I do postural work with everyone I coach and have been doing so for years. We work on posture with the instrument, away from the instrument, and in general daily life activities. This short TED-Ed clip helps to explain why… 😉
If you’ve read my story, you’ll know that I became aware of the effects of my Musician’s Focal Dystonia back in 2005. Neither dentists, physiotherapists, nor neurologists were able to provide me with any solutions for my condition. At best, I was told that botox might offer some partial relief, and that I would have to… Continue reading…
Here is a list of 10 resources I found extremely useful in my recovery from Musicians Focal Dystonia. Whilst simply reading did not solve my dystonia issues, learning and applying the ideas presented in these resources was a large part of my recovery process. I hope that these resources are useful for you too. Performing… Continue reading…
This was an article I published back in 2010. Originally, it was written with the intention of removing tension from the playing system in trumpet, trombone, horn, and other brass players. However, re-reading the article, I can see that already here I was forming the basis for one of my breathing exercises which has proven… Continue reading…
A valuable tool in the recovery from, and indeed prevention of Musician’s Focal Dystonia is the use of role models. Role models and recovery The best musicians (and athletes) make stunning performances look easy. Why? Because it is easy for them! The obvious question then is, “What do these top musicians do in order to play effortlessly?”… Continue reading…
When two people meet for the first time in a formal setting, they often shake hands, exchange names, and invariably the standard albeit cliché ice–breaker question of “So, what do you do?” will come up. An amateur musician may respond by saying something like “I’m a computer programmer”, “I’m a graphic designer” or “I’m a… Continue reading…
Anxiety or nervousness is an involuntary response which shows that subconsciously or emotionally you are unwilling to carry out a task or perform a certain action. It exists even if you consciously know that you must carry out the task. However, by altering our mental focus, we can alleviate the fear related to Musician’s Focal… Continue reading…
The following is an email follow-up from a session with a previous client that was suffering from Musician’s Focal Dystonia in the hand and fingers. The client tended to experience a 2 steps forward, 1 step back path to recovery. I have erased the identity of the client here, but wanted to include his email,… Continue reading…
Tension and Musician’s Focal Dystonia: Children vs adults When children play, they do not judge. They just enjoy. But when we become adults, we believe that we cannot allow failures to happen. We become afraid of the possibility of failure, which then creates a tension response. When we feel this tension response, we then try… Continue reading…