In college, I developed a playing-related injury that almost took me out of my music program and changed my career trajectory. An RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, is a common worry amongst pianists and other instrumentalists, as the many hours of practice can be physically demanding, much like an athlete. If it were not for discovering the Taubman technique, a very specialized piano technique that emphasizes the importance of natural movement (think “piano ergonomics”), I would not still be playing and teaching today.
I was introduced to a Taubman teacher in my early twenties who retrained and rehabilitated me, allowing me to get through school. My injuries flared up again several years later after I moved to the Bay Area, and I have now dived deep into a lifelong commitment and practice to the technique. I hope to one day be certified in this technique and join the Goldansky Institute in some form (the Goldansky Institute was established in 2003 to bring high-level training in the Taubman Approach to the musical community).
As this technique is so important to me and integral to the way I teach, I would like to share this documentary video on the founder, Dorthy Taubman, who created the technique while helping injured pianists from Juilliard stay in their music programs. It’s about an hour long and is very inspiring and informative, describing the technique and how it was created. I hope that you’ll give it a watch!