This report originated from surveys produced by the Take it away Consortium: a partnership between Creative United and Take It Away, Drake Music, Music for Youth, The OHMI Trust, Open Up Music, and Youth Music. These organisations are all committed to supporting Disabled musicians.
Formed in 2018, the partnership aims to:
- Improve collective understanding of the potential demand for adapted and specialist musical instruments for use by aspiring and professional musicians of all kinds and, in particular, Disabled children and adults across the UK.
- Enable existing prototype adaptations (from OHMI, Open Up Music, DM Labs and other sources) to be taken further into small-scale batch production for wider distribution and use.
- Enable the development of bespoke new accessible musical instruments to meet the needs of an individual, and the documentation and sharing of designs in the open source model.
- Explore ways to develop and train a workforce that has the knowledge and skills to introduce and demonstrate adaptive instruments located in ‘centres of music retail excellence’ around the UK.
- Provide financial assistance to families and individuals that need access to these types of instruments by providing a combination of grants and loans to ensure equality of access for all.
- Raise the profile of music making by Disabled children and adults, increasing awareness of the opportunities and sources of support available to enable more people to access music.
Take it away Consortium representatives and contributors for the period 2018-2020 have included: Mary-Alice Stack, Angela Suh, Sophie Ogunyemi, Mhairi Grant, Tim Yates, Carien Meijer, Gawain Hewitt, Richard Llewellyn, Jo Thomas, Holly McBride, Barry Farrimond, Carol Reid, Nick Wilsdon, Judith Webster, Rachel Wolffsohn.
Creative United
An entrepreneurial community interest company committed to supporting the growth and development of the arts and creative industries.
Take it away
With interest-free loans for musical instruments, equipment, software and tuition, Take it away help to support musicians at every level.
Drake Music
Specialists in using technology to break down disabling barriers to making music.
Music for Youth
A national youth arts charity working to provide young people aged 21 and under across the UK with free, life-changing performance and progression opportunities, regardless of background or musical style.
The OHMI Trust
A UK-based charity pioneering the development and adaptation of musical instruments for people who are physically disabled.
Open Up Music
Open Up Music’s mission is to make orchestras accessible to young disabled people.
Youth Music
A national charity investing in music-making projects which support children and young people aged 0-25 to develop personally and socially as well as musically.