Playing (Less) Hurt - An Injury Prevention Workshop for Musicians

Making Music With Ease and Comfort with Janet Horvath, Cellist, Writer and Wellness Advocate.

Making music at any level is a powerful gift. While musicians have endless resources for learning the basics of their instruments, there are but few resources available to explore the subtleties and complexities that musicians face in their quest to play with ease and skill. With alarming frequency musicians – both students and professionals – experience serious injuries. The demands of solitary practice, hectic rehearsal schedules, challenging repertoire, performance pressures, awkward postures and young bodies perhaps not ready for the physicals strains, have left a trail of injured musicians with few resources to guide them. Horvath, a noted clinician, will present a workshop including the following subject matter:

How does one avoid injury? Who may be susceptible and why? What are danger signals and risky postures? Horvath will show her injury prevention strategies including her “Onstage and Backstage Tricks” ©. We will try the stretches and moves all together. These can even be done onstage while performing. Discussion will include her Five Practice Rules, Posture Pointers, ergonomic solutions, instrument modifications and the splints, straps, orthotics, chairs, equipment and resources that are available to help us. She will also delve into what to do if you hurt and rehabilitation strategies. It is difficult to play in pain. The workshop will guide musicians who want to play better and feel better. The workshop is suitable for all instrumentalists at any stage of their development, and health care workers who treat musicians.