| I was diagnosed with focal dystonia in 1990 after having earned
my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance,
as well as Solo Piano and Chamber Music Diplomas in Europe. After
being told there was no “cure” or even effective therapy
to deal with my condition, I spent the next ten years devising my
own exercises and technical tricks (redistributing notes from right
to left hand, leaving out problematic notes, etc.) that kept me going
as a professional pianist. I maintained a full performing schedule,
but was always uncomfortable and unsatisfied with my performances.
Edna Golandsky was invited to give a lecture and master class at
the university where I was teaching. She piqued my interest, but
the Taubman Approach seemed to be an esoteric system only accessible
to severely injured pianists who could no longer play at all, and
I thought that wasn’t me! I did have a private coaching with
Edna and she was very supportive and encouraging.
With a grant from the institution with which I was associated,
I attended two Taubman summer sessions, and I was convinced that
this was the way forward for me. I spent the next two years traveling
to New York on a monthly basis and incorporating the technique into
my playing: the results have been remarkable. I have just finished
accompanying 8 recitals and various juries, competitions and concerts
in the last 2 months and am free of the technical limitations that
have inhibited my artistic and musical expression for the last 10
years. I credit the patience, concern and support of John Bloomfield
and Edna Golandsky for my return to pianistic well-being: I now
enjoy playing the piano again, and look forward to my practicing
and performing in a way that I have not for a long time.
For any pianist who is unsatisfied musically or technically, I
cannot encourage strongly enough that he or she give the Taubman
Approach a try. I was certainly skeptical at first, but am now totally
convinced that it can make a dramatic difference in one’s
pianistic and musical life.
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