About the Lister-Sink Foundation

Mission Statement

The Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit public charity dedicated to giving financial support to pianists and organists for prevention of, or rehabilitation from, playing-related injuries, and to maximize their musical artistry through the development of well-coordinated, injury-preventive piano technique and organ technique.  Established in 2011, the Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. offers scholarships for retraining with qualified teachers, as well as medical treatment from acknowledged experts in the healthcare profession.  Additionally, it provides funds for training in the pedagogy of scientifically informed and artistically inspired injury-preventive piano technique and organ technique.

What Is Our Purpose?

The Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. was established in 2011 as a not-for-profit public charity by an anonymous donor to further the mission of Barbara Lister-Sink to help reduce unnecessary playing-related injury among pianists and organists, and to help them obtain effective training in injury-preventive keyboard technique.  By offering financial assistance, the Foundation hopes to help educate students, teachers and performers to the potential causes of injury, as well as to help guide the injured keyboard musician toward creditable sources for diagnosis, rehabilitation and retraining.  The Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. also hopes to raise awareness of the significant injuries that continue to plague the music keyboard world, and to impart a sense of urgency to the music and medical professions to find effective, scientifically grounded approaches to injury-preventive technique and pedagogy.

Ultimately, it is the hope of the trustees, donors and funding recipients of the Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. to help pianists and organists avoid altogether the tragic waste of talent, time, careers and musical dreams.

Who May Receive Financial Support from the Lister-Sink Foundation?

The Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. gives financial support to qualified advanced students, teachers and performers to:

• Retrain their keyboard technique in the principles of injury-preventive, biomechanically efficient body use at the instrument
• Study the most effective, pedagogically and scientifically informed pedagogies for teaching injury-preventive technique

In addition, the Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. provides support to help injured pianists, organists, harpsichordists, and others to:

• Receive accurate diagnoses from highly qualified healthcare professionals who are informed about the latest research in performing arts medicine.
• Receive the most effective treatment for the injuries
• Receive the most helpful therapy for rehabilitation
• Acquire training that enhances their ability to communicate clearly with the healthcare professionals
• Understand and eliminate injurious habits and retrain healthful habits and technique

The Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. also provides funding to help keyboard musicians receive accurate diagnoses and effective treatment and rehabilitation for those already afflicted with playing-related injuries.

A Word About Healthcare & Rehabilitation for Injured Pianists, Organists & Harpsichordists

Injured pianists, organists, harpsichordists and others often encounter difficulties in identifying and obtaining appropriate diagnosis and treatment for the various injuries that plague the music world — tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve entrapment or impingement, focal dystonia, thoracic outlet syndrome, myofasciaitis — or even muscle strain, fatigue and non-specific symptoms that impede their practicing and playing.

While the field of Performing Arts Medicine has been actively engaged in education and prevention since the 1970s, obtaining accurate diagnoses and successful treatment continues to elude many injured pianists and organists.  At times, surgery or other aggressive medical solutions are given as the only options for recover.  Often, other less invasive treatments—including complementary approaches such as acupuncture, trigger-point therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, myofascial therapy, prolotherapy (for hypermobile joints), Alexander and Feldenkrais techniques, etc. — combined with effective retraining strategies might lead to recovery.  Additionally, pianists may benefit from using a keyboard better matched to their hand size.

The Lister-Sink Foundation, Inc. strives to help educate injured keyboardists and teachers better to communicate and partner with healthcare professionals who are known to be consistently successful in diagnosing and treating injured pianists and organists.  Therefore, when applying for funding from the Foundation for medical treatment — either mainstream or complementary — applicants must give evidence of the credentials and effectiveness of healthcare providers.