 Toyah Willcox presents OHMI Playable Awards to Peter Worrell Celebrating individual achievement, academic progress and instrument development in disabled music-making were the themes of our major conference and awards ceremony which took place at BCU’s South Campus on 15th – 16th March 2025. The weekend event, which we delivered in collaboration with Birmingham City University and Imperial College London with support from headline sponsor ABRSM, brought together musicians, music educators, instrument designers and instrument makers from North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. Delegates were offered the opportunity to discuss how to overcome barriers to music-making faced by people with physical disabilities, from the design and ongoing production of instruments to wide-ranging issues around performing.
Winners of the OHMI Competition Awards, which challenges instrument makers, designers and technicians to create and develop musical instruments that can be played without the use of one hand and arm, were announced on Saturday evening by singer-songwriter, actress and presenter Toyah Willcox. Toyah, who spoke at the ceremony of her own experience of disability as a force for creativity, said: “It’s been an honour to work with OHMI on these incredible awards. Every child and adult with an upper arm impairment has the right to express themselves in the world through music and to play instruments the way they want to play. It’s so easy to solve any problems that might prevent that. It just takes donations, accessibility and those people with brilliant design minds to come together and make it possible, and that’s what OHMI is about.” The winners were announced as:
OHMI General Manager Rachel Wolffsohn said: “So many disabled people look to OHMI for support. For musicians who have acquired an upper limb impairment or disability through illness or accident, this often comes at an incredibly upsetting and unsettling time. We’re deeply humbled that so many travelled so far to join us – including from the US, Japan and Australia – and some at significant personal expense. That illustrates how many people valued the opportunity to meet with others and to share experiences amongst what is a truly unique group.” More information about the Competition winners is available at: www.ohmi.org.uk/ohmi-competition.html. Recordings of the presentations will be added to the OHMI Research Partnership website in due course: www.ohmirp.org.uk/ohmiconference.html.  Toyah Wilcox, our esteemed host for the OHMI Competition Awards We’re thrilled to announce that singer-songwriter, actress, and presenter Toyah Willcox will be hosting our OHMI Competition Awards ceremony in Birmingham!
As someone who has spoken of her own experience of disability as a force for creativity and who was born only four miles south of the city, Toyah seemed the perfect choice to present the awards. The OHMI Competition Awards are designed to stimulate further and more rapid developments in adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment and will form part of OHMI’s major conference on Music & Physical Disability, taking place on Saturday, 15th and Sunday, 16th March 2025. The conference, which is being delivered in collaboration with Birmingham City University and Imperial College London and is sponsored by ABRSM, will explore the music-making barriers faced by people with physical disabilities, from the design and ongoing production of instruments to wide-ranging issues around performing. The event builds on the success of the inaugural OHMI Conference in 2018 which attracted international representation and speakers from five continents. Delegates at the conference will also get the opportunity to hear internationally acclaimed classical pianist Nicholas McCarthy perform some of ABRSM’s new one-handed Performance Grade repertoire. Tickets may be purchased on the OHMI Research Partnership website: https://www.ohmirp.org.uk/ohmiconference.html.  Teachers keen to ensure full participation of all children in music-making are being invited to attend OHMI’s one-day teaching training course to help assess individual needs.
The CPD course, which will be held on 3rd April 2025, is being delivered in partnership with Birmingham City University (BCU) and takes place at their City South Campus in Edgbaston. The latest statistics indicate that 11% of children in the UK[1] have a disability which may not always be obvious. The training helps to identify any barriers that might prevent a child from participating in music-making, including tasks to assess their ability to weight bear and explore their fine and gross motor skills and breath control. Teachers are also given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with kit to assess the physical needs of the children. The training forms part of OHMI’s work in inclusive access to music-making and in sharing their years of experience so that local teachers and music services can serve the children in their area. Mark Lowe, Music Inclusion Manager at Inspiring Music (the Music Service for Central Bedfordshire), said, “I was aware of OHMI before I undertook the training but seeing for myself and learning from them was invaluable. The training was really accessible and delivered at an appropriate pace, and the most powerful takeaway from the day was the knowledge and confidence I gained to facilitate the physical assessments. Together with my new bag of tools, I’ve now undertaken twelve assessments. A really popular instrument amongst schools in our area is Djembe, a West African drum of significant size. Being able to source a stand to hold the weight of the instrument meant that a disabled child, previously unable to participate, was given the opportunity to play this wonderful instrument.” Rachel Wolffsohn, OHMI’s General Manager, added, “It’s our job to make sure teachers are fully aware of what’s on offer and to match a child with the right instruments and enabling equipment for their particular requirements. We often facilitate this through OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme which has nearly 400 musical instruments and pieces of enabling equipment, a number which we are constantly seeking to grow. ”Our training course gives teachers the practical information they need to better understand each individual child’s needs and the solutions available to support them – whether that be within a Whole Class teaching setting or elite ensemble. We’d like to encourage music teachers across the country to take up this training so that more disabled children can participate in music-making.” [1] Parliament. House of Commons Library (2024). UK disability statistics: Prevalence and life experiences. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9602/CBP-9602.pdf Applications may be made at: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/theohmitrust/1453003 OHMI’s major international conference on Music & Physical Disability to take place in Birmingham21/1/2025
 Valerie Thomforde OHMI’s major conference on Music & Physical Disability sponsored by ABRSM, taking place in Birmingham on Saturday, 15th and Sunday, 16th March 2025, is expected to attract musicians, music educators, instrument designers and instrument makers from across the globe.
The conference, which is being delivered in collaboration with Birmingham City University and Imperial College London, will explore the music-making barriers faced by people with physical disabilities, from the design and ongoing production of instruments to wide-ranging issues around performing. The event aims to bring together perspectives and experiences from disabled musicians themselves as well as instrument makers, academic researchers from many different disciplines, teachers, charities, funders, and government agencies. Recently developed instrument designs will also be demonstrated. The event builds on the success of the inaugural OHMI Conference in 2018 which attracted international representation and speakers from five continents. Rachel Wolffsohn, OHMI’s General Manager, said, “Our 2025 Conference will be a truly international affair. We have speakers from the US, Australia, mainland Europe and the UK presenting their groundbreaking work. Our overarching themes, which include digital music solutions and music education, are designed to appeal to a range of delegates beyond professional musicians whatever their interest in full inclusion in music-making.” James Risdon, Access Lead at headline sponsor ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) added, “We recently announced our new exam repertoire lists for pianists playing with one hand at Grades 1 to 5. Featuring a broad range of music for left-and right-hand piano, including some exciting new commissions through our composer mentoring programme, this development has been made possible through the dedication of specialist consultants and the invaluable support of organisations such as OHMI. We're delighted to be headline sponsor for this important conference, which will help raise awareness of one-handed piano playing amongst both adults and children.” Delegates at the conference will get the opportunity to hear internationally acclaimed classical pianist Nicholas McCarthy perform some of ABRSM’s new one-handed Performance Grade repertoire. The winners of the OHMI Competition awards – which are designed to stimulate further and more rapid developments over the coming years – will also be announced at the awards ceremony on the Saturday evening. Our esteemed host for the OHMI Competition Awards ceremony will be singer-songwriter, actress, and presenter Toyah Willcox. Tickets may be purchased on the OHMI Research Partnership website. An Early Bird Discount rate of £200, for tickets offering full access to Saturday and Sunday of the conference and to the Awards ceremony on Saturday evening, is available until Friday, 14th February.  Actress Melissa Johns presents Peter Worrell with the Playable Instrument awards for his one-handed High and Low D Whistles Instrument makers across the globe are being invited to enter OHMI’s latest competition for one-handed instruments and enabling apparatus for people with physical disabilities.
The OHMI Competition challenges instrument makers, designers and technicians to create and develop musical instruments that can be played without the use of one hand and arm. An adaptation of an existing instrument or a new design that emulates a traditional instrument are both acceptable and there are three categories:
Rachel Wolffsohn, General Manager of The OHMI Trust, said: “Virtually no musical instrument can be played without ten highly dextrous fingers. It means that millions of people are denied participation in musical life, including people with congenital disabilities, amputees and those who may have been injured, suffered a stroke, developed arthritis or for whatever reason lack the full strength and control of their upper limbs.” “The inventions of competition winners in the past have been truly transformative and we’re inviting designers and instrument makers – whether seasoned professionals, talented hobbyists or innovative students – to enter and help drive forward progress in accessible music-making.” More information about the application process, competition rules and previous winners can be accessed at OHMI Competition. The deadline for entries is Tuesday 31st December at 5pm GMT. Winners will be announced at OHMI’s Conference & Awards 2025. Taking place in Birmingham on the 15th and 16th March, in collaboration with Birmingham City University and Imperial College London, the event will explore the barriers faced by people with physical disabilities to music-making, from the design and ongoing production of instruments to wide-ranging issues around performing. |
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