilities and academic skills converge to almost zero once the quality of study design is controlled for. This did not directly target eurhythmics, but it can be read as sharing, for music education in general, the structure that “near-transfer (music itself) certainly grows, while far-transfer (other abilities) is weak”.
Actually, the Yamaha trial flyer said “This is the time when the basis of absolute pitch develops”, and that’s why I hurried to book a trial. From what you’re saying, it’s better not to expect too much from that?
That’s right. The phrase “the basis of absolute pitch” is widely used as sales copy, but research hasn’t shown that “going to eurhythmics gives children absolute pitch”. If you set your expectation as “an investment that develops abilities”, it tends to become hard. If you can reset it as “time to enjoy sound and movement together with your son now, at 2”, you can continue with a motivation that doesn’t contradict research.
I see. But then doesn’t that mean the free eurhythmics at the parenting salon is enough?
In terms of function, they’re quite close. If there’s a difference, it’s how systematic the curriculum is and where children go after age 3. Yamaha and Kawai have a design that looks ahead to “maybe going on to piano in the future”, and if you see value in that, the monthly fee has meaning. Conversely, if you just want “a place to enjoy now, at 2”, starting at the parenting salon and seeing how it goes is a wise way to choose.
Checkpoints for choosing a class
Here are perspectives, from both research and practice, that are useful when you go to a trial lesson.
1. The instructor’s background and qualifications
What actually makes the biggest difference is not the name of the school (Yamaha, Kawai, etc.) but the teacher in charge. Here is what you want to check.
- Whether they have Dalcroze-related training or qualifications (such as certification by the Japanese Society for Jaques-Dalcroze Music Education)
- Years of experience continuously teaching children aged 0 to 3
- A specialist background in piano, voice, or early childhood education
However, it is not that “a qualified teacher is always better”. Fit with your child, the atmosphere of the class, and the teacher’s own gentleness have a much bigger effect on whether you keep going.
2. Number of children per class
In classes for 2-year-olds, about 5 to 8 parent-child pairs is a common guide. Above 10 pairs, with the range of ages in months and the range of activity levels, one teacher inevitably finds it hard to keep an eye on everyone. With too few (2 or 3 pairs), the stimulation between children tends to be thin.
3. Total of monthly fees, enrollment fees, and materials
Even if the official website says “monthly fee ¥5,500”, there are often separate enrollment fees, facility fees, materials fees, annual equipment maintenance fees, and so on. It is realistic to compare the annual total with other classes and other options. For Yamaha and Kawai, about ¥70,000-100,000 a year is a rough guide.
4. Make-up and leave-of-absence rules
Two-year-olds frequently have days when they are unwell or in a bad mood. Whether there are make-ups for absences, how many make-ups are allowed, and how easy it is to take a long break directly affect how easy it is to continue. At classes with “no make-ups”, the felt cost of the monthly fee ends up larger.
5. Connection to instrumental education
If you are thinking your child might go on to piano, Electone, etc. from age 3 onward, check whether that connection is concretely in place. Yamaha has a clearly designed path to its preschool course (ages 4-5), and Kawai to piano courses and the like. On the other hand, if “we just want to enjoy now, at 2. We don’t know if we’ll continue”, there is no need to put weight on this path.
6. “Your own feeling” at the trial lesson
Finally, what matters most is whether you yourself felt comfortable in the place at the trial. Research has not directly shown that “the parent’s motivation to continue is the biggest predictor of a class’s effect”, but as a sense from practice, at classes parents enjoy going to, children are often enjoying themselves too.
The parts you can substitute at home
Frankly summarizing the effects of eurhythmics classes, it is also a fact that the parts you can substitute at home are quite large. In the area of ‘Expression’ in MEXT’s “National Curriculum Guidelines for Kindergartens” (issued 2017), too, music is positioned not as special training but as an experience of “coming into contact with beautiful things and moving events in daily life and enriching one’s imagination”.
Activities you can do every day at home that are essentially close to the classes include the following.
- Singing nursery songs and traditional children’s songs (warabe-uta) together: songs in which lyrics and movements are combined, a little every day
- Finger plays: integrating rhythm and movement, such as “Ito Maki Maki” and “Musunde Hiraite”
- Drums, maracas, tambourines: enjoying making sounds in itself with small instruments you can get even at a 100-yen shop
- Dancing to music: decide that a particular song is “the dancing song”, and do just 5 minutes a day
- Adding rhythm when reading picture books aloud: picture books with lots of onomatopoeia naturally become eurhythmics
Ease of continuing and when to “graduate”
“How long to continue” eurhythmics classes started at age 2 is a surprisingly tricky question.
Natural times to “graduate”
- After finishing the class for 3-year-olds: Yamaha and Kawai have a switch to the preschool course (from age 4) in place, and here children split into those going on to piano, Electone, etc. and those graduating from eurhythmics
- When entering kindergarten or daycare: once preschool life starts, parent-and-child eurhythmics often becomes difficult time-wise
- When your child starts saying “I don’t want to go”: likes and dislikes at ages 2 to 3 are fluid, but if your child refuses several times in a row, there is no research basis for forcing them to continue
No need for a sense of obligation that “we mustn’t quit”
“Since we went to the trouble of starting, until age 3” or “because the friends in the same class are continuing”: research offers no basis for this kind of sense of obligation. If your child stops enjoying it, talk to the class and take a break or quit, and even after quitting, involvement with music can continue in the form of singing, dancing, and touching instruments at home.
Whether to go on to piano is a separate question
“Starting piano as a natural next step because we went to eurhythmics” is a natural option, but not an obligation. Whether to start piano is a question you can decide separately, on three points: your child’s interest, the family’s time, and finances. If you position eurhythmics only as “the stage before piano”, you tend to feel “it was a waste” when your child doesn’t go on to piano, but in research and educational terms, it is not a waste.
Closing dialogue
At first I was thinking in terms of a comparison like “which makes children improve more, Yamaha or Kawai”, but listening to you, I’ve started to think the way I was framing the question itself may have been off.
That realization is the biggest step. The question “which makes children improve more” has no clear answer in research either. Instead, if you choose on these three points, “whether your 2-year-old son seems likely to enjoy it”, “whether going there won’t be a burden for you”, and “whether it’s manageable in the household budget”, big regrets are unlikely whichever class you choose.
Also, I think I’ll try going to the eurhythmics at the ward’s parenting salon once. I had a preconception that “free means low effort”, but if it’s essentially close in function, it’s fine to start there first, isn’t it?
I think that’s a very healthy way to choose. At the parenting salon, see “whether your son is a child who enjoys a eurhythmics-like setting in the first place”, and if it seems to suit him, consider a major school. It’s a reasonable order, and you’ll be able to pay the monthly fee understanding what it’s for. A eurhythmics class is less “an investment that develops abilities” and more a place for parent and child to enjoy, as an extension of the parenting salon. If you see it that way, whichever you choose, you can begin your musical time with your son.
Research details
Primary sourcesStudy design: A book of educational thought (a collection of essays by the author himself)
Audience: Music educators, musicians, and teachers
Main content: A collection of the theories of rhythm education and music education by Émile Jaques-Dalcroze himself, the founder of Dalcroze eurhythmics. Sets out the central idea that feeling rhythm with the body should be the starting point of music education. A basic text referred to in both this article and the sister article (Japanese) as the original source of the concept of “eurhythmics”.
Limitations: Not a research paper but a book of educational thought. It was written in the context of the early 20th century, and its connection to modern empirical research depends on interpretation by later researchers.
Study design: Theoretical review / case study
Scope: Modern applications of Dalcroze eurhythmics, especially its points of contact with well-being and music therapy
Main results: An essay in which Habron, one of the central figures in modern research on Dalcroze eurhythmics, frames eurhythmics as an experience of “going through music and into music” and discusses its contribution to well-being. Offers a perspective that reframes eurhythmics less as “a technique for developing abilities” and more as “a methodology for deepening the quality of musical experience”.
Limitations: Not empirical research measuring effect sizes, but an essay of theoretical summary and cases. Quantitative effects are not dealt with in this paper.
Study design: Randomized controlled trial
Participants: 6-month-old infants randomly assigned to an active music class group or a group that only listened to music passively, with brain activity (MEG/ERP) and behavior compared 6 months later
Main results: In the active music participation group, clearer changes than in the passive group were observed in patterns of brainwave responses to sound, preferences for particular musical styles, communication behavior, and more. A representative study showing that musical experience in infancy goes beyond mere “enjoyment” and can act on the brain’s processing of sound.
Limitations: A single research institution with a limited sample. It is difficult to fully separate the effect of “having attended an active class” from differences in the musical environment at home. Effects on long-term development are outside the scope of this study.
Study design: Meta-analysis
Scope: 38 studies (3,085 participants in total) testing the transfer effects of music training on cognitive and academic skills
Main results: Once the quality of study design is controlled for, the transfer effects of music training on cognitive abilities and academic skills converge to almost zero. Small effects were observed only in studies without random assignment or studies comparing with control groups that did no activity. Not a study of eurhythmics alone, but a benchmark result for thinking about cognitive transfer in music education in general (an earlier version by the same research group as the later Sala & Gobet 2020).
Limitations: The quality of the studies included in the meta-analysis varies. There are counterarguments that instrument playing should be distinguished from eurhythmics, singing, and so on. This paper is strictly about “transfer to other abilities” and does not deny abilities in music itself (near-transfer).
Related: A conclusion consistent with the multilevel meta-analysis by Sala & Gobet (2020) covered in our separate article on Dalcroze eurhythmics (Japanese).
Study design: Official document (curriculum standards)
Scope: Kindergartens and certified centers for early childhood education and care (nintei kodomo-en) nationwide
Main content: The national standards setting the content of education in early childhood. In the area of ‘Expression’, expressive activities including music are positioned as experiences that “nurture rich sensitivity and the ability to express, and enrich creativity, through expressing what one has felt and thought in one’s own way”. The stance of treating music not as special training but as an experience in daily life is officially presented.
Limitations: A document setting out the framework of educational content; it does not state the effects of particular educational approaches (eurhythmics, etc.). In this article, it is referred to as a basis for positioning eurhythmics as “one form of musical experience that can also be practiced at home”.