Today (21 September), charity Drake Music is launching a consultation to investigate the barriers that disabled people face in relation to formal music education. The organisation hopes the findings will assist in achieving its core aim of breaking down disabling barriers to music and to help support the needs of some of the 1.7 million children and young people with special needs in England.
Drake Music is calling on all those with an interest in music education and SEN/Disability (SEND) issues to respond to the consultation by the 2nd November. All respondents will be entered into a prize draw to win a Skoog – a new musical instrument that’s accessible to many SEN/Disabled young people. The charity hopes to publish the findings by the end of the year.
To coincide with the consultation, Drake Music is also launching a new series of DM Education web pages on its website at: www.drakemusic.org/dm-education. These pages will enable users to share information on accessible music resources and courses, as well as the experiences of disabled people in formal music education. The web pages are a place to publicise and promote information on all aspects of the SEND ‘kaleidoscope’ in relation to formal music education, the curriculum and accreditation, as well as providing a forum to share experiences and discuss issues.
Doug Bott, DM Education Manager said:
“Despite the importance of music to many SEN/Disabled children and young people, very few gain accreditation of any kind in music and formal curriculum pathways remain poorly defined. We hope the findings of this consultation will help to inform the work of DM Education, enabling us to increase access for disabled people to formal music education.
“As part of DM Education, we are also promoting the importance of creating and sharing accessible software resources for learning and assessment, which not only make musical pathways accessible to students, but also provide a course framework for teachers. We have created our own ‘Introduction to Music’ course, which includes a range of accessible resources that we can now share. Ultimately, we hope that such resources will make it possible for more teachers to provide for children and young people with SEND.”
To respond to the consultation, please visit: www.drakemusic.org/dm-education
