Dean Zimmer is a rock drummer who lives in California. He was born with arthrogryposis, which means that he has a limited range of movement in his limbs. I spoke with Dean last week to learn more about his story and adaptive technique. Dean grew up in a small town in South Dakota. He attended … Continue reading Dean Zimmer at the Drum Set
Author: ValerieThomforde
The Spatula Bow Adaptation: An Inside Look
Adrian Anantawan is an accomplished violinist, an educator, and an advocate for musicians with disabilities. I talked with him to learn more about his bow adaptation, which he calls a spatula. At first glance, the adaptation does not look complicated, and that is intentional. Adrian encourages beginning violinists to start with something simple. The … Continue reading The Spatula Bow Adaptation: An Inside Look
Recorder Survey
Two months ago I created a survey to study music teachers’ awareness and use of adaptations for the recorder. I received responses from 193 teachers, the majority of whom live in the United States, and 94.8% of whom teach recorder in their classes. As expected, the recorder is primarily taught at the elementary level. … Continue reading Recorder Survey
Guitar Technique with George Dennehy
George Dennehy is a multi-instrumentalist and singer. He was born without arms and uses his feet to play guitar, bass guitar, piano, and cello. I recently had the opportunity to chat with George about his guitar technique. George started playing the cello when he was seven years old. He studied with Jennifer Petry, a Suzuki string … Continue reading Guitar Technique with George Dennehy
Medieval Music for One Hand: The Tabor Pipe
The English Tabor Pipe has only three holes. One is on the back for the thumb and two are on the front of the instrument. These pipes were designed to be played with one hand. Typically, the performer plays a tabor drum with the other hand. The pipe has a range of over an … Continue reading Medieval Music for One Hand: The Tabor Pipe
