TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Last week, students and faculty in the John M Long School of Music had the opportunity to hear from two accomplished musicians who have experienced life with Bell’s Palsy.

“Bell’s Palsy is a viral attack on the seventh cranial nerve which comes under your ear,” said Professor of Trumpet Dr. Mike Huff. “It controls one one half of your face or the other half and so, for a trumpet player in particular, both he and I are trumpet players, it’s pretty detrimental when it first happens because you can’t you can’t play at all.”

The speech focused on their recovery timeline, the various treatments they received, as well as focusing on relevant studies in the field as it relates to relearning their instrument.

“We’ve known each other through the trumpet teaching community and as performers and when I was diagnosed five years ago, I was connected with Mike,” explained Director of Jazz Studies, Georgia Tech, Dr. Chip Crotts. “He had had the same affliction years earlier and we just sort of formed a a bond and and decided we wanted to go at this presentation together.”

Despite all of the physical treatments, both Huff and Crotts emphasized the benefits of treating your mind as well and the power of positivity.

“We’re kind of somewhat successfully recovered and, at least in terms of we are working musicians still, but what we both learned in the process was how to focus on the positivity of of an injury that might affect a musician,” Huff told TrojanVision.

After the lecture, students and faculty were able to ask questions about the professors’ experience as well as their own.