The Franklin Method - for musicians

Transform your playing and move with greater freedom.

Learn anatomy and mind-body tools to improve movement, release tension, and feel good while making music.

Offerings

An Embodied Approach To Musicians' Wellness

Preventative care only goes so far. What if you could feel better by changing the way you use your body and mind?

The Franklin Method® is an evidence-based somatic movement education method that uses mind-body tools and anatomical embodiment to improve movement and overall physical and mental well-being. It’s used all over the world in a wide variety of fields, including yoga, dance, Pilates, music, sports, and physical therapy.

In the Franklin Method, we improve the movements we use in everyday life. We use Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery (DNI™)—a blend of imagery, proprioception, targeted exercises, kinesthetic self-talk, and gentle self-touch—to explore healthy anatomical function and move with greater efficiency and ease.

How does the Franklin Method help musicians?

Musicians’ wellness resources tend to focus on preventative care (like stretching, massage, and modifying practice routines) and studying anatomy. While we gain an intellectual understanding of what our bones and muscles do and where they are located, we often don’t know how it kinesthetically feels in our body.

In the Franklin Method, we not only learn how our bodies are biomechanically designed to function, but how to experience and change the way we move from the inside-out. You can even use Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery to feel better while playing!

Franklin Method Benefits

Release tension before, during, and after playing

Improve posture and alignment

Increased body awareness

Understand how your body is biomechanically designed to move

Identify inefficient or painful movement patterns and experience healthy solutions

Learn gentle Ball, band, and hands-on exercises for warming up and recovering

Reduce anxiety and address negative thought patterns

You can use the Franklin Method anywhere and anytime, all by yourself!

Experience the Franklin Method:

Take a Workshop

One-on-One Sessions

Get some individual attention in a private Franklin Method session or hybrid music-Franklin Method lesson. Online and in-person sessions available.

Institutional Offerings

Bring a Franklin Method workshop to your organization or school! Choose from multiple online and in-person options.

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Live Workshops

Experience healthy movement in daily life.

In a Franklin Method workshop, you’ll learn anatomical imagery, mind-body tools, and ball/band exercises to move with greater ease and improve posture/alignment. Each workshop explores one part of the body, like the pelvis, spine, or shoulder with practical applications for daily life and activities.

length: 90-120 min

cost: $30

upcoming workshops

Photo by Junshi Yang

Private Sessions

Feel great while playing your instrument.

In a private session, we’ll take a look at your playing and explore different ways to move with greater ease and freedom. This can include improving body awareness, learning anatomical imagery, and practicing Franklin Method exercises to release tension and retrain movement patterns.

Length: 60 min

Cost: $100

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Presentations & Workshops

Bring the Franklin Method to your organization.

Are you a studio teacher, educational institution, professional ensemble, or music festival looking to enrich your programming? Franklin Method workshops are a fun, engaging, and practical way to introduce movement, anatomy, and musicians wellness principles to musicians..

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Photo by Junshi Yang

“These classes were nothing short of amazing: Erika marries the concrete and practical with the expansive and transformational.”

“I had the privilege of taking a week of Franklin Method group classes from Erika at the duo526 Sonata Seminar (at which I was a faculty member) during the Jacobs Academy summer season at Indiana University. Erika's ability to share this powerful method in a way that was especially relevant for musicians was revelatory for everyone in attendance. As a concert artist and teacher, I have explored numerous methods of somatic practice, from many experts and in many contexts, and I can unreservedly state that Erika's classes had the most immediate impact...The benefits of her teaching were felt instantly, and will continue to be felt throughout the artistic lives of all participants.”

katherine dowling, Concert Pianist & Teacher

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“We had a deep sensation of embodiment, perhaps for the first time ever! It deeply affected our listening and musical experiences after each session.”

"Having Erika as our wellness instructor and alumnus of duo526 Sonata Seminar was fantastic! Because she's a violinist, Erika is really able to relate the concepts, movements, and anatomy directly to musicians. Her use of props and imagination was brilliant and creative. There was something for everyone to connect with!"

kerry duwors & futaba niekawa, duo526

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“I can’t recommend Erika’s Franklin Method workshops highly enough.”

"Erika came to my violin studio this past spring and put on a workshop for my students that was so thoughtful, informative, and fun! Erika utilized a series of techniques including visual aids of the musculoskeletal systems, Franklin Method balls for partner and individual activities, and lots of movement to help my students understand the content which appealed to a variety of learning styles. The workshop left me and my students with lots of tools to continue our work towards healthy violin playing including a better understanding of the power our brain has over our physical movements, and specific knowledge about the muscles surrounding the spine and how to visualize them while playing our instruments. Looking forward to the next time I can bring Erika into my studio!”

lauren pulcipher, violinist & teacher

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