‘For years, I had my own neck and back pain that I took as an inevitable part of the profession. My perspective changed by luck in the mid-2000s, when I had the fortune to meet a teacher, Joachim Schiefer, who showed me that playing with pain was not only unnecessary, but even detrimental to the desired outcomes. Joachim was teaching Dispokinesis, a biomechanical retraining guide for musicians created by the Dutch physiotherapist and musician, Gerrit Onne Van der Klashorst. The principles and exercises of Dispokinesis not only helped unwind years of accumulated tension, but also connected the dots to the easiest, most natural way to produce sound on my instrument. I gradually became freed from pain, and discovered more endurance, accuracy, and enjoyment at the instrument than ever.’