Leo Gorelkin, M.D.

To Whom It May Concern:

My wife Paula, a classically trained pianist, playing the piano for 53 years, had received cortisone shots about three years ago and eventually surgery on both hands for three fingers from very painful and incapacitating injuries (trigger fingers) which apparently resulted from her playing. After the surgery, yet another finger was threatening. At that time she met a teacher at the Golandsky Institute who suggested she be evaluated by Edna Golandsky herself, a major proponent and master teacher of the Taubman approach. She professed that Edna might be helpful with her problem. What to do? Stop playing the piano, expect more surgery or see Edna?

Luckily, Paula chose to give the Taubman technique and Edna Golandsky a try. A momentous choice indeed, as she, Paula, is now playing some of the more demanding and technically difficult pieces of the solo piano repertoire. During this time, that finger that had been threatening has long since been silent and she even tells me excitedly that she can master, even more quickly, very difficult piano passages. There is no longer any discomfort in either hand or fingers.

Now, I’m not a motion specialist, hand specialist or pianist, but I am a physician with a strong scientific background in research and it makes perfect sense to me that any repetitive and demanding motions which can be effected with putting the least if any stress into those motions and still get the job done with even greater efficiency, is something of great value and importance. This appears to exactly be the case using the Taubman approach to piano playing with a properly certified teacher at the helm.

In fact one cannot help but wonder what else could be enhanced by applying this approach to other disciplines, what injuries could be prevented? For example could not those who spend a lot of time using other or similar repetitive motions such as typing at a computer, known to cause carpel tunnel syndrome etc. be benefited? It would seem so, or at least worth the effort to investigate.

Impressive results with the Taubman approach in relieving and preventing injuries and also facilitating greater accomplishment at the piano appears to me to be a gross understatement.

Leo Gorelkin, MD