SARAH WALDER
LESSONS AND COACHING
I have been teaching and coaching beginners, amateurs and professionals of all ages since 1990. You are welcome to make an appointment whether you wish to address a specific technical or physical aspect of playing your instrument, learn an instrument from scratch, polish a piece for an upcoming performance or refresh skills learned as a child.
In addition, I trained as a Physical Therapist specifically to be able to help musicians address any physical problems that relate to playing. I generally incorporate my training as a physical therapist into my practice. Specific questions regarding playing-related pain, how to best prevent future playing-related problems, or how improve your playing by reducing tension and using your body in a more efficient way are welcome!
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Appointments
Appointments can be made for lessons/coaching sessions every week, every other week, or once a month with an easy monthly payment plan. Alternatively, you may wish to purchase a single individual lesson/coaching session, or a bundle of three or six sessions.
Location
I work out of my home studio in Arnhem, NL for most of the year and in Flagstaff, Arizona during the summer.
Ensemble Coaching
Groups with specific coaching requests can contact me regarding availability and pricing. For groups I may be able to come to your location.
Cancellation Policy
Appointments must be cancelled at least 24 hours in advance, otherwise you will be charged for the missed appointment.
Movement and Physical Health
Pain is one of musicians’ most common complaints, especially pain in the shoulders, neck, back and hands. Musicians often have mobility issues, such as stiffness or increased muscle tension or the opposite, hypermobility. Neurological symptoms, such as loss of motor control or the feeling of pins and needles in the fingers, are also common. The literature suggests that the cause of these complaints is most often the asymmetrical posture required to play an instrument, which results in both overuse and under-use of specific structures. Exhaustion and playing with ineffective, inefficient movement patterns also play a role.
Which performance-related playing complaints you experience is dependent on several factors, including age. Movement coaching is an important element of all my lessons and coaching sessions! When we reduce pain, we play better!
Read my case report, The Short-term Effect of a Functional Exercise Program on the Bilateral Shoulder Pain of a Professional Cellist, which was nominated for the Avans Thesis prize.