Piano

A Mindfulness Approach to Warm-up for Musicians

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way on purpose, in a particular way on purpose, in the present moment and being non-judgmental. Mindfulness includes being aware, curious, observant, being open to the experience and accepting. Thus mindfulness has to do with memory retention which is vitally important to those who worry about forgetting.
Click to download: Mindfulness Warm-Up for Musicians

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A Fitness Swimmer in Four Movements

This challenge is not about time or victory; instead, it seeks timelessness and beauty. It’s about creating music, but it shares many parallels with swimming. Musicians and other performing artists know the feeling of stepping up, being exposed in front of a waiting crowd, and diving in.
Yet for classical pianist Jeeyoon Kim, who is comfortable on stage but not on the blocks, there was no dive. She showed up at the 2013 Spring Nationals without having practiced that part.
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New Musicians Performance Pain Symptom Monitor

Athletes and the Arts in collaboration with PAMA (Performing Arts Medicine Association), and New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation have developed a new tool to monitor musicians performance pain.  Musicians are strongly encouraged to complete this form to aid in their care.
Performance Pain Symptom Monitor (scroll to the bottom of the page that opens to find the performance pain symptom monitor)

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Educating Today’s Musicians to Keep them Healthy and Active

Musicians are catching up to the athletes in recognizing the importance of educating themselves on the broad topics of health and wellness. Until more recently, musicians were likely to ignore or deny any medical problems they were experiencing, whether psychological or physiological, playing through pain until they could no longer continue. MTNA has taken a pioneering role in embracing the vital topic of musician wellness. Meeting the need for access to wellness information, MTNA has introduced a number of significant …

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Janet Horvath – Author of Playing Less Hurt

—Janet Horvath, associate principal cello of the Minnesota Orchestra for more than three decades, is a soloist, writer, and award-winning advocate for injury prevention. Her acclaimed book Playing (Less) Hurt An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians is available on Amazon or at www.halleonard.com
Janet Horvath – Injuries Among Young People on the Rise
Interview with Janet Horvath: Author of Playing Less Hurt – Minnesota Public Radio
Janet Horvath – Playing Less Hurt (Video)

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Practice Considerations for the Musician (Sean McGowan)

View Practice Considerations for the Musician by Sean McGowan, DMA (DOC)

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Key Injury Prevention Articles Sorted by Instrument Category – PAMA

Key References for Musician Medical Problems by Instrument / Voice Type
As suggested by Dr William Dawson (PAMA)
 
Piano / keyboards:
Bragge P, Bialocerkowski A, McMeeken J: Musculoskeletal injuries in elite pianists: Prevalence and associated risk factors.  Aust J Mus Educ 2008;1:18-31
Brass instrumentalists:
Chesky K, Devroop K, Ford J III: Medical problems of brass instrumentalists: Prevalence rates for trumpet, trombone, French horn, and low brass.Med Probl Perform Art  2002;17(2):93-98
Woodwind instrumentalists (and all types):
Dawson WJ: Common problems of wind instrumentalists. Med …

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Video – Hand Care for Musicians – Guitar, Piano, and Bass w/ Todd Urban

Neuromuscular Therapist and musician Todd Urban demonstrates the 4 basic motions of the wrist. Proper motion, pressure, relaxation and body use are discussed. Todd also discusses some of the improper techniques often used by musicians which can damage their wrists and hands.
 

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