Disabled young musicians gain valuable ensemble experience at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Young people with an upper limb weakness, difference or absence are being offered the opportunity to join ensembles with the next generation of music teachers, thanks to a pioneering new partnership between Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) and The OHMI Trust.
 
The project, which started as a trial in January, was conceived with the aim of creating an environment where disabled individuals with their adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment, could join able-bodied peers to perform together.
 
Participants, aged between 10 and 19 years, are offered ten sessions over the year which might be blocks or spread over months. Performance opportunities, most recently at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, highlight the potential for adapted musical instruments to perform in recognisable ensembles such as quartets and trios.
 
The collaboration is particularly important in raising awareness of inclusive music-making amongst the next generation of music teachers who are currently RBC students. Such ‘playing buddies’ include Katie Jordan on woodwind, Rachel Cocks on trombone and Charlotte Clews on flute.
 
Reflecting on her role in the project, Katie said:
 
“I’ve found the process really helpful. I’ve not got a lot of one-to-one teaching experience and these sessions have definitely helped me build the confidence to be able to teach more students. It’s also fascinating to see the different challenges that come with the one-handed flute as opposed to the standard flute.  The one-handed instrument is very tricky for me to play after learning on a regular flute.”
 
OHMI Music-Maker Husna added:
 
“I’m a lot more confident now. In the last year, OHMI have provided me with two fantastic opportunities to showcase the skills I’ve learnt – a solo performance at the music festival for Music-Makers at Barton-Under-Needwood and I’ll also be playing at Symphony Hall. Without the support from OHMI I feel that wouldn’t be possible.”
 
The project has been made possible thanks to support from DMF Ellis Charitable Trust and the Grantham Yorke Trust. Given the success of the project to date, it is hoped that funding will be found to extend the project next year.
 
Students seeking to get involved can register their interest by contacting Faye Oakland, OHMI Music-Makers​ Manager at: [email protected]. 

Unfortunately, Katie wasn't able to perform at Symphony Hall but we are grateful for Craig Holmes from Services for Education stepping in.  You can watch their performance here:
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