Bio

Paola Savvidou (she/her), DMA, NCTM, is a pianist, pedagogue, and leading performing arts wellness advocate. She currently serves as Wellness Program Manager and Lecturer III at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD). Previously, she served as Assistant Teaching Professor at East Carolina University and as Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Missouri, where she taught applied piano, undergraduate and graduate courses in piano pedagogy and wellness, and coordinated the Group Piano Program. In her current role at Michigan, she has developed a comprehensive array of services that involve onsite clinics to support physical and mental health, and educational resources, including teaching her own staple course, Wellness for the Performing Artist. Through partnerships within Michigan Medicine and the U-M campus she has brought world-class care to students, faculty, and staff.  

As a proponent of healthy living for musicians, she utilizes a holistic approach that incorporates mindfulness and well-being practices in her teaching. She frequently presents related research work at prominent conferences including the Music Teachers National Association National Conference, the Performing Arts Medicine Association Symposium, the International Society for Music Education Conference, the European Association for Schools of Music Conference, and College Music Society’s International Conference. Her work has won Article of the Year through the Music Teachers National Association three times; in 2015 for her article "In Search of the 'Perfect' Musical Performance," in 2016 for her interdisciplinary research article "Assessing Injury Risk in Pianists: Using Objective Measures to Promote Self-Awareness," and in 2021 for “Breathe and Move: Effects of a Twelve-Week Yoga Curriculum on Pre-Collegiate and Collegiate Pianists." 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’s book entitled Teaching the Whole Musician: A Guide to Supporting Music Students' Wellness was published by Oxford University Press in 2021 and is now used in musicians’ wellness coursework around the country.

In Spring 2015 she received the prestigious Purple Chalk Teaching Award by the College of Arts & Science Student Council for outstanding teaching at the University of Missouri. In 2024, she was honored to receive the LaVaughn Palma-Davis Award for a Wellness Committee through University of Michigan’s MHealthy for her work in promoting well-being among faculty and staff at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. At Michigan she also received the SMTD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion "Belonging Award" for building a community of inclusivity and support for all students within the performing arts. 

As a performer, she has extensive experience commissioning and performing works by living composers as a member of the New Muse Piano Duo; a four-hand piano ensemble that has performed across the United States, Norway, Greece, and Cyprus. The ensemble’s first CD, transhuman, was released in 2017 by the Blue Griffin label and featured works by Gabriel Prokofiev, Amy Williams, and Emily Doolittle. As a chamber pianist, she has performed with Alarm Will Sound, and with members of Third Coast Percussion and [Switch~ Ensemble]. As a solo pianist, she recorded the titular track for David Patterson’s #Ferguson (Albany Records, TROY1672), and was a member of the five-person commissioning consortium for James Romig’s Still, which was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music. 

Dr. Savvidou serves as Chair of the Editorial Board for the MTNA eJournal and as a member of the Wellness Committee for the National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy. She frequently adjudicates piano events such as the Michigan Music Teachers Association Student Achievement Testing, National Guild of Piano Teachers, and Federation of Music Clubs. She is an active member of her local, regional, and national piano teaching communities, and maintains her own piano studio for all ages called Music Lotus in Ann Arbor, MI, that offers private instruction and online adult piano courses. 

She holds a BM from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, graduate degrees (MM and DMA) in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Wellness Counseling Certificate from Cornell University. She has completed additional training in mindfulness, kids yoga, Mental Health First Aid, and wellness coaching. 

Recent Presentations:

  • “From Fear to Thrill: Harnessing the Power of Performance Anxiety.” Music Teachers National Association Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2024.

  • “Screening University Dancers for Injury Risk.” National Dance Education Organization Dance & Data Conference, Rochester, MI, February 2024. Co-presented with Kristen Schuyten

  • “Screening on the Screen: Comprehensive Virtual Assessment for Performing Artists During a Pandemic.” Performing Arts Medicine Association Symposium, Chicago, IL, June 2022. Co-presented with Kristen Schuyten.

  • “Keys to Financial Wellness: Planning and Mindset.” Music Teachers National Association Conference, March 2022. Co-presented with Jonathan Kuuskoski.

  • “Parents, Pianists, and Pedagogues: Prioritizing Self Care during a Pandemic.” National Center for Keyboard Pedagogy Conference, July 2021. Co-presented with Lesley McAllister, Laura Amoriello, Sara Ernst, and Andrea McAlister.

  • “Music Teacher: The ‘Prevention’ Buck Stops Here.” Performing Arts Medicine Association International Symposium, June 2021. Co-presented with Judy Palac, Kris Chesky, and Vanessa Mulvey.

  • “Parents, Pianists, and Pedagogues: Prioritizing Self-Care During a Pandemic.” National Center for Keyboard Pedagogy National Conference, July 2021. Co-presented with Andrea McAlister, Laura Amoriello, Sara Ernst, and Lesley McAllister.

  • “The Ins and Outs of Arm and Hand Health.” Music Teachers National Association National Conference, March 2021. Co-presented with Lexie Muir-Pappas.

  • “Stress Relief through Mindfulness in the Group Piano for Adult Beginners Setting.” International Society for Music Education - Wellness Special Interest Group, October 2020. Co-presented with Melissa Coppola and Alissa Freeman.

  • “Cultivating Mindfulness through Group Piano Classes for Adult Beginners.” College Music Society National Conference, October 2020. Co-presented with Melissa Coppola and Alissa Freeman.

  • “Translating Research Into Action: Injury-Prevention Strategies for the Pre-Collegiate Pianist.” National Center for Keyboard Pedagogy Conference, Chicago, IL, July 2019. Co-presented with Kristen Schuyten, PT.

  • “Preparing the Mind and Body for Musical Performance.” Music Teachers National Association National Conference, Spokane, WA, March 2019. Co-presented with Dr. Chris Madden and Dr. Elaina Burns.

  • “Yoga in the Piano lesson.” Oakland Piano Teachers Association, MI, February 2019.

  • “Spice Up Your Lessons: Imaginative Yoga-Based Activities for Piano Students.” Ohio Music Teachers Association, Cleveland, OH, March 2018.

  • “Assessing Music Students’ Injuries and Preventative Measures for the Pre-Collegiate Teacher.” MTNA National Conference, Orlando, FL, March 2018. Co-presented with Kristen Schuyten, PT.

  • Yoga instructor and Chamber music coach, Ann Arbor Area Piano Ensemble Camp, Faber Piano Institute, June 2017 and June 2018. Click here to read more about the camp!

  • "The Secret Pain of Pianists: Quantitative Study Results and Recommendations." MTNA National Conference, Baltimore, MD, March 2017.
    Co-presented with Dr. Jeremy Stanek.

  • "Training Healthy and Expressive Musicians through Somatic Education." International Society for Music Education Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, July 2016.

  • "Back to Bach: Re-envisioning Success for Today's Professional Reality." Texas Music Teachers Association, Dallas, TX, June 2016.
    Co-presented with Jonathan Kuuskoski.

  • "Movement and Wellness Training for Pianists: Case Study Report." MTNA National Conference Poster Session, San Antonio, TX, April 2016.
    Co-presented with Haley Myers.

  • Teaching demonstration, MTNA Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposium, University of South Carolina, January 2016.

  • "Inside Out Learning: Incorporating Movement into the Piano Lesson." Colorado Piano Pedagogy Symposium, University of Northern Colorado, November 2015.

  • "Finding Your Inner Yogi: Principles for Healthy-Music Making.” Workshop at Peabody Conservatory, April 2015.

  • Masterclass for the Peabody Preparatory Division, April 2015.

Recent Adjudication:

  • Federation of Music Clubs, Junior Festival, Ann Arbor, MI, April 2023

  • National Piano Teachers Guild, Malvern, PA, April 2021

  • National Piano Teachers Guild, Shelby Township, MI, May 2021

  • National Piano Teachers Guild, Ray Township, MI, May 2019

  • MMTA Student Achievement Testing, Livonia, MI, March 2019, March 2020, and March 2021

  • MMTA Student Achievement Testing, Theory Judge, Ann Arbor, MI, March 2019, March 2020 and March 2021

  • Flint Music Teachers Association Piano Festival, MI, November 2018

  • MTNA Poster Sessions Chair, October 2018

  • National Piano Teachers Guild, Clarkston, MI, May 2018

  • MMTA Student Achievement Testing, Livonia, MI, March 2018

  • MMTA Student Achievement Testing, Livonia, MI, March 2017

  • National Piano Teachers Guild, Ann Arbor, MI, May 2017

  • MMTA Student Achievement Testing, Theory Judge, Ann Arbor, MI, February 2017

  • Federation of Music Clubs, Junior Festival, Columbia, MO, February 2017

  • Federation of Music Clubs, Junior Festival, Columbia, MO, February 2016

Professional Affiliations: