Drake Music at the 2025 ABLE Assembly Conference, Boston, USA

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UK Leaders in Accessible Music Share Best Practices at Berklee 

 

Members of the ABLE assembly (as listed in main article) lined up in front of a projector screen in a dimly lit room at Berklee.
Description: Members of the UK delegate on stage at ABLE Assembly Conference.

 

From April 11–13, 2025, the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, hosted the ABLE Assembly: Arts Better the Lives of Everyone Conference. A cohort of leading UK organisations from the field of music and disability were invited, including Drake Music, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, RNIB, Falmouth University, the Association for Events Management Education, and Attitude is Everything. 

Over the course of three days, the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE) hosted a series of sessions centered on accessibility in music and arts education. The event started off with an excellent performance from John Kelly, who was invited by Drake Music to perform at the opening reception. The remainder of the UK ‘takeover’ served as a dynamic platform for sharing best practices between UK and US organisations, exploring emerging research in accessible musical instrument design. 

John Kelly and a guitarist performing on-stage at the ABLE Assembly reception. John is sat in his wheelchair, playing The Kellycaster and singing into a microphone.
Description: John Kelly performing at the opening reception.

 

The speaker lineup featured prominent voices from across the UK music and disability sectors. These included: 

Tim Yates, Research and Innovation Executive, Drake Music, Sally Currie, CEO, Drake Music, John Kelly, Musician, Drake Music, John Shortell, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Musicians’ Union, Tom Kiehl, Chief Executive, UK Music, Jay Pocknell, Music Support Officer, RNIB and Project Manager, Sound Without Sight, Adrian Bossey, Head of Subject at Falmouth University and Chair of the Association for Events Management Education and Andrew Lansley, Campaign and Commercial Partnerships Consultant, Attitude is Everything.

 

Tim Yates, John Kelly and Sally Currie sat on-stage in front of a projector screen at Berklee, with stage lighting shining on them.
Description: The Drake Music team on stage, delivering a talk on AMIC.

 

To conclude the conference, Drake Music delivered a workshop on AMIC – the Accessible Musical Instrument Collection. AMIC is a long-term initiative to create the world’s most comprehensive collection of accessible instruments, supported by a robust research programme and information resource. The project aims to address structural challenges that limit the availability, affordability, and usability of accessible musical instruments around the world. The MIDI Association recently featured AMIC in a dedicated article, highlighting its significance as well as exploring other areas of our work.  

About the ABLE Assembly and Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education 

The Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education continues to be a driving force for inclusion across all disciplines of visual and performing arts education. The ABLE Assembly conference offered a valuable professional development opportunity, uniting educators, artists, researchers, policymakers, school administrators, program leaders, and students committed to accessible arts. 

The 2025 conference was held both in-person and online, enabling broad participation. Attendees had the chance to connect, collaborate, and learn from one another in an inclusive environment. A highlight of the weekend was the free concert by the Music Inclusion Ensemble at the Berklee Performance Center on Saturday, April 12 which featured Gaelynn Lea, and Cambridge Common Voices. 

To find out more about how you can support Drake Music’s activities, please email info@drakemusic.org.