To the pianists among the IKS members
Dear Colleagues,
Allow me to draw your attention to an important research done by Yin Lau, a former student of mine from Malaysia, and to ask for your cooperation to disseminate this message to as many as possible.
It concerns a: Research Survey on Focal Hand Dystonia in Pianists and Pianism Retraining.
Underneath is her announcement. It is undoubtedly an important research, and it could be helpful, even therapeutic, for people who are confronted with similar or related problems, to participate in such a project.
In the event that you, or someone you know of, is interested in this, then please contact Yin Lau at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive further documents and information.
Thanking you in advance,
With kind regards,
Gilbert De Greeve
Past President
International Kodály Society
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Email Subject: An Invitation to Share Your Experiences: Research Survey on Focal Hand Dystonia in Pianists
Dear Fellow Pianist,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to respectfully invite you to participate in a survey to share your unique experiences with focal hand dystonia and retraining. Firstly, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yin Huey Lau, and I am a PhD candidate at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Currently, I am working on a study entitled “An Exploration of Pianism Retraining in Restoring the Performance Ability of Pianists with Focal Hand Dystonia”. This autoethnography research is a documentation of my personal struggle with focal hand dystonia and my retraining journey. The motivation for this research was not just to seek a cure for my dystonia, but I am deeply inspired to understand our shared experiences; how do our individual journeys reflect and inform one another. I believe that by weaving together your insights with my own, we can move towards a clearer and deeper understanding of the retraining process that can offer hope for recovery. Our story could also inspire the generation of new hypothesis/theory that could lead further investigations into the field.
This questionnaire consists of 18 questions that are related to your experiences with focal hand dystonia and retraining. Most of the questions are open-ended which allows you to be flexible in your answers. Your honest responses will be much appreciated and of course, kept in strict confidence to protect your privacy. To see if this questionnaire is a good fit for you, please check that you meet the following criteria:
i. You are an advanced pianist who have had the experience of studying and performing advanced repertoire from the classical literature.
ii. Have suffered from focal hand dystonia at some point in your musical career or education.
iii. Have undergone pianism retraining (technical retraining at the piano) as a treatment.
By participating in this survey, you will be contributing insights to help improve or develop a more effective retraining plan for dystonic pianists. Your voice is essential in helping others to better understand the disorder, especially on how to remedy it. As the researcher, I am happy to share my experiences and research findings with all participants. It is my sincere hope that by bringing together our knowledge and experiences, we can work towards effective remedies for dystonia and ensure that no pianist has to give up on their passion for piano playing.
If you are interested to take part in this survey, kindly click on the link below to access the questionnaire. It is much appreciated if you could complete the questionnaire by 30 April 2026. You could also find the information sheet, consent form, and ethics approval letter attached in this email.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdG0Fs7wTltSLU2sULfhsMsdJlbFrz628zbrmO9okqS9twVyw/viewform?usp=header
For any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
It would be my pleasure to connect with you.
Thank you for considering this opportunity and thank you in advance for your valuable time and insights.
Approval Statement
This research project has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (Health) at the University of Waikato as HREC(Health)2025#35. Any questions or concerns about the ethical conduct of this research may be sent to the Secretary of the Committee, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., postal address: Human Research Ethics Committee (Health), University of Waikato, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240).
Yours sincerely,
Yin Huey Lau
PhD candidate
University of Waikato
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.