I started studying with a student of Edna’s and then Edna soon after I first started playing rehearsals for a Broadway show, my first true professional-level gig. The score was notoriously challenging, and I was having trouble learning the music fast enough and playing consistently (sometimes I played brilliantly, sometimes not, and I never felt like I could predict or control what was going to come out under pressure). Also, I was suffering from nerves, and felt the kind of fatigue I was afraid would lead to injury, as well as some pain in my thumbs and fifth fingers.

Edna got down to the fundamental problems in my technique, problems other teachers had brushed off or been unable to explain when I asked questions. I very quickly noticed significant improvements in my playing, my ability to sight-read and learn music quickly, and the way my hands felt. 

While Edna’s background is classical, her deep understanding of music has helped me in my playing of pop and Broadway repertoire as well as my ability to handle technically demanding scores.

Bottom line, I would probably not be playing today without the Taubman Approach and the work Edna has done to build on it. But with their help, over the past few years, I’ve been able to build my reputation as a pianist/keyboardist in the Broadway community, and I’m able to handle the workload and the pressure that comes along with great opportunities, because my skills are so much more solid. I’m about to take on a new challenge as the Associate Music Supervisor for 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, where I’ll be playing and conducting shows full-time!