Calling all organists!

[E. Margo Dillard <emd0002...>]

Are you or do you know an organist?  Please share this announcement with
all the organists in your life, amateur or professional:

I am currently pursuing a PhD in Music Education in organ pedagogy at the
University of North Texas.  I have an interest in the physical aspects of
playing and learning to play the organ.  And I am particularly interested 
in the medical problems that many musicians experience, either while 
learning or over accumulated years of playing an instrument.  While much
research has been done on a wide variety of instruments, no one has
investigated the problems specific to organists.  I have developed a
questionnaire to explore the musculoskeletal pain or discomfort 
experienced by organists.  You need not be a professional organist to
participate.  Your pain may be severe or very mild, and need not have been
caused by playing the organ.  It is hoped that this research will show
some evidence of areas of pain that are common to organists, which will
provide direction and priority for further research by both organists and
medical professionals regarding specific problems. 

This web survey has been carefully programmed to remove all computer
addresses and other identifying informaiton before placing your input into
the data files.  All responses are completely anonymous to preserve
confidentiality. 
  
The survey can be found at:  www.metronet.com/~organmed/
  
You will need a browser which supports forms to complete the web version
of the survey.  An e-mail and a snail mail version are also available.
Please e-mail me privately if you desire one of these.

If you have seen or responded to the UNT Musician's Health Survey, please
be aware that this is a completely separate project, conducted and
supervised by different people, exclusively for organists, and there is no
exchange of data between the two studies.
  
Thank you VERY much for your participation.
Margo Dillard
  
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                SURVEY OF MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN OF ORGANISTS
                        www.metronet.com/~organmed/
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"There is nothing remarkable about it.  All one has to do is hit the right
 notes at the right time, and the instrument plays itself"  -- J. S. Bach
  
  "We suffer. We suffer. We suffer in silence." - Fiddler on the Roof
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