Beyond the Practice Room

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Heather Malyuk, a music audiologist based in Ohio. She works with musicians of all genres through her practice, Soundcheck Audiology, and in this episode, we discuss her path from performing to becoming an audiologist that specializes in working with musicians. We also discuss some of the issues around wearing hearing protection in ensembles, why some musicians are frustrated when wearing them, how one dB attentuation does not work for all settings, how effective sound shields actually are, and how to train your brain to handle earplugs. We look at how a sudden loss of hearing can be a result of a viral infection and how to take action to prevent long term damage. Dr. Heather Malyuk also has created a two hour curriculum for schools, organizations, and individuals on musical based hearing care, an is committed to giving young musicians the resources they need for hearing care.

For more on Dr. Heather Malyuk, visit www.soundcheckaudiology.com

For more on Dr. Janice Ying, visit www.opuspt.com

For more on Kayleigh Miller, visit www.musicianshealthcollective.com

In this episode, we chat about physical therapy- what is it, how does it differ from massage therapy and chiropractic, when to see a physical therapist, how to know when a PT is not the right fit, how to find a performing arts PT, how to utilize direct access, and more. We also talk about our different experiences with healthcare practitioners, including some of the less pleasant ones and how to handle clinicians that don’t treat you with basic respect and concern.

To register for Janice’s March PAMA talk: http://www.artsmed.org/webinars

To learn more about the APTA: https://www.apta.org/

To learn about the AOPT: https://www.orthopt.org/

To learn about the Performing Arts Medicine Association: www.artsmed.org

To find a PT through the APTA directory (the link we couldn’t remember), go here: https://aptaapps.apta.org//APTAPTDirectory/FindAPTDirectory.aspx

This conversation with violinist, music educator, yoga instructor, and therapist Heidi Schaul-Yoder was a fantastic deep dive into topics we never discuss in relation to music education and conservatory training. We talked about anxiety, stress, and musical education, and how educators can create a better, safer learning environment for students. We also discussed how to separate music from your value as a person, how trauma affects our bodies and learning, and so much more.

You can learn more about Heidi and her work at www.heidischaulyoder.com and about the Gestalt Center in New York City at http://www.gestaltnyc.org/

This week, we have an amazing conversation with vocalist, voice teacher, choral instructor, and educator, Danielle Marie Steele. Danielle is currently completing her doctorate at Columbia University with a focus on queer and trans inclusivity in the vocal and choral space. She is additionally the founder and organizer of the Transgender Singing Voice Conference. She has been working with trans and gender diverse singers since 2013 and is a faculty member at the Voice Lab in Chicago. We talk about the changing dynamics of choirs, how gender can be separate from voice type, the intersection of singing and speaking voice training, how choir directors can be more inclusive in their programming, arrangement, dress code, and how to give more voice teachers the tools to help all of their students.

For more on Danielle and her work, visit her website at https://daniellemariesteele.com/

The Voice Lab in Chicago: https://www.thevoicelabinc.com/

The Young Professionals Choral Collective In Cincinnati: https://www.ypccsing.org/sing

The Transgender Singing Voice Conference: https://earlham.edu/about/transgender-singing-voice-conference/

In this episode, we interview Dr. Cody Weisbach about pain science, a topic that can be overwhelming and confusing for many musicians and music educators. Cody is a Boulder, CO based physical therapist with an interest in the prevention and treatment of playing related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. He is additionally the founder of Musicians’ Maintenance, a series of weekly exercises and podcast on musicians’ health issues. Cody additionally has years of experience as a teacher in training for a group called NOI, the Neuro Orthopaedic Institute, which looks at pain science and how to give patients, clients, clinicians, and practitioners resources on pain.

We talk about what pain is, different approaches to pain, how to find a clinician to help, how to progressively load or build practice time to prevent injury, and some great resources currently out there for helping to educate clinicians.

Resources mentioned:

For more on the Neuro orthapaedic institute, go here: https://www.noigroup.com/about/

Explain Pain, by David Butler and Lorimer Moseley

Sound Practice Health Handbook for Orchestral Musicians

Evidence-informed physical therapy management of performance-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians, by Bronwen Ackermann and Clifton Chan

Hand therapy for Musicians with Dr. Aviva Wolff

Musicians’ Maintenance with Cody Weisbach

Performing Arts Medicine Association

You can find Dr. Janice Ying at www.opuspt.com and Kayleigh at www.musicianshealthcollective.com