How did your injury develop?

I had played piano since I was 4 years old, but it wasn't until I was in a college music program that I was told that I had to do finger exercises at the piano to make my fingers 'stronger'. It didn't matter that I had already played pieces like Prokofiev's Toccata op. 11 under the tutelage of my father, who always taught me to play in a very natural way. In fact, a lot of jazz pianists play much more naturally than classical players since they aren't usually told to practice finger isolation exercises. I never had a problem with my hands and I remember being able to play fast music without much effort. It wasn't until I was in college and being taught piano technique in a 'traditional' way (which included stretching and curling the fingers, pushing into the keys, twisting at the wrist etc...) that things started to fall apart. It felt sluggish and more difficult to play, not easier. Unfortunately at that time I was young and inexperienced, and far from home. I just kept thinking I didn't get it right yet, that I had to keep practicing to see the result of what I was being told to do. And boy did I practice! Sometimes five hours a day! Until one day my hands just quit on me.

What led you to the Taubman approach?

In 1996 I developed the repetitive stress injury called dystonia which caused both of my hands to close into fists. I had already heard of the Taubman approach and I immediately started lessons with Bob Durso, one of the leading teachers of the work. Within two years I was able to return back to college as a music major.

Which programs have you attended?

With the exception of 2003 and 2004, I have attended Taubman summer programs every year since 1996. I also attend teacher training seminars twice a year.

Where are the programs held?

The Golandsky Institute, founded by Edna Golandsky, the leading authority on Dorothy Taubman's work, holds a summer symposium at Princeton University every July. The teacher training seminars are in New York City.

What was your favorite thing about your Taubman experience(s)?

That my hands returned back to normal! Without this work I doubt I ever would've played the piano again and I most likely would've continued having trouble in every-day life. I would've been happy just with that result! But I am also a much better musician than I was before. The work has given me concrete answers to how to play musically and how to play technically difficult pieces that I could never play before. It also gives me great tools as a teacher. When a student says "I can't play this..." I know that there's an answer based on how they are moving at the keyboard and not based on their level of talent.

What was your least favorite thing? Any negatives?

I had to travel a lot to get to most of my lessons. (I took a bus from Boston to New York City every 2 weeks.) I finally moved to the NYC area to study with Bob weekly.

Have you met other pianists through this experience?

I've met many other dedicated musicians and teachers from all over the world. Some are looking for answers to technical limitations, while some have had to stop playing due to pain and injury. Others are happy with their playing but want to have more skills as a teacher.

How was the approach started?

Dorothy Taubman was a very curious and intelligent lady! She wondered why some people could play the piano easily and why others couldn't. She was especially intrigued by the fact that some children could play better than adults who had been working on technical exercises for years. She studied how people moved at the keyboard who naturally played well and the work developed from there.

How would you describe its most helpful points?

Unlike many of the traditional methods of piano technique, there is no isolation of the fingers. One never stretches, curls, or pushes with the fingers. Even away from the piano, if one were to hold their fingers in a tense and curled state, they would feel how difficult it is to move their fingers easily and/or with speed. The approach is based on what movements give the body coordination and ease of movement. The finger, hand and arm always play together as a unit. Coordinated movements give one control over tone production and facilitate speed without fatigue or risk of injury.

Who do you think benefits most from this approach?

Would you recommend it? I don't think anyone benefits more than another. A basic premise of the approach is that we are all built the same and we can all move in a way that creates ease in playing. I of course recommend it whole-heartedly!

After perusing a lead sheet of this song, you readers of Whole Octave® News were promised a sing and play version of Skip to My Lou, so here it is. You sing the top staff, and play the bottom two staves. This arrangement is quite fun and feasible for an early intermediate level student - enjoy!

My students and I have had a lot of fun with these types of arrangements! The melody is sung, so you don't have to play it. Notice how the LH plays roots, and the RH plays triads in a rhythm pattern. These bottom two accompaniment staves look a lot more complicated than they really are to play. I think it's a lot easier to read, just as a lead sheet. What do you think?

I will invest in a new iMac soon and I am wondering which one to buy. I will want to use the Sibelius music software and I'm hoping to hear from people who currently use the program to let me know which iMac would best support it.

Music students benefit from a noteworthy program

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Web links

• MusicLink Foundation

Nancy Buck, a MusicLink teacher, relates this account of her personal experience with MusicLink:    

Without the luxury of piano lessons, my first public performance was
at the 5th grade talent show where I played "Valse Sentimentale," a
beautiful Chopin-like waltz by George Dudley Martin, and "The Old
Piano Roll Blues." As a result of this small town public exposure, my
parents somehow had to find money for piano lessons. I learned fast
and excelled quickly, earning a piano scholarship to the University of
Idaho. Once away at college, I turned from my natural talent and love
of piano because I wanted desperately to be financially successful,
not yet fully understanding that the field of music was much broader
than my young mind could fathom. I stayed active in music throughout
my adult life, including teaching part time for personal enjoyment.  

After a full and satisfying career in Corporate Accounting, I decided
to teach piano full time. I quickly had more students than could fit
into a full time schedule. I never forgot my upbringing and saw myself
in my students when finances were an issue, and wanted to offer relief
to families who had had trouble paying throughout the year.  

The real test for me came when two very talented sisters, Stephanie
and Emily Duong, underwent more than anyone should have to endure,
with both parents incurably ill, significant financial problems, and
the children needing to rotate through other relatives' homes for
adequate care. Although I sometimes questioned my decision while I was
driving to teach them in their relatives' homes, often commuting for
two hours as they had no transportation, I know my sacrifice and
volunteerism in teaching them over the last 5 ½ years has been truly
worth it. They love learning and love music, and that is a lifelong
gift - for them and for me.  

At an annual MTAC convention, I was thrilled to discover MusicLink
Foundation whose mission is to work with professional teachers to
provide lessons to financially disadvantaged children. This resonated
deeply within me. Through MusicLink, I found out about the Jack Kent
Cooke Scholarship and applied for Stephanie, whose family so
desperately needed the help. We learned in November 2007 that
Stephanie won the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Award, This
scholarship will pay for her piano lessons throughout her high school
years and provide individualized mentoring to give her the life and
opportunities she deserves.  

Additionally, MusicLink has generously supplied violins for my
students who were intensely interested in studying violin. In order to
help fund these additional lessons for my students, I joined in as a
student too! We have been taking group violin lessons together with
another MusicLink teacher, which has been a tremendous amount of fun
for us all and gives us yet another reason to be thankful for
MusicLink.  

   I have been a teacher and coordinator with the MusicLink Foundation for 8 years now.  From the first time I heard about this organization and its mission, I was hooked.  The idea is so simple, but the results are profound.  I'm proud to be part of a nation-wide network of teachers willing to share my love of music with children who might never have the opportunity to learn an instrument.

   I'm a piano teacher and have been for over 25 years, so it wasn't a hardship to free up one half hour a week to teach a child who was eager to learn to play the piano.  It's always gratifying to see your students progress, but there's something extra there when you know you've helped a child receive something they might not have had otherwise.

   I hope many readers and "keyboard enthusiasts" will listen to the interview with the director of MusicLink and be moved to become involved.  It's a great feeling.

Listen as Joanne Haroutounian, Executive Director, explains how Music Link Foundation helps children in need obtain individual music lessons with qualified teachers. Then, find out what you can do; it's easy to participate!

If you were reading the Whole Octave Newsletter article, Wayne Shorter and Claude Debussy Horse Around With Whole Steps, you may have guessed the answer to this question: What does Juju by jazz composer Wayne Shorter, and the first movement of Pour le Piano, by Claude Debussy, have in common? The answer is, they both use a preponderance of whole tone scales and augmented triads!

Fog at Sea, a young beginners' piano piece by William Gillock, is another wonderful composition that uses whole tone scales. I think it's great fun to teach by rote. Do you know of any others?

If you were reading the Whole Octave Newsletter article, Guy Noir Chord a Big Hit on Valentine’s Day, you may have guessed the answer to the question: what (other) famous song uses a minor major 7th chord as a passing chord? There was a hint in the title of the article! The song is none other than My Funny Valentine!

Did anyone catch the rather obvious typo in this question??? It's a minor major 7th chord, not a major minor 7th chord. Of course, I was, well, hmmm - just checking to see if you're paying attention :-)  !!

What other well-known pieces can you think of that use the beautiful and haunting color of this unique chord? List them below!

Here's one example of a simple keyboard improvisation using notes of the E minor pentatonic scale in the RH. Perfect 5ths in the E and D position accompany in the LH.

Share your own improvisations here; we'd like to hear them!

Here's one example of a simple keyboard improvisation using notes of the G major pentatonic scale in the RH. Perfect 5ths in the G and F position accompany in the LH.

Share your own improvisations here; we'd like to hear them!