 Aiden Post with a one-handed saxophone after acquiring a brain injury March marks Brain Injury Awareness Month, a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of brain injuries caused by sports, accidents and long-term disabilities.
For anyone who has lost the use of a limb, it can be a challenging and upsetting time with a loss of those activities that can usually be counted upon to lift mood. For some people, this might be sport. For others, creative pastimes like playing a musical instrument. Musicians often see music as a key part of their identity. When that’s taken away, it can create a loss of confidence, and musicians with adaptive needs often report a profound sense of grief. A slow but sure return to music-making brings the emotional benefits of reducing stress hormones and increasing dopamine levels but also supports social reconnection when playing in a group. Music-making brings significant benefits for a patient’s physical recovery too. It is one of very few activities that activate the whole of the brain at the same time, including the Motor cortex (for movement); Auditory cortex (hearing); Visual cortex (reading music); Cerebellum (coordination); Prefrontal cortex (planning & attention); and Limbic system (emotion). The road to recovery is often, however, a long one. We’ve listed some of the ways music-making can help address the challenges associated with a brain injury:
Digital instruments are also available which require a lighter action compared to a traditional musical instrument such as the Artiphon Instrument 1 (an entry level solution that looks like the neck of a guitar but can create a variety of sounds), the LinnStrument (that can be played through any midi software); and Chapman Stick (which plays like a guitar). The OHMI Instrument Hire Scheme offers over 400 different instruments and pieces of enabling equipment for musicians with adaptive needs and, for musicians who are unsure about which adapted instrument or enabling equipment might be best suited to their needs, OHMI Connect is a free online resource to help inform their decisions.
Have a question about your return to music-making after a brain injury? Feel free to get in touch with the team at OHMI.  A long-held concern here at OHMI is that the demand for adapted instruments and enabling equipment far outstrips the number of instrument makers who can apply their talents to their design and creation.
Our project to create a 3D-printed one-handed recorder is one of the ways in which we are trying to facilitate the move from small to large-scale manufacturing. We were delighted to secure the support of Arts Council England in our endeavours, and commissioned Peter Worrell, a master instrument maker and long-time supporter of OHMI’s work, to set about designing and creating a 3D-printed one-handed recorder. The project has led to the creation of a working prototype and Peter Worrell how in this 15-part video series, designed to support others who wish to follow the process. The steps are as follows:
Inclusive music-making receives a welcome boost as OHMI announces date for teacher training16/2/2026
 Teachers who are committed to inclusive music-making are being invited to attend OHMI’s one-day training course to help assess individual needs.
The CPD course, which will be held on Friday, 27th March 2026, is being delivered in partnership with Birmingham City University (BCU) and takes place at their City South Campus in Edgbaston. The training builds on OHMI’s years of experience in finding solutions to enable musicians to play the instruments they want to play, and is designed to pass on that knowledge so that local teachers and music services can serve the children in their area. Rachel Wolffsohn, OHMI’s General Manager, added, “This highly practical training aims to give music teachers an understanding of the adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment on offer so they can match to a child appropriately. 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. Many of the team at OHMI have lived experience as music teachers so we’re well-versed in finding those creative solutions. We just need to raise awareness within schools and music hubs that we have the means to do so.” Comments from previous attendees of the course: “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.” Mark Lowe, Music Inclusion Manager at Inspiring Music (the Music Service for Central Bedfordshire) “The training was a real eye-opener when it came to assessing both physical disability and neurodiversity needs. With the help of OHMI, we’re able to better assess needs and source appropriate solutions. It is SO important that children with additional needs are not squirrelled away to work on other activities whilst their peers get to make music!” Andrew Hird, Partnership Manager at Lincolnshire Music Service Book your place at: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/theohmitrust/1979228  Hazel Boyd Introducing Hazel Boyd
With her mechanical engineering expertise and an in-depth understanding of design for disabled people, Hazel Boyd certainly has the skills to make a difference in her role as OHMI’s Instrument Development Manager. The role of Instrument Development Manager at OHMI relies on a distinct set of talents, with an understanding of adapted musical instrument design, product development and process, and the ability to engage with instrument makers, musicians and teachers alike. Add to that the bespoking often needed for each musician’s needs and there exists a complex set of requirements. They are challenges that OHMI’s newest staff member, Hazel Boyd, is fully equipped to address. With a background in mechanical engineering, a PhD in the measurement of functional wrist motion and a 16-year background in working in design for disability, Hazel is arguably the perfect fit for the role. As she describes: “In my previous role at a national charity, I spent 16 years working in design for disabled people and I’m very interested in how people use things. By engaging with people and finding out what they wanted, we were able to implement a very iterative design process where subtle improvements were made at every stage whilst making sure we didn’t remove features without finding out if they were important.” Hazel’s experiences have also included 18 months of work in a music shop in Bristol to learn how to repair woodwind instruments. She first learned of OHMI’s work in 2024 when she was invited along to a NAMIR (the National Association of Musical Instrument Repairers) event where OHMI’s General Manager, Rachel Wolffsohn, was presenting on OHMI’s work. At the highest level, Hazel’s new role as Instrument Development Manager involves creating a long-term strategy for sustainable musical instrument development and implementation. The collection of data is critical to this process and, whilst OHMI has always gathered data, a more uniform, design-led approach will be an important step forward for the charity. It means that each instrument or piece of enabling equipment will have a product plan where any proposed changes have been fully discussed with both musicians and makers. It also means that the charity will be able to track the needs of each pupil, even if they change teachers or schools. At a more detailed level, the role involves connecting with makers on particular projects. This might include investigation into how to reduce manufacturing costs such as through 3D-printing of one-handed recorders. Similarly, how to improve a piece of enabling equipment to make it suitable for more instruments, such as adapting the bracket on a trumpet stand for use with the much smaller space-restricted pocket trumpet. There is regular engagement with musicians too, such as road-testing new products like the acoustic bagpipe chanter. The role can be seen as bridging the gap between capturing the requirements of the musicians and feeding that back to the makers in a way that makes sense in their creators’ world. As Hazel explains: “I’m able to produce some of the designs myself through my sketches and communicating enough of what's needed using a language that makers understand. “OHMI’s work is extraordinary. I love the variety and the opportunity to work with a small and very welcoming team. I am happy to be immersed in a world that genuinely makes things better by getting more instruments to more people.” “OHMI’s work is extraordinary and I am happy to be immersed in a world that genuinely makes things better by getting more instruments to more people.”  We are looking for someone with a passion for adapted musical instruments to join our team. Take a look at the job description below. We are particularly keen to hear from those with lived experience of physical impairment. Do share with anyone who might be interested! 
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