About Dr. Kathleen Riley

Dr. Kathleen began playing piano at the age of four. She remembers it as having discovered a magic portal that brought her deeply in touch with the power of music. She has nurtured and developed that gift throughout her life, desiring to guide students to discovering their own portals. Her innovative teaching and research began early on. Both she and her students began to notice how much more effortless their playing was. Word spread, and non-musicians began to enroll in private sessions and workshops as well.

Continuing to allow her intuition to guide her, Dr. Kathleen pursued postdoctoral studies of neuropsychology, biofeedback and bioenergetic modalities. These became integrated into her teaching philosophy, coaching, and research. She enables her clients to “tune,” discovering their signature tone through the Heart, the Master Tuner.

Dr. Kathleen Riley’s teachings integrate and balance the mind, body, and spirit through intention and proper flow for artistic expression. Working with biofeedback, breathing techniques and sound, she helps musicians, performing artists as well as individuals from other professions overcome technical limitations, heal work-related injuries, reduce anxiety, and enhance their quality of life. Read her bio below for more about her expertise.

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Tuning the Instrument of Self™

Dr. Kathleen helps her clients understand the power of the heart. It is the energetic broadcast system of the Instrument of Self™. When our intention is love, The Heart tunes our instrument, enabling us to have a harmonizing effect on the field.

Holistic Approach to Expressive Performance

Kathleen offers a unique holistic coaching for optimal performance and wellbeing. Her methods have a transformative effect on sound produced musically or through spoken word. This has been experienced by thousands who have attended her workshops.

Dr. Kathleen Riley's Education & Experience

Kathleen Riley, PhD, Yamaha Artist in Education and Music Performance Specialist, is recognized nationally as a researcher, lecturer, teacher and innovator on musicians’ technique and injury prevention. Following three degrees in piano performance, Kathleen then went on to post-doctoral studies in neurophysiology and psychology at NYU. This led her down a path in 2001 that changed the trajectory of her career. She brought in her new found knowledge through neurophysiology, psychology, and biofeedback into her “toolbox” and created classes, workshops, and biofeedback coaching sessions for students and professionals to optimize their performances. In 2004 she began working with biofeedback to monitor muscle activity and became certified in surface electromyography (sEMG) biofeedback. She began to integrate video feedback along with the muscle biofeedback, using the software ProformaVision by PBI MyoVision. Kathleen has taught workshops and masterclasses for every instrument. While living in Cleveland, Ohio, Kathleen served on faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she designed courses and ran a biofeedback lab where her students could monitor themselves, seeing as well as experiencing the shifts that were occurring in both mind and body. Kathleen was also on staff at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine. Her research study exploring the effects of a shared heart intention among members of a string quartet on the musicians and audience members was filmed and produced as a documentary, Intention: The Power of the Heart. Private coaching sessions are also available in person and online.