Drake Music
Drake Music are leaders in music, disability and technology. We are innovators, educators, curators and advocates. We believe everyone has the right to express themselves creatively through music. We use innovative technologies and ideas to open up access to music for all.
Our vision is a world where disabled and non-disabled musicians work together as equals. We work towards this through our four programme strands: Learning & Participation, Training & Consultancy, Research & Development and Artistic Development.
Related Content
Drake Music publish a new paper looking at inclusive practice in music education
February 11, 2020Drake Music, a national charity which breaks down disabling barriers to music, are calling for an end to the justification for practice that excludes, in a new paper written by disabled musician, actor and activist John Kelly. "What is inclusion? Making music is the key!" ...
Drake Music diversifies its board to become disabled-led
October 28, 2019Leaders in music, disability and technology, Drake Music have announced the appointment of a new Chair and four new trustees following an open call for Disabled applicants to become board members. The new board members are Jodi Alissa Bickerton (Graeae Theatre Company), Matt Lloyd (Consultant ...
Audience Feedback shapes the future of Defiant Journey
July 25, 2019I loved every minute of performing my scratch performance of Defiant journey at Stratford Circus. That is until near the end when basking with my cello under the beautiful lighting by David Abra and Charles Mathews I started to think, I have to write another funding ...
Defiant Journey – Scratch Performance, London, 11th April
April 4, 2019Raucous red, vibrant orange, enshrouded in midnight blue. From the dark recesses, Dragon transmits a powerful and protective veil of sound and colour. Outside, ever-multiplying, plagues of recovery model robots and care company mercenaries lie in wait... A ground-breaking inclusive electric cello experience by Jo-anne Cox, a ...
Tune In To Access – The Radical Sound of Many
March 22, 2019To celebrate Disabled Access Day on 16 March, Barbican, London hosted 'Tune In To Access,' featuring 'The Radical Sound of Many' five new pieces commissioned by Drake Music and composed and performed by emerging disabled talent. Review by Mik Scarlett. I know many Disabled people decry ...
Tune in to Access at the Barbican
March 11, 2019To celebrate Disabled Access Day on 16 March, Barbican in London will be hosting a day of performances by disabled musicians along with a panel discussion about Accessible Music Technology. DAO speaks to Eddie Shelter, Events Producer at Barbican ahead of the event. “The Barbican’s core ...
The year long funding application!
January 4, 2019Wow! It took me a year to fundraise for my project. I received the good news but my reaction was not as expected. Yes I was pleased, but utterly drained by the whole process. Another few days for it to sink in and I was ...
John Kelly: So Many Reasons To Be Cheerful
August 29, 2017Singer, songwriter and activist John Kelly’s life must feel like he’s on a runaway train. This month sees John begin another tour of Graeae Theatre Company’s riotous musical featuring the songs of Ian Dury, Reasons To Be Cheerful, and the release of a new single, ...
Drake Music-commissioned composer Lucy Hale talks about her work
July 21, 2017As part of their Connect & Collaborate London programme, Drake Music awarded four new musical commissions to disabled musicians at the end of last year. The pieces were premiered at DMResonate, billed as a bold, electric and eclectic evening of new music. Drake Music spoke ...
Drake Music DM Resonate – Let the Music Play
March 22, 2017On 17 March 2017 Drake Music hosted a special event showcasing a series of original commissions as part of its Connect and Collaborate programme working with disabled artists. The event took place at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London. Review by Mik Scarlet. For many years, ...
Unlimited supports Brazilian rapper Billy Saga’s first UK Tour to London, Bristol and Newcastle
September 6, 2016Drake Music, in partnership with Unlimited (delivered by Shape and Artsadmin), are producing the UK tour, as part of their aim to embed work by disabled artists within the cultural sector, reach new audiences and shift perceptions of disabled people. Billy Saga is one of the ...
National Paralympic Day and Liberty Festival returns to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
August 16, 2016The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced plans for this year’s ground-breaking National Paralympic Day and Liberty Festival, which returns to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 3 September, featuring world-premiere shows, giant interactive games and ParalympicsGB Carnival. Taking place four years on from the London ...
Reimagining Creativity
August 12, 2016Recently I’ve attended two MMU led events that I found particularly interesting, both of which broadly examined ‘human’ ways of being, notions of creativity and human flourishing. In connection with the first of these events – Theorising Normalcy And The Mundane - I have been working with ...
Drake Music announces exciting commissioning opportunities for deaf/disabled artists
July 30, 2016Music, technology and disability charity, Drake Music, has announced a series of brand new commissioning opportunities for Deaf and/or Disabled musicians in partnership with arts organisations from across London. There are four new and exciting commissions open to Disabled musicians, or artists who work with music ...
Pioneering coded guitar announced as part of Inclusive Creativity programme
June 20, 2016Drake Music have announced a partnership to build a revolutionary new type of guitar which can be played using just one finger, nicknamed the ‘Kellycaster’. The project is the brainchild of musician, performer and Disability Rights campaigner John Kelly, and will be developed as part ...
Arts Council green lights a project looking at a new way of conducting
March 18, 2016Young disabled conductor/composer, James Rose who conducts using a head-baton developed in partnership with Drake Music, has been awarded Arts Council Funding to do a Conducting Development Week starting on Monday 2 May at The Royal Academy of Music. The project will be documented and ...
Kris Halpin ‘The Gloves Are On’
March 7, 2016To celebrate Independent Venues Week in January, Attitude is Everything hosted The Gloves Are On, headlined by musician and technologist Kris Halpin aka Winter of '82. The show hit four venues across Guildford, Coventry, Bristol and London. Rowan James caught the performance at the Half ...
Attitude is Everything announce The Gloves Are On tour for Independent Venue Week
January 4, 2016As part of January 2016’s Independent Venue Week, leading music charity Attitude is Everything has announced The Gloves Are On tour. Headlined by Winter of ’82, the performing name of acclaimed singer and technologist Kris Halpin, the four-date tour kicks off at The Boileroom in Guildford on January 27th, before visiting Coventry, Bristol and London. As ...
Sonic Vistas rehearsals and performance / 6 September 2015
September 6, 2015We did it. The Sonic Vistas project has been an illuminating and expansive experience. In an extremely short period of time, 7 of us disabled artists/ musicians have devised and recorded 5 songs, for which I made 5 film projections (now videos). We performed them ...
Technology Is Key
May 22, 2015Mik Scarlet started out on the road to being a musician when he was given a toy electric keyboard and thanks to music technology, became one a handful of disabled musicians performing during a period when it was almost unheard of. Here he charts the ...
