About

My name is Hannelore Sill and I am the founder of Musicians Movement Studio in Malmö, Sweden. Music has been a central part of my life since childhood. I started playing the violin at an early age and discovered the viola when I was sixteen. But when I switched to the viola, I began experiencing pain in my neck and shoulders. That experience sparked a curiosity about why playing-related problems occur and what role the body plays in our music-making.

I went on to complete both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Music Education at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig, Germany, where I studied viola with Henry Schneider of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. I also trained as a Suzuki teacher and completed courses in violin making with professional luthiers in Germany.

After my studies in Germany and an exchange year at the Malmö Academy of Music, I decided to make Sweden my home. Since 2017, I have worked as a violin and viola teacher at several municipal music schools across southern Sweden, and since 2019 I have been teaching viola at the municipal school of music and arts in Lund.

Working with my students, I came to realise that the questions I encountered in my teaching were the same ones that had followed me throughout my own musical journey—and that many musicians continue to ask throughout their careers: How can we play with greater ease? How can we reduce unnecessary strain? How can our bodies better support our music-making?

“The questions I encountered in my teaching were the same ones that had followed me throughout my own musical journey—and that many musicians continue to ask throughout their careers.

How can we play with greater ease? How can we reduce unnecessary strain?
How can our bodies better support our music-making?”

I realised that these questions could not be answered through instrumental teaching and dedicated practice alone. I wanted to explore how the body works during music-making and how that knowledge could be applied directly to playing and singing. This curiosity ultimately led me to study physiotherapy.

Studying physiotherapy at Lund University gave me a deep understanding of human anatomy, physiology, and the way the brain plans, coordinates and controls movement. But I still wanted to understand how this knowledge could be applied specifically to the complex demands of playing and singing. In many ways, musicians are elite athletes—but in fine motor control. I therefore continued searching for knowledge specifically tailored to musicians.

Everything fell into place when I discovered the Timani method. For the first time, I found a practical framework for applying my knowledge of anatomy and movement science directly to music-making. Rather than treating the body separately from the instrument, Timani focuses on finding solutions while you play or sing—solutions that can be put into practice immediately and are sustainable over time.

Today, I am a licensed physiotherapist and am currently completing the Timani Teacher Certification Program at the Musicians' Health and Movement Institute (MHMI) in Oslo, with certification expected in summer 2027.

What drives me is simple. I want to help musicians discover how their bodies can better support their music-making, allowing them to play and sing with greater freedom and less effort. I believe everyone deserves to be able to make music in a body that feels like an asset, not a limitation.

Qualifications

Music

  • Master of Education in Music Education
    Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Leipzig, Germany

  • Bachelor of Education in Music Education
    Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Leipzig, Germany

  • Principal viola teacher (Bachelor's and Master's studies) Henry Schneider, violist at the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig

  • Suzuki Teacher Training
    Level 1 (Violin), ESTA Sweden

  • Violin Making Courses with luthier Helmut Bleffert, including building of two violas and one cello

Health & Movement

  • Licensed Physiotherapist
    Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy, Lund University, Sweden

  • Timani Teacher Certification Program
    Musicians' Health and Movement Institute (MHMI), Oslo, Norway (currently completing; certification expected in summer 2027)

  • Pilates Instructor Training
    The Shala (currently completing)

  • Orthopaedic Manual Therapy (OMT)
    Level 1

Experience

  • Violist
    Lund City Orchestra (2019–present)

  • Viola Teacher
    Kulturskolan Lund (2019–present)

  • Violin and Viola Teacher
    Municipal music schools in Skåne, Sweden (Eslöv, Kävlinge and Helsingborg, 2017-2019)