Last week, I caught up with Katie Couch, who will be leading a workshop on Sunday, October 2nd, 2022. For more information, click here. To find out more about Katie, read on… - Michael Joviala
Michael: How did you first get involved with Dalcroze?
Katie: Jeremy Dittus and I studied piano performance together at Colorado University in Boulder. When Jeremy was working on his doctorate, I was doing my undergraduate work. And this guy I had a crush told me to take aural skills with Jeremey. I signed up because I thought this guy would be there, but he wasn’t! But that’s how I got into it.
Michael: Very funny! But that’s just aural skills. What about Dalcroze?
Katie: He taught aural skills through Dalcroze. He was in the process of finishing his Dalcroze License then. I loved it! It was so much better than just doing transcriptions and dictations, you know?
Michael: You were moving around and everything?
Katie: Yes. Jeremy actually got into a bit of trouble with the administration from that. Other students complained a little, but I thought it was great. He also brought other teachers like Lisa Parker to Colorado and I always went to those workshops, too. When I came back from China, where I was teaching English as a Second Language, I asked him for a letter of recommendation to get into my master’s program. He kind of strong-armed me by saying he would only write one if I joined his teacher-training program! So that’s when I began my Dalcroze teacher-training
Michael: I taught English in Turkey for a while. Teaching through Dalcroze made sense to me after that experience. In both you are just trying to get students to communicate through music.
Katie: Good point!
Michael: So how long did it take for you to finish your certification?
Katie: Three years.
Michael: And then you started teaching right away?
Katie: Yes, and then two years later I finished the License. So, I’ve taught kids classes and teacher-training classes for the Dalcroze School of the Rockies in the summer program and online during the academic year. I just had a baby so I’m taking some time off from most of my teaching for a bit.
Michael: So now you are a mother of three! Congratulations!
Katie: Thanks!
Michael: What’s your favorite thing within the Dalcroze world to teach?
Katie: I love teaching improvisation and solfège. I’m a pianist, and all my piano lessons were mostly about how to decode scores, you know, traditionally that’s what piano lessons are. I like teaching people how to improvise on the piano, so that it isn’t just about following a bunch of rules.
Michael: I also have noticed that you like using lots of different kinds of music in your classes.
Katie: Yes, that’s true! Not just classical music.
Michael: I really enjoyed a class you gave in which you used Led Zeppilin’s “Kashmir”. I can’t hear the song now without thinking of that experience.
Katie: Yes, me too. I kind of ruined the song, I suppose, but that was a fun class!
Michael: So is this your New York City teaching debut?
Katie: Yes, my aunt moved there recently, so I’ve been there are few times to visit her, but I have never taught there. I love it. It’s the coolest place!
Michael: I think so, too! Well, we’re all really looking forward to the workshop. See you there!
Katie: Me too! See you soon!