Playing a lively tune on the keyboard, Chu Sui-ming tells a group of youngsters to follow her instructions. She asks them to imagine that they are rain. They can run in whatever direction they like, but they must follow the pace of the melody.
This will change from fast to slow or from loud to soft to indicate heavy rain or drizzle. The barefooted children dash about in a squash court in the Mui Wo Municipal Services Building, running faster as the music speeds up and stomping when Chu strikes harder on the keys.
Then she cries, 'Freeze!' The music stops and the children strike a pose to mimic an icicle in whatever shape they picture it. When the music starts again, it's to depict the sun that comes out and melts the icicles. So the children slowly fold their bodies, descending to the floor as human puddles.
The exercise is among several activities that music teacher Chu has incorporated into the eurhythmics classes she conducts in Mui Wo. This is an approach to musical education that was developed by Swiss musician Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. It aims to enhance a person's sensitivity to rhythm, structure, and musical expression through gaining physical awareness.
Chu, who trained at the Guildhall School of Music in London, was introduced to the Dalcroze method in 1995 by a former professor. She was struck by how it heightened musicality and personal expression, and soon became a Dalcroze devotee, taking time off teaching to attend various courses abroad to deepen her understanding.
After completing a degree course at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, she decided to return to Hong Kong two years ago to popularise the approach that so fascinated her. She started using the Dalcroze method to teach music to dancers at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts before starting her own venture in January.