Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Musical Injuries

HOST: Musicians face danger every day. A common cold or a cut from shaving can ruin a performance; a disease like Focal Dystonia, which leaves parts of the body paralyzed, can ruin a career. Hillary Frank brings us this story of a musician's struggle with injury.

Matthew Steinfeld started playing the trumpet when he was eight. In high school, he joined the Juilliard pre-college program and spent his summers at the Tanglewood Music Festival. But then things got a little weird. His endurance, his range, his flexibility all were decreasing...for no apparent reason. Plus, his lip started hurting. It all came to a head one day when he was practicing and he couldn't hit a high note that used to be easy...

[up on high note]

tape – [:36] i felt and heard an audible pop in my lip and being the meathead that i was- in the brass world we call those ppl brassholes- i got pissed off that i couldn't hit the note- and i did it again and it made a kinda mushy feeling/sound- then i realized that i had a problem - and for the 1st time in 12/13 years a seed of doubt was planted- the future seemed rather black

Matthew had no idea what happened to him.

tape – [:44] but i was convinced in the beginning that because it was a physical problem it had to have a physical answer- and i assumed that bc the side of my lip that was mashed had an uneven tooth contour, it must be that- so i found this wonderful guy named dr. peter silver- he's a trumpet dentist- does wynton marsalis, whole bunch of jazz guys in city- i called up, his wife answered the phone and i started kind of- spazzing out on her- i was like, i need help, my chops are screwed - and she was like take a deep breath- i did- and she said take another- don't worry we're gonna get you fixed up

But the dental work didn't fix him up. Matthew sought advice from around twenty experts – doctors, teachers, musicians. Nothing helped.

It turns out that being a musician is more dangerous than you or I would think. One violinist gave himself a bloody nose when he rammed his bow into his face during a performance. A trombonist almost had an actor fall on him in the middle of Les Miserables.

Kait Mahony played french horn in the Broadway show Tommy for two years. The orchestra is a rock band –

tape – [:02] it was excruciatingly loud

The stage was right above the pit and trapped in the sound so it was extremely loud. (just in case that tape doesn't work here, i'll track it both ways)

tape – [:14] it's hard when you sit next to a loud bass or drum sound that's pounding you in the chest- my husband said it was like living with a shell shock victim bc you were constantly in a state of stress

Kait learned to play with earplugs and gun mufflers -- which wasn't easy, since it meant she couldn't hear her own sound.

All musicians know they need to protect themselves: warm up, sit strait, don't overuse your instrument. Luckily, there are people out there who help musicians when things go wrong. Dr. Dick Stasney specializes in singers...like this one.

[up on sound of hoarse singer]

That sound comes from a video of someone's vocal folds – where the voice originates. To get the images, Dr. Stasney sends tiny snakelike cameras down singers' noses, so he can see exactly what the problem is.

tape – [:34] my specialty was developed by manuel garcia— who was a french opera singer- well he was spanish but lived in france- he got hoarse in 1850- & he got some dental mirrors & sat on his paris balcony & he was the first human to see his vocal folds in action- he went around the world and taught ppl- singers- anatomy & physiology of the voice- how it's built, anatomy and physiology, how it works

Dr. Stasney says that this is still the best way for musicians to stay healthy -- to learn how their bodies work.

And that's exactly how Matthew – the injured trumpet player – healed. In his long quest for answers, Matthew eventually realized he'd need to construct an answer for himself. Through his research, he came to understand that his problem was partly physical – a repetitive stress injury to his lip – but that it was also psychological: he was trying too hard. And basically, the way to fix it was to try less hard. Once he had a grip on how his body and mind were working, Matthew was able to start playing again. He's not going the professional musician route...which would've devastated him as a kid...

tape – [:20] not having the option to be anything but an injured trumpet player was not acceptable- and ultimately i found that being able to play again, having a healthy embouchure afforded me what i wanted which was to have the option to be able to do it if i wanted to

What he's doing now? Inventing a discipline for himself called clinical psychomusicology...part doctor, part psychologist, and part music teacher...so that he can make the road to recovery shorter for musicians like himself who lose their ability to play.

For Studio 360, I'm Hillary Frank.

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