Drake Music is the leading national organisation working in music, disability and technology.
Who we are
Drake Music is a national arts charity working across the UK. We have bases in Bristol, Manchester and London. We are a National Portfolio Organisation for Arts Council England and are also funded through Youth Music.
• We have been pioneering the use of assistive music technology for over 20 years. This enables more people to make music.
• In that time, we have developed lots of imaginative methods of teaching, learning, writing and playing music.
• We are specialists in using technology to break down disabling barriers to making music.
What we do
Central to our work is the belief that everyone can fulfill their creative and musical potential, given the right opportunities.We work where music, disability and technology meet to:
• Create opportunities and instruments that make music fully accessible
• Increase participation in music-making at all levels
• Build an integrated musical culture where disabled and non-disabled musicians work together as equals
Our skilled team has an excellent track record of developing and delivering outreach, training and education initiatives for disabled musicians of all ages and abilities.We research and develop new accessible musical instruments and technologies to create more ways with, by and for disabled people to make music.
Our artistic development programme supports disabled musicians to progress their work and we offer training and consultancy for teachers, music hubs and other organisations.
Go Compose
Go Compose is an accessible music course based in Liverpool for young disabled people ages 16-25 who are particularly interested in learning about creating music on their own terms.
This is part of the national Go Compose programme from Sound and Music, the national organisation for new music, with generous support from Youth Music.
Go Compose has provided young Disabled participants with a unique opportunity to work with professional composers and musicians to:
• Explore their musical ideas
• Develop, perform, and record their own compositions
• Discover their own musical voice
• Work creatively with others to realise their ideas
• Gain new skills and confidence
• Understand opportunities available to pursue their interest in composing
Drake Music’s Go Compose associate musicians
Jon Hering (composer & music leader)
Georgina Aasgaard (cellist & music leader)
Kris Gjerstad (technologist, turntablist & music leader)
Lucy Hale (young Disabled trainee DM music leader & Royal Northern College of Music MA student in composition)
