Dr. Paola Savvidou
This webinar explores the 8 dimensions of wellness and some of the primary barriers music students face in incorporating them into their lives. Key takeaways will include approaches to difficult conversations and resources faculty can use to support and promote better balance in their students.
Paola Savvidou, DMA, NCTM, serves as Wellness Initiative Program Manager and Adjunct Lecturer in Piano at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. She develops partnerships within the University of Michigan health services and beyond to provide education, injury-preventive services and recovery support for students, faculty and staff. She also teaches the “Wellness for the Performing Artist” course and runs the Time for Me: Group Piano for Adult Beginners program.
She frequently presents research on the topic of wellness in the applied lesson at prominent conferences including the MTNA National Conference, the International Society for Music Education Conference, College Music Society’s International Conference, and the European Piano Teachers Association. Her work has been awarded Article of the Year through MTNA two years in a row; in 2015 for her article "In Search of the 'Perfect' Musical Performance" (AMT) and in 2016 for her interdisciplinary research article "Assessing Injury Risk in Pianists: Using Objective Measures to Promote Self-Awareness" (eJournal). She has also published in the Piano Pedagogy Forum, MMTA NOTES and Clavier Companion. She co-authored At the Piano with Yoga with Haley Myers; a collection of duets for beginning piano students coupled with yoga poses.
Dr. Savvidou is a member of the New Muse Piano Duo with Jonathan Kuuskoski; an ensemble dedicated to commissioning and performing works by living composers. Their concert tours have included performances across the United States, Norway, Greece, and Cyprus. NMPD’s first CD, transhuman, was released in 2017 by the Blue Griffin label.