New Beginnings...

I've been doing a great job of keeping my blog going this year. More so than other years. However, recently I was hired by the University of Denver Newman Performing Arts Center in Music Education Outreach and Engagement and excited to dive into my work there. In other words, I'll be pretty busy and not sure how much upkeep I'll be doing from here on out, unless there's a holiday break (I'll write then). I love my job so far and I'm just as passionate about it as I am about my focal embouchure dystonia blog. Thank you to those who have been following! I am still doing a lot of writing in progress for other publications, and will write more about that soon. I also have been working extremely hard to fit in all my spare time on exercise and my health (thus one of the pictures is of red rocks where I hike and climb stairs). I've been dealing with some pretty difficult medical setbacks and it's been a crazy summer filled with hospital visits, appointments, trying to find the right insurance provider, and affording it all. Hopefully I'll be back here on the blog soon. Until then, I hope everyone has a great start to their (academic) year!

Standing with the Great or the Broken

Musicians' Health Collective: Chelsea Shanoff on Brain Tumor Diagnosis, Healing, and Reflection (Part 2)

Part 2...I love Musicians Health Collective. I'm a huge fanatic. <3 What a great interview with saxophonist Chelsea Shanoff, and what bravery for her to speak about her surgery and loss of hearing afterwards. Completely support her and hope her recovery goes smoothly. I'm so glad she also addressed the need to be open:

"Recently there has been more awareness surrounding musicians’ hearing health and the shocking number of musicians who have some kind of hearing loss, whether from the hazards of being a musician or from something unrelated, like illness. (Side-note: Did you know saxophonist Chris Potter has SSD from a condition called Meniere’s Disease?)

I think it is great to talk about musicians’ health in a broad sense, but until we actually are able to talk honestly about the specifics of our own struggles, we still have a ways to go in educating others. Recovery from any kind of brain injury or surgery will look different for everyone, but in the case of my condition it involves the brain adapting and habituating to the loss of the balance and hearing nerve on one side."

Musicians' Health Collective: Chelsea Shanoff on Brain Tumor Diagnosis, Healing, and Reflection (Part 1)

Chelsea talks about her jaw problems while playing her instrument and the eventual findings of a tumor causing it...

Why it's important to get diagnosed!! I know sometimes it takes forever to find the correct specialist and diagnosis, but at least get the big stuff out the way; MRI scans, blood work, nerve conduction tests, etc. Ruling out anything more severe is the best thing you can do. Nothing wrong with precaution when experiencing any abnormal symptoms. 👨‍⚕️🔍💙

Musicians' Well: Kristin Davidson on Dystonia: Another Kind of Recovery

From Musicians' Well website: Horn player Kristin Davidson shares details on her journey coping with Focal Embouchure Dystonia. Thank you Kristin for speaking out about your life, family, and love for music!

"...After injury you will become a completely different player....I would add that it is also true that in order to sustain yourself, you have to become a different person entirely."

Wow. That statement hits close to home. Can't tell you how deeply this type of setback changes a person. What I would give to be the former me - not just as a player, but as a person too. 💔

https://www.musicianswell.com/stories/2018/12/27/kristin-davidson-on-dystonia-another-kind-of-recovery?fbclid=IwAR3oARmXskbfYA0xJBvloNbCdpo440VrWRr_sgCJj-mw8UNWLugXsqEuiUY

Clinical and Phenomenological Characteristics of Patients with Task-Specific Lingual Dystonia: Possible Association with Occupation by Kazuya Yoshida

What a great read over Task-Specific Lingual Dystonia!!!

Note: I can't help but say, "Of course Focal Task-Specific Dystonia is associated with occupation....no doubt about it!"

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2017.00649/full?fbclid=IwAR0zsxluSQs4JW9a0iAfXxmm0JU5jfJjGSa5vAZ1-CuI8fN11Yj2AnJT94w

Clinical and Phenomenological Characteristics of Patients with Task-Specific Lingual Dystonia: Possible Association with Occupation by Kazuya Yoshida

Expectations and Honoring Progress

Same goes for recovery...

Musicians' Health Collective: Does Every Movement Have to Have Functional Benefit?

I loved this article by Musicians' Health Collective!

http://www.musicianshealthcollective.com/blog/2018/7/8/magical-thinking?fbclid=IwAR0COxT_fPO039pbWxXkexRPzpANwse521gzR3tCFa3I6aYvGPmihAxwqmY