Dorothy Taubman

Dorothy Taubman (born c. 1918), is an American music teacher, lecturer and founder of the Taubman Institute of New York,[1] who developed the "Taubman Approach" to piano playing. Her approach to piano technique is based on an analysis of the motions needed for virtuosity and musical expression, but at first earned a reputation through its high rate of success in curing playing injuries. It provoked controversy by questioning the physiological soundness of some tenets of traditional piano teaching.[2][3]

History

For many years, Taubman directed the Dorothy Taubman School of Piano at Amherst College in Massachusetts.[4]

Formerly a professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music of Queens College and a professor at Temple University, she has been featured in numerous articles and interviewed in the Boston Globe, Piano and Keyboard and Clavier magazines. Among others, Taubman has been noted for her work with Leon Fleisher, a pianist who was forced to play with only one hand for many years due to a medical condition; and with the piano teacher Edna Golandsky, who was the associate director of the Taubman Institute.[5]

Besides offering a rational, diagnostic system aimed at solving the musical and physiological problems of piano interpretation, the techniques Taubman pioneered allow to cure repetitive stress injuries related to piano playing, and generally to rehabilitate injured pianists.[6] Her techniques have been adapted to keyboard typing.[7][8]

Notes

  1. ^ Maria del Pico Taylor, American Music Teacher, "My "super teacher": Dorothy Taubman", April 1, 2004.
  2. ^ Berkley Hudson, Los Angeles Times, "In a Controversial Technique, O.C. Musicians Teach How to Move in Harmony for Health", October 19, 1994.
  3. ^ Pereira, Dr. William A. ,[1], 1995
  4. ^ Richard Dyer, Boston Globe, "Dorothy Taubman teaches piano without pain", August 13, 1995 (pay site).
  5. ^ Jan Herman, Los Angeles Times, "More than the Sound of Music", November 7, 1997.
  6. ^ Greta Beigel, Los Angeles Times, "Virtuosity in Motion at the Taubman Institute", August 29, 1994.
  7. ^ Berkley Hudson, Los Angeles Times, "Go With the Flow: The unnatural way you move your body may be causing you pain. Think of the hand, fingers and arm as one.", November 15, 1994.
  8. ^ Gregory Dempster, Typing & mouse manipulation technique and instruction method, U.S. Patent Office, 1995.

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