UK charity, Drake Music, has released a new guide which aims to help the music education sector to diversify its workforce and to support young Disabled people in becoming music leaders in the future.
We All Make Music comes in the wake of a 2017 research project, Disabled people in the music education workforce, which found that Disabled people are severely under-represented in the music education and arts workforces, and a Guardian article in which Drake Music discussed the need for actions and changes.
It is hoped that the guide will support people across the sector to become changemakers and to break down disabling barriers to careers in music education and the arts.
Advocacy and inclusion
Following on from this, Drake Music is launching a new programme of strategic music education work, funded by Youth Music, called Think22. It will put youth voice at the heart of the charity’s work and will further develop the advocacy, workforce and inclusion work of its recent three-year programme, Think2020.
Carien Meijer, Chief Executive of Drake Music, said:
‘Access to music is a human right and a joy. For many people, the chance for creative self-expression through music begins at school. The music education workforce must become more diverse in order to better serve the diverse population of young people it aims to reach.
‘This guide is the culmination of the learning, growth and change which has taken place during the three years of our Think2020 programme. At Drake Music, 38% of our overall staff team identify as Disabled and 43% of our paid music leaders identify as Disabled. These figures reflect our active response to the need to diversify our workforce and show that change is achievable.’
