Welcome to the newest addition to my website: Katie’s corner!
I always have too many plans, and talking to recovered musicians was on my list for a long time. I kept thinking about it but then I realised that my great friend, Katie Bergløf was already doing a wonderful job! Her Facebook talks are an invaluable resource for many who are in the recovery process, and she kindly agreed to share the recordings with the visitors of this website as well. I’m so grateful for this collaboration! All is left for now is to introduce Katie:
About Katie A. Berglof
Katie is a music educator and music administrator who originates from the midwest. Originally her life trajectory was focused on becoming a professional horn player and professor. However, after years of study, at the peak of her playing, she became afflicted with focal embouchure dystonia while completing her undergraduate degree in performance around 2010. Shortly after, she started her blog Living with Embouchure Dystonia as a way to document her progress and observations through writing and videos. It eventually evolved into a website and YouTube channel.
The blog has been ongoing for over a decade and gained momentum in 2013. It started attracting attention because Musicians Focal Dystonia is highly misunderstood, surrounded by stigma, and detailed rehabilitation processes are rare. Most musicians avoid sharing any experiences with an injury due to possible loss of reputation and future work opportunities. Many have suffered in silence. All of this makes it difficult for future generations of musicians to receive the required help and support needed when facing major setbacks like dystonia.
Having gone through one of the most debilitating disorders, Katie wanted to do her part to stop the silencing; break the stigma; bring more awareness to musicians dystonia and injuries. Most importantly she wants to bridge part of the gap between the medical community and musicians by bringing the voices of those who have experienced dystonia and injuries to the forefront.
In 2020 she started her live stream series Musicians Dystonia & Injury Live Talk. This brings musician’s with focal dystonia and injuries together to share their stories and connect as a whole. The beauty of this series is that you hear the musicians themselves share in their own words what they went through. Online viewers can interact with the guest by asking questions, and they get to learn more about the different types of dystonia and injuries musicians cope with. Therefore, it creates inclusivity, which is needed to bridge gaps.
For Katie, advocating, guiding, and bringing musicians together for a greater cause is what she loves to do. She currently resides in the Pacific-Northwest and enjoys collaborating on projects with other musician health practitioners. She plans on pursuing higher education credentials in order to build a career within the sector of musicians health.