Exciting research begins in adapted musical instrument design, build, learning and teaching

OHMI's General Manager Rachel Wolffsohn with Matt Shuttleworth at the 15th Anniversary Concert

​Matt Shuttleworth is passionate about making music as accessible as possible. His PhD research project with The OHMI Trust aims to help disabled musicians and teachers to better understand the process of learning/relearning to play an adapted instrument. 
 
Learning an instrument as a motor-impaired musician  
 
Matt was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks. Two bleeds on the brain at birth resulted in Cerebral Palsy, which affects his walking; he walks with a slightly dropped foot and has no independent movement in three fingers on his left hand. Doctors advised his parents that he would be unable to walk, sit, run or jump. There was a similar lack of expectation once he started school; his teachers assumed his physical impairment would limit his capabilities.  
 
It wasn’t until a teacher noticed the potential in his interpretation of the old English poem, Beowulf that a move out of the bottom set was put in place. Once suitably challenged, he started to excel academically.  
 
Born into a musical family, it was in musical performance where Matt showed his earliest promise. He took up piano at the age of 5, drums at 11 and the guitar at 18. From his earliest music lessons, he found that the instruments were not fit for purpose. The acoustic guitar – built for right-handed players – was particularly problematic as a lack of dexterity in forming chords with his left hand meant Matt needed to play the instrument left-handed.  
 
Over the years, his music teachers helped him find new ways to play and Matt adapted his technique to find workarounds but was there a limit to what was possible? 
 
Whilst taking his Grade 1 in drumming at the age of 14, he was advised that the physical challenges of a higher grade would likely be impossible for him to overcome. That lack of belief in his capabilities only spurred him on and he has since achieved his Grade 8 and has taught privately. 
 
Matt’s First-Class Honours Degree in Theology, Music and Worship from the London School of Theology (2017-2020) and a Master’s degree in Music Production from the University of York (2021-2022) have led him to studying for a PhD. 
 
 
Working with The OHMI Trust  
 
In September 2026, Matt began a three-month research study alongside his PhD to explore the lived experiences of service users who are musicians who learned to play an instrument, acquired a disability, and have now relearned to play and/or are relearning or learning to play on an adapted instrument. 
 
His first objective was to attend The OHMI Trust's 15th anniversary concert on September 12th 2026 at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to engage with a variety of users of adapted instruments, arrange follow-up interviews and examine some of the adapted instruments up close, in order to familiarise himself with the process of instrument design. 
 
The project will have a particular focus on the physiological and mental challenges of learning/relearning to play from the players’ perspective; as well as exploring the approaches used in adaptive instrument design by instrument manufacturers. It will offer insights from teachers who teach using adapted instruments. 
 
Matt said: “I’m a motor impaired musician who trained as a musician without knowing about instrument adaptations. I have a strong interest in making music as accessible as possible for others and am looking forward to increasing my knowledge of what is required to design, build, learn and teach students to play an adapted instrument and my understanding of the interplay between physical impairment, music and instrument design.” 
 
Observations from OHMI’s 15th Anniversary Concert from Matt’s Perspective 
 
“Prior to attending the concert and meeting a few of the participants, I did not know what to expect and what I experienced surpassed any expectations I had. Examining the intricate craftsmanship of the adapted instruments up close gave me a newfound appreciation for the ingenuity of the instrument makers and their ability to find innovative solutions in order to provide their clients with instruments that are fit for purpose and tailored to their requirements. Throughout the concert itself, I was continually blown away by the virtuosic playing of the performers and the bond that each of them had with their instrument. It felt as though each instrument was an extension of the individual playing it, and I left the event fully realising the meaning of the traditional proverb ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’. For me, notable highlights included the Flute and French Horn ensemble performance of Ferenc Farkas’ ‘Early Hungarian Dances from the 17th Century’, Freya Terris’ rendition of Alexander Scriabin’s ‘Nocturne for the left hand only’ and Edit Van der Burg’s interpretation of Génin’s ‘Carnival of Venice Op. 14’. The experience not only challenged my perception of what is possible but also whetted my appetite to explore the world of adapted instruments further and advance the work of the OHMI Trust.” 
 
Project outputs  
 

• A report detailing Matt’s research findings to help disabled musicians understand the process of learning/relearning to play an adapted instrument. 
• At least three case studies detailing the lived experiences of disabled musicians. 
• An academic article to a peer-reviewed journal, focused on the teaching aspect of adapted instruments. 

 
This research is being funded by White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (an AHRC-supported Doctoral Training Partnership of the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York).