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The OHMI Instrument Hire Scheme was set up in 2015 to give disabled musicians the opportunity to hire an instrument of their choice, and at an affordable rate. Here we outline the scheme, and its importance in opening up music-making.
What's included in OHMI's Instrument Hire Scheme? OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme currently holds 152 adapted instruments and 157 pieces of enabling apparatus. The scheme includes left- and right-handed instruments such as recorders, flutes and trombones, as well as lesser-known electronic instruments. In this final category are the lesser-known LinnStrument (an electronic instrument that can be played through software available on a tablet or iPad); the Artiphon Instrument One (an entry-level solution for anyone interested in starting out on guitar, ukulele or violin); and the Chapman Stick (which is played like a guitar). What makes an instrument suitable for one-handed use? As far as brass instruments are concerned, most of the operation is undertaken by one hand, and the other hand takes the weight. As such, a brass instrument can often be played one handed with the help of an instrument support, which can also aid balance. OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme includes both trumpet and trombone stands, as well as the ‘Claritie’, which supports the clarinet around the neck and in a playing position. Conversely, woodwind instruments require operation by both hands so the one-handed version of the recorder, instrument or clarinet need a completely different structure of keys. String instruments where, on a conventional instrument, one hand operates the bow and the other applies the fingering, are harder to find solutions for. However, some supportive apparatus can assist the player. How often does OHMI add new instruments and equipment to its Instrument Hire Scheme? We add to our instrument hire scheme as soon as we are able to raise the necessary funds to purchase the instruments. When an item is requested, we will do our best to purchase the equipment. Often, an instrument’s route into the scheme is via the biennial OHMI Competition. The Competition welcomes entries in three key categories: Concept, Enabling Apparatus and Playable Instrument. First and foremost, it attracts entries from commercial instrument makers and SMEs where instrument making is very much part of their day job. A second group of applicants lies in academic researchers who are seeking to research or explore a particular instrument adaptation or develop a prototype. A third group of entrants can be defined as friends or family of disabled musicians who are in need of a particular piece of kit. It is a continual task for OHMI to secure the funding to take a prototype from the competition and create a fully functioning piece of kit to be made available as part of the Instrument Hire Scheme. This is usually done in response to the needs of particular musicians. As one example, the prototype for Duncan Menzies’s PBrock Bagpipe Chanter won the Playable category of the 2017 Competition but it was multiple requests – and securing of grant funding – that eventually led to the commissioning of five instruments. Why hire an instrument when it can be purchased outright? Playing a musical instrument is deeply personal: how the instrument is held and the sound it produces. There is no rationale as to why you might like a particular instrument; but if it doesn’t feel right or match your interest, you won’t feel compelled to practise and make progress. It is important that a musician has time with an instrument to truly determine whether it is suitable for them. Instrument hire makes that entirely affordable; a one-year rental is charged at no more than 15% of the retail value of the instrument. How does the OHMI Instrument Hire Scheme help make a case to funders for instrument purchase? Where a musician lacks the financial means to purchase an instrument, they might seek to enlist support through a crowdfunding campaign or through a funder. Whoever is making a donation will want evidence that the piece of kit requested is fit for purpose; and capturing on video how the rented instrument can be played, presents the perfect showcase. Which instrument is right for me? Individuals will have a preference to play a particular instrument, and therefore should have access to the equipment that allows them to play the instrument of their choice. Since it is an instrument largely operated with the left hand, it is tempting to push musicians who only have the use of their left hand, to play the French Horn. An instrument can only ever be the right option if it engages the user and allows them to play the type of music they enjoy. There is little point giving a rock musician a flute, or a brass band fan a guitar! The OHMI team are well-versed in matching musicians with the instruments that best suit them. How do I know if I qualify for OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme? OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme is open to all individuals, music services and schools wherever they might live in the world. A cost breakdown as well as rental terms and conditions can be accessed on the Instrument hire page of the OHMI website. Expressions of interest Contact OHMI to find out more about its Instrument Hire Scheme.  We are delighted that, in ‘The power of music to change lives – A National Plan for Music Education’ (NPME: Published June 2022), the Government sets out a clear ambition to level up musical opportunities, regardless of a child’s circumstance. The expressed commitment to be more truly inclusive is very welcome and long overdue.
OHMI applauds the Government’s suggestion that schools include in their equality objectives (which they have to publish under the Equality Act 2010), a greater inclusion of pupils with SEND in the school’s musical life. It is encouraging news for the millions of children in the UK who live with a disability and who – in most instances – are denied or given only restricted access to the joy of music-making. It also builds on OHMI’s work with a number of music hubs; which has long been the perfect showcase for what can be achieved when partners work together to put in place an appropriate action plan. How the NPME will benefit SEND pupils The three goals of the refreshed NPME are:
The NPME recognises that, for pupils with additional needs, some aspects of teaching, learning and performance are bound to be different; but there should be absolutely no compromise on the quality of provision. Quality provision, of course, means matching the pupil with the most appropriate support – not necessarily on the instrument they can apparently play; rather the instrument they want to play. This is often denied because of two key barriers:
The OHMI Trust has a proven track record of helping overcome both of these obstacles: (1) Lack of awareness That all pupils should be offered the opportunity to learn an instrument through Whole-Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET) was a key objective of the original NPME in 2011. However, when it comes to WCET, pupils with identified additional needs, or barriers to learning, are frequently left to struggle with their own individual obstacles. Without the right equipment, they therefore receive a poorer quality experience compared to their classmates. It is often the case that the visiting music hub teacher is unaware of any additional needs because schools are not routinely passing on information that could help hubs make appropriate provision for each pupil. That, in turn, is often down to a lack of awareness on the part of the school – either in terms of identifying in good time that a particular student may struggle without an adapted instrument; or, indeed, in knowing that adapted instruments actually exist! (2) Availability of affordable instruments Adapted instruments and supportive apparatus are not familiar to many teachers, can be very expensive, and are not yet routinely available in hubs and schools. Both OHMI and the Music Hubs therefore have a part to play in helping schools source the best instruments for their pupils at an affordable cost. OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme seeks to do just that; offering a range of adapted instruments as well as stands and apparatus to allow the instruments to be fully playable with a range of impairments. Some 142 adapted instruments and 165 pieces of enabling apparatus are included in the scheme, including left- and right-handed recorders, flutes and brass instrument stands, and less familiar instruments such as the Artiphon. Overcoming obstacles to inclusive practice Working with our partners Creative United, Nottingham Music Service, NMPAT and Services for Education, OHMI has helped find workable solutions to improve equality of access to music-making in WCET. It has done so through its Inclusive Access to Music-Making Programme (IAMM), which identifies barriers to music-making by surveying the population of children before they embark on WCET, putting in place mitigating measures wherever possible. Research commissioned by OHMI and carried out by Birmingham City University this year, identified that nearly half (49%) of the 283 IAMM participating schools identified young people who may experience barriers to learning a musical instrument in WCET classes. Without the IAMM programme these pupils would have felt excluded from access to WCET, and their enjoyment of music-making denied. The schools studied in this project were typical of all schools everywhere, and their pupil populations are representative of all others. IAMM is therefore uncovering a previously hidden population of pupils who are denied proper access to music, and the NPME makes it clear that we must strive to redress that balance. An expansion of IAMM to other areas is already underway, but, if we are to be truly inclusive, its provision should not be a postcode lottery but should be available nationwide. Through its NPME, Government has made it clear that each Music Hub is expected to develop and publish an inclusion strategy. OHMI’s support in helping to identify and assess pupils needs, and source instruments and equipment to give greater equity of access for those with many commonly found conditions, has never been more important. Learn more about OHMI’s participation in the IAMM project here.  We are delighted to announce that Emma Brown is one of three new trustees to join the OHMI Board.
Aged only 22, Emma is our youngest trustee. A talented flautist, she is due to start her Masters in Flute Performance at Birmingham Conservatoire in the autumn. It is an academic ambition that was deferred for a year, following a life-changing injury in May 2021 which resulted in a bilateral amputation below the knee. Whilst undergoing rehabilitation at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton, it struck Emma that almost all the activities suggested to amputees were sports related. Her experiences led her to set up her network, Amputee Musicians UK, which aims to connect people with limb difference or loss who love either playing or listening to music. As Emma points out, “I wasn’t sporty with feet, so why should I be sporty without?! It was music I relied on during my recovery – either listening to it or playing the piano (my injury forced me to rely on the pedals less and play better!) “As a flautist, it was frustrating that I was unable to play at that time. I was in a neck brace for some five months which gave me a real insight into how it feels to have an injury or disability that prevents music-making.” Joining the Board at OHMI seemed a natural fit. Dr Stephen Hetherington, OHMI’s Chairman, comments, “Emma has an indomitable spirit. She tackles every challenge with vigour, determination and ingenuity. Returning to her studies in Birmingham (OHMI’s home city) after a gap year canoeing, cycling, working with autistic adults, teaching the flute, and setting up her network, Amputee Musicians UK, we are really fortunate to have her energy directed towards OHMI’s challenges”. All at OHMI extend their warmest welcome to Emma. The article on fellow new trustees Claire Salters and Matthew Wright be accessed on OHMI’s News page.  We are delighted to announce that Matthew Wright is one of three new trustees to join the OHMI Board.
Matthew is a senior lecturer at the University of Southampton. He joined the University’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research first as an undergraduate and PhD student, before becoming a research fellow and currently senior lecturer. As such, he researches sound and vibration in all its forms, from aircraft noise, audiology and signal processing, to how to improve acoustics in teaching spaces and meeting rooms. Matthew’s professional life presents the perfect opportunity to combine a love of science and music. He had always been a keen amateur musician on the piano and violin, and enjoys playing one-handed concertina for Morris dancing. A diagnosis of neurofibromatosis in his twenties means that he has an innate understanding of some of the frustrations faced by musicians living with a progressive muscular weakness. Dr Stephen Hetherington, OHMI’s Chairman, comments, “We’re delighted to welcome Matthew to OHMI’s Board. He has exceptionally strong intellectual and practical skills, demonstrated by his research, publications and the wide range of instruments he plays or has adapted. As OHMI's core mission is the provision of high-quality instruments for people with physical impairments, his contribution will be invaluable.” Matthew adds, “Instruments that can be played with one hand should not be considered out of the ordinary. In fact, the pipe and tabor used in Morris dancing – one of the oldest instruments in the world – were each designed to be played one handed (allowing the musician to play both instruments simultaneously). I’d like to help extend OHMI’s work to bring even more one-handed musical instruments into the mainstream; particularly in the classroom. I’m a technologist so I am, of course, attuned to how adaptations to musical instruments affect the quality of sound. I’m also a disabled person so equally as important is breaking down barriers relating to attitudes; in particular, making sure that adapted instruments are not only technically capable of being played, but are also regarded as serious instruments by the music community.” All at OHMI extend their warmest welcome to Matthew. The article on fellow new trustee Claire Salters can be accessed here. The article on our third new trustee, Emma Brown, will be published in due course.  Clare Salters new trustee to join the OHMI Board We are delighted to announce that Clare Salters is one of three new trustees to join the OHMI Board.
Clare is a former senior civil servant, who worked for many years on the Northern Ireland peace process. By her own admission, it means she can help OHMI on all the ‘nerdy’ governance stuff! She brings a long-standing commitment to improving inclusion in music-making as Chair of a children’s disability charity (Reach, where she created the Reach oRchestRa), teacher at a local music service (Wandsworth Music), trustee of another local music service (Hounslow Music Service) and as a trustee of another music and disability charity (the Music of Life Foundation). Clare was first introduced to OHMI five years ago when she was looking for an adapted recorder for her friend’s daughter, Maria, who was born with an upper limb difference. (Maria has since moved on to play the clarinet, and joined Clare and fellow musician Rowan to perform as the world’s first trio of one-handed clarinet players at OHMI’s tenth anniversary event in 2021.) Since then, Clare has become a stalwart supporter of all things OHMI, and has been heavily involved in its endeavours to create a 3D printed clarinet. Dr Stephen Hetherington, OHMI’s Chairman, comments, “Clare has an innate understanding of our ethos that the art of making music is a fundamental human right. With her extensive background in charity governance and a track record of problem solving and finding ways through (not around) barriers, she will, undeniably, be a wonderful asset to our charity.” Clare adds, “I see OHMI as the magic wand that transforms people’s lives. The team applies drive and enthusiasm in its approach to complex needs, and artfully brings together engineering, craftsmanship and music to solve problems. “I’m convinced that, without the work of OHMI, people living with physical disabilities would be excluded from music making. If a child is excluded from full participation in a whole class music lesson, this risks them assuming that they can’t participate in music-making and in turn, feeling that they are somehow ‘less’ and they should lower their expectation of themselves. This diminished expectation risks colouring every aspect of their lives. As well as the impact on the individual, without OHMI the world risks missing out on talented people who, with an appropriate adaptation, can contribute musically at the highest levels. I’m looking forward to helping more musicians get the opportunity to shine.” Articles on OHMI's two other new trustees will follow in due course. |
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August 2022
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