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Freeing the Caged Bird: Defining Well-Coordinated Piano Technique and its Relationship to Musicality: A Workshop-Masterclass with Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink

Pianists of all ages and levels are often frustrated and even tragically hindered by discomfort, pain, and injury related to playing. Widely misperceived as unavoidable occupational hazards, these problems often result from accumulated muscle tension, structural imbalance, skeletal misalignment, and misunderstanding of biomechanics. Rather than soaring freely, the pianist's musicality is often like a songbird caged inside the body. In the first part of the masterclass, Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink, an acknowledged global leader in the field of injury-preventive keyboard technique, will offer a fresh but scientifically informed look into the heart of piano technique. She will demonstrate core biomechanical principles that can constitute a "basic form" for keyboardists. The substance of her workshop will be drawn from her extensive research and from the content of her internationally acclaimed DVD, "Freeing the Caged Bird - Developing Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique," winner of the 2002 MTNA-Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award and pronounced by pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy as "a monumental work!" During interactions with performers, Dr. Lister-Sink will demonstrate the interrelationship between well-coordinated technique and musical artistry, including how healthful technique effects tone production, phrase-shaping, tone color, touch control, articulation, timing and rhythm, and dynamic range. Questions, discussion and active participation will be encouraged!

Type: MASTERCLASS
Contact: Elizabeth Thompson