The Taubman Approach is a body of knowledge that successfully addresses how to solve the myriad challenges in playing the piano. Not only that, it provides the necessary tools to cure playing-related injuries and prevent them and the feelings of limitation, fatigue, and pain from happening in the first place. Dorothy Taubman (1917-1913) at first observed her students and was determined to understand why some people could play beautifully with very little effort while others practiced and practiced with poor results. With her brilliant inquisitiveness, she continued studying, watching and deconstructing the playing habits of prodigies and virtuosos. This led her to codify the principles that eventually coalesced to form her approach. At the center of the approach is coordination, meaning that coordinate movement leads to effortless playing, which in turn permits artistry of the highest level. In 2003, four of her longtime students and teachers of the approach, Edna Golandsky, Mary Moran, Robert Durso, and John Bloomfield, formed the Golandsky Institute to organize, preserve, and teach this extraordinary body of knowledge.

What distinguishes the Taubman Approach from other approaches to the piano? It is logical, efficacious, supports the physiology of the human body, and makes possible the highest musical aspirations of the person. The body already has everything required to play the piano. It is not a matter of strengthening fingers or other parts of the body, but rather achieving coordination such that each part does what it does best.

Who stands to benefit from the Taubman Approach? While it is often applied to virtuoso literature, the information organized in the Taubman Approach can be used in advanced, intermediate, and even beginner repertoire.

For more information, please visit: https://www.golandskyinstitute.org/