How Ingrid Clarfield Reinvented Her Musical Life After Stroke

Mukul Pandya is a stroke survivor and a former editor-in-chief of Knowledge@Wharton, the online management journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Today, Mukul is an associate fellow at Oxford University’s Said Business School, working with Stroke Onward to drive change in the health care system to provide whole-person support to stroke survivors and their families.

Swarna Kuruganti is a transformation leader, focused on applied AI for business and human challenges. As the managing partner of Si-7 LLC, she writes about her deep interest in innovative human experiences with AI, including for health, leveraging insights from her past industry roles and strategic consulting. Swarna currently leads enterprise AI adoption at US Foods.

In this column, they reflect on Ingrid Clarfield’s stroke and explore how survivors can reclaim their identities with creativity, resilience and support from technology.

 
Psychologist Carl Jung is believed to have said, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” This statement aptly describes the inspiring journey of Ingrid Clarfield, a gifted piano teacher who has refused to let a life-altering stroke define her, derail her passion for music and teaching or steal her identity.

Clarfield's story, also captured in the inspiring documentary Take a Bow (accessible via Amazon Prime), is one of courage, creativity and resilience. It shows how human ingenuity, aided by technology, can help stroke survivors reclaim their identities and continue pursuing their life’s work.

The Stroke and Its Impact

In March 2007, Clarfield’s life changed dramatically. At 60 years old, after teaching piano at Westminster Choir College for over four decades, she woke up one morning, stood up, and fell. She had suffered a severe stroke that left her unable to use her left arm and leg.

For a pianist and teacher, this could have ended her career. However, Clarfield refused to give up. She comes from a family of survivors — her parents had escaped Nazi Germany. This background gave her the strength and determination to face her new challenge head-on.

Finding New Ways to Teach and Perform

Instead of quitting, Clarfield found innovative ways to keep teaching and playing music:

• She invited guest left-hand artists to play the left-hand parts while she played the right.
• She used her experience to teach students in new and unique ways.

Clarfield discovered that her new teaching method enhanced her ability to convey certain musical concepts. For example, when teaching students about the left hand in a piece, she now has them play the left hand while she plays the right, a reversal of roles that provides a unique learning experience.

Using Technology to Help

Technology played a crucial role in helping Clarfield continue her work:

• A hand mobility device helped her regain some movement in her left arm.
• A walking device helped her walk again by stimulating her leg muscles.

These devices were expensive, but they made a significant difference in Clarfield’s life. The hand mobility rehabilitation system uses functional electrical stimulation to help patients regain hand and arm function. Clarfield recalls, “I still remember the very first time I felt my fingers move. I was so excited.”

The walking device, which Clarfield has been using for 15 years, attaches to her leg and uses electrical stimulation to activate nerves and muscles, enabling her to walk. “I can’t imagine not having it,” she says.

Adapting to New Challenges

Clarfield had to change many aspects of her daily life:

• She modified her earrings and necklaces to make them easier to put on with one hand.
• She found a speech therapist who made therapy more engaging by focusing on her work and interests.

Her adaptability extended to her approach to therapy, as well. Initially dismissive of speech therapy, her perspective changed when she found a therapist who tailored the approach to her needs, studying Clarfield’s website and asking questions about her work and interests.

The Future of Technology in Music

Clarfield is curious about how new technology might help musicians in the future. She wonders if artificial intelligence could compose music for one-handed pianists. However, she points out that music is about emotion and freedom, which machines might find challenging to understand and replicate.

When presented with the idea of a robotic arm that could perform the left-hand parts of piano pieces, Clarfield expresses both interest and skepticism. She notes, “Music is so much about emotion and freedom. I don’t play metronomically. If I’m playing Chopin, there’s freedom all over the place. Somebody has to be able to follow me.”

The Importance of Human Connection

Despite using technology, Clarfield believes that human connection is crucial in music and recovery:

• She jokes and interacts with her guest left-hand partners during performances.
• She encourages her students to express their own emotions in music, not just copy others.
• She has formed friendships with other stroke survivors, including an annual dinner she shares with a fellow survivor on their “stroke-aversary.”

Continuing Her Musical Journey

Today, 17 years after her stroke, Clarfield continues to teach, perform and inspire others. She has written numerous books about teaching piano and travels to share her knowledge and story. She has a new three-book series scheduled to be released soon.

Clarfield’s journey illustrates Carl Jung’s sentiment perfectly. She has indeed become what she chose to become — not a victim of circumstance, but a survivor, an innovator and an inspiration to musicians and stroke survivors alike.