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About the Lister-Sink Institute

The Lister-Sink Institute is an educational organization dedicated to promoting a healthful, well-coordinated keyboard technique to maximize musical artistry and help prevent potential injury at any point in the career.

Intensive Training Workshops

Lister-Sink Institute-Sponsored

“It just made so much sense and I wanted to continue learning so that I could have the same ability to play with freedom that [the instructor] demonstrated.”
— (Participant’s response to Workshop, 2015 dissertation research study)
The biannual Intensive Training Week-Long Workshop has been held since 1996. A 2015 research study revealed that participants found it to be highly successful in helping them understand from a science-based perspective the principles of good coordination at the instrument. It also immerses participants in fundamental principles of good coordination of the whole body at the instrument, muscle awareness and control of sound production. The substance of the workshop is drawn from her national award-winning and internationally acclaimed video, Freeing the Caged Bird—Developing Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique, and the Lister-Sink Method. Instruction must be limited to a small number of pianists and organist (minimum 10, maximum 20) due to the hands-on, uniquely individualized pedagogical approach. Highly experienced assistant teachers thoroughly trained in the Lister-Sink Method provide daily additional instruction.

Participants may receive credit toward Certification in the Lister-Sink Method if they so choose.

Upcoming Workshops

In-Person
June 10-15, 2024

Salem College – Winston-Salem, NC, USA

In-Person Intensive Training Workshops offer personalized hands-on instruction, on the beautiful campus of Salem College, in Historic Old Salem, NC, USA.

Online/Virtual
January 2025 (Dates TBA)

Accessible Worldwide via Zoom Meetings

Virtual Intensive Training Workshops offer personalized online instruction, in an innovative format.

Barbara Lister-Sink, Ed.D., Director & Instructor

Susan Perkins, MM, MAmSAT, Alexander Technique Instructor

Tuition includes 39 hours of face-to-face instruction, with individualized sessions in the afternoon.

For information, e-mail us at staff@lister-sinkinstitute.org.

Objectives

  • To develop injury-preventive, well-coordinated technique of the whole body with the instrument
  • To understand the biomechanics of playing, through analytical and kinesthetic exploration of basic anatomy
  • To develop optimal skeletal alignment and efficient muscle use at the instrument
  • To discover & eliminate habitual inefficient body-use patterns
  • To learn the Basic Stroke™ — the fundamental sensations and coordinations of sound production — through the Lister-Sink Method
  • To explore the application of the Basic Stroke™ to incrementally complex repertoire

Training Schedule

10:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Review of personal pianistic history and technical evaluation
  • Daily small-group instruction in the Lister-Sink Method
  • Daily individualized technical instruction
  • Daily whole-body work (eg. Alexander Technique)
  • Private instruction with Barbara Lister-Sink
  • Other group activities include:
    • Discussion of the history of keyboard technique
    • Viewing & analyzing videos of contemporary and legendary pianists
    • Discussion of pedagogical issues, repertory & progressive steps after the Basic Stroke

Travel, Lodging & Meals (not included in tuition)

  • The nearest major airport (17 miles from W-S) is the Greensboro/Triad International Airport. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, a US Airways hub (85 miles from W-S) would require a car rental.
  • There are numerous attractive, reasonably priced restaurants and cafés in Winston-Salem.
  • Participants may stay at a number of nearby hotels, available upon request, at special Salem College rates. Other hotels or historic B & B’s are also nearby and can be explored by contacting the Winston-Salem Visitors Center.  Salem College is in the middle of the renowned 18th-century village of Old Salem and within walking distance of culturally rich, arts-friendly Winston-Salem, City of Arts and Innovation. Proximity from Piedmont North Carolina to the Great Smoky Mountains and the Outer Banks further enhances the total living and learning experience.
Augustus T. Zevely Inn
(Old Salem Bed & Breakfast)

803 South Main Street
Website • (336) 748-9299
Range: $120-170

The Hawthorne Inn

(Half mile from campus)
420 High Street
Website • (336) 777-3000 • (800) 972-3774
Salem College Rate: $89

The Historic Brookstown Inn

(Half mile from campus)
200 Brookstown Avenue
Website • (336) 725-1120
Salem College Rate: 10% off

Fairfield Inn & Suites

(Half mile from campus)
125 South Main Street
Website • (336) 714-2800
Salem College Rate: $109

Courtyard Marriott

(3.5 miles from campus)
3111 University Parkway
Website • (336) 727-1277
Salem College Rate: $97-99

Tuition

Application Fee
  • 50 USD (Non-Refundable)
Tuition Rate
  • Virtual/Online: 550 USD
  • In-Person: 850 USD

Need-based scholarships and payment plans are available.  For more information, please visit the Lister-Sink Foundation section of this website.

Application

To reserve a spot in an upcoming workshop, please complete the Workshop Preliminary Application Form.