Meet the OHMI Team
Staff
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Rachel Wolffsohn
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Faye Oakland
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Megan Steinberg
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Julie Sellars
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Rachel studied Music and Education at Cardiff University and then Secondary Music Education at the University of Wales, Institute of Cardiff. After teaching secondary school music for a number of years she took an extended career break to care for her family before returning to work as the General Manager of the OHMI Trust in 2014. She has many years of experience as a school governor in the primary and secondary sector.
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Faye studied at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Welsh College of Music. She came to OHMI after experiencing the work of OHMI Music-Makers in her role as brass instrumental teacher in Nottingham Music Service. She has also taught as a class music teacher.
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Megan is a composer and turntablist who works with professional and amateur disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent musicians to create new and experimental music. Megan is studying for her PhD in Composition at Royal Northern College of Music in association with Drake Music. In 2024, she was listed by the BRIT Awards as a trailblazer in music, inclusion and accessibility. She loves games, architecture, baking and plays the guitar, violin and cello.
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Julie joined OHMI in January 2022 after working for 35 years in the Education Sector. After obtaining a B.Ed Honours Degree in Education, Julie continued to work in schools and colleges in a variety of roles, including sensory impairment support at the University of Worcester. Managing complex administrative roles is at the heart of Julie’s career.
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Trustees
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Clare Salters (Chair) |
Martin Dyke (Co-founder) |
Professor Andrew McPherson |
Liane Todd |
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Clare is a former senior civil servant, currently working freelance, both as a music teacher with particular interest in improving access for students with disabilities and as a panel member for the Judicial Appointments Commission.
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Martin has worked at Tyndallwoods solicitors for nearly 40 years specialising in commercial property transactions, landlord and tenant work and business disposal and acquisition.
He is head of the property team and is currently the managing director of the firm. He is vice chairman of governors of Blue Coat School, Birmingham. He holds a BA in Legal Studies. |
Andrew is professor of design engineering and music at Imperial College London's Dyson School of Engineering. His activities as a composer and researcher in augmented instruments, new performance interfaces and expressive performance modelling have been a catalyst for his involvement in the Trust.
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Liane has lived, studied and worked her whole life in the North East of England, both
performing and teaching. Her career was cut short when she was involved in an accident which resulted in her being left with life-changing disabilities and challenges. Determined to continue to make music, however, she now plays a one-handed clarinet! |
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Professor Martin Fautley |
Professor Matthew Wright |
Dr Mat Dalgleish |
Emma Brown |
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Martin is the recently retired professor of research in the School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University. He is widely known for his work on researching assessment in the classroom, and has a wealth of experience of music education and pedagogy.
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Matthew Wright is a Professorial Fellow in acoustical engineering in the University of Southampton’, where he has introduced a specialist module on the acoustics of musical instruments on the curriculum. He is also an active folk musician, playing a one-handed concertina for the Winchester Morris Men.
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Born near Birmingham, Mat grew up playing the trumpet and, later, the guitar as a one-handed musician. Since January 2023, Mat has been a Senior Lecturer in Game Audio and Technical Design at Staffordshire University, where he leads the audio provision in the UK’s largest game development department.
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Emma is a flautist, who is just completing a Masters of Music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She is the founder of Amputee Musicians UK, a network for musicians living with amputations or limb differences.
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Simon King |
Lia Mice |
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Simon is a Chartered Accountant who has held governance, risk and assurance roles in both the public and private sectors. Before working with large corporate and public interest organisations he had experience as internal and external auditor for housing associations and charities. He has been a Trustee of an educational trust and is a senior civil servant.
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Lia is an award winning multidisciplinary artist, educator and maker of oversized musical instruments. She is the Programme Leader of the MA Creative Music Production at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, London.
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Founder and Chairman Emeritus
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Dr Stephen Hetherington MBEStephen set up the OHMI Trust in 2011 with the aim of making all musical instruments playable by people with upper-body motor impairments after his hemiplegic daughter was unable to take part in her school orchestra. Together with fellow founder trustee Martyn Dyke, he set on a journey to raise awareness, make musical instruments accessible, provide training for music teachers, and to undertake much needed research.
In 2023, he moved from his role as a Trustee to become Founder and Chairman Emeritus. |
Patrons
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Alison Balsom OBEAlison is an English trumpet soloist, arranger, producer, and music educator. She has been a passionate advocate for music education, and has won numerous awards, including three Classic BRIT Awards and two Honorary Doctorates. She was honoured with an OBE for her services to music in 2016.
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Dame Evelyn Glennie CH, DBEEvelyn is recognised as the first musician to maintain a full-time career as a solo percussionist. She has travelled the globe, playing and recording with the world’s finest orchestras and ensembles. She lost her hearing in childhood and studied at the Royal Academy of Music.
Beyond the world of music, Evelyn is an avid public speaker, consultant, presenter and advocate for humanitarian causes. |
Ambassador
You can read more about us and access our annual reports in OHMI’s entry on the Charities Commission website.
