When I attended the OHMI Conference in September, I had the great pleasure of meeting Cara O’Sullivan and Hayley Philippault, two amazing representatives of the MERU Organization. MERU designs customized and ready-made products for people with disabilities, and they have created several stands for musical instruments. Last month they won two “Enabling Apparatus” awards for the … Continue reading MERU Instrument Stands
Instrument Stands
OHMI Conference
Last weekend I had the immense pleasure of attending and presenting at the first ever conference on Music and Physical Disability by the OHMI Trust. There was such a range of attendees: music educators, performers with disabilities, medical professionals, music and occupational therapists, computer programmers, developers of digital music technologies, and more. I left the … Continue reading OHMI Conference
Renaissance Recorder
If you told me seven years ago that I would play Byrd’s Fantasia 2 in a Renaissance recorder consort, I wouldn’t believe you. But that’s what I did last Monday night! I recently got a Renaissance alto recorder in F, and as it was with my other recorders, it was a group effort to make … Continue reading Renaissance Recorder
I invented something! And you can, too!
About 6 years ago, I created a soprano recorder brace out of a plastic thumb rest, a wooden dowel, a screw, some glue, and some foam. I use this brace today and I made one for my alto recorder, as well. They are not fancy, but they work. After dreaming about doing this for ages, I finally … Continue reading I invented something! And you can, too!
Felix Klieser: Professional French Horn Player
I recently had the extraordinary pleasure of communicating with Felix Klieser, one of the best French Horn players in the world. Felix kindly shared some information with me about his training and technique as a horn player who plays with his feet. Valerie: How did you make a stand for your instrument? Did you try … Continue reading Felix Klieser: Professional French Horn Player
Another Way to Play 