creativity.music.technology
Drake Music is a music and technology organisation. We provide disabled musicians of all ages with progression routes into music and the cultural sector in general.
Since 1988 we have pioneered the use of Assistive Music Technology to make music accessible and have developed a wealth of innovative and creative approaches to teaching, learning and making music through a range of music and cross-art initiatives.
Our focus is firmly on nurturing musical and creative ability, exploring, using and testing music and digital technologies in imaginative ways. This allows us to extend access to music and to connect disabled and non-disabled musicians and many others locally, nationally and internationally.
Drake Music projects and programmes are delivered across the following 3 strands: Participation & Learning, Research & Development, Consultancy & Training. We work in partnership with schools, universities, arts organisations, local authorities, music services, software developers as well as individual artists, composers, musicians and music technologists.
Our current work takes place in the South West, North West, East Midlands and London/South East.
Connecting Across Difference performance
Features:
CONNECTING ACROSS DIFFERENCE
DRAKE MUSIC IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FURTHERFIELD.ORG
Featuring students from Arnhem Wharf, Beatrice Tate and George Green’s schools, as well as participants from The Roundhouse.
Drake Music commissioned a team of composers, artists and musicians to create and direct the performance of a new work on the theme of Connecting Across Difference. A season of creative workshops with young musicians from mainstream and special schools in the borough of Tower Hamlets and from The Roundhouse in Camden culminated on Friday 20th March 2009 with a live multimedia performance at The V&A Museum of Childhood.
Connecting Across Difference was inspired by visits to the Museum of Childhood and imaginative and playful explorations of the challenges and excitement of encountering and coming to know people who are different; who speak differently, have different ambitions, interests, skills and abilities, or who have different traditions and histories. These ideas are played out in the narrative of the piece The Spell; a journey unfolds where creatures from different worlds go on a musical adventure to discover new ways to talk and play together using old and new instruments. A sculptural installation provided a visual analogue to the new musical performance.
The project blog www.connectingacrossdifference.net has made it possible for participants from different school groups to share their work in the form of images, video and sounds.
Connecting Across Difference featured a mentoring programme for the project’s three associate musicians, providing opportunities to develop their skills and experience in a participation and outreach setting. The three musicians are currently involved in our Youth Music Mentor programme in the London region .
Harry Head & The Hunters
Harry Head and The Hunters
Drake East Midlands is very proud of being a part of a project with Harry Head and the Hunters. This Ashfield guitar group is made up of 9 disabled people led by semi-professional guitarist Harry Head. Harry plays in a professional band called ‘White Wing’ and started the group not only to share his skills in playing the guitar but also to encourage other disabled people to learn a new skill in music.
Drake Music East Midlands has teamed Harry and the group with producer Kevin Thorpe to make an album at a professional studio in Ollerton Nottinghamshire (www.bluewaterstudios.co.uk) and will be available to buy (also as a download from iTunes).
The album has 11 original tracks written by Harry and the group with the help of Kev Thorpe, and has had input from musicians such as:
Jez Meek, Bass (Joan Armatrading, Paul Carrack, Elkie Brooks, Chris Rea, Take That, Spice Girls and most recently S Club Seven)
Wayne Proctor, Drums. Wayne has worked with producers such as Jim Gaines (Santana, Van Morrison), Mike Nielsen (Jamiroquai, Snow Patrol, Tom Baxter), Steve Evans (Robert Plant, Goldfrapp, Thea Gilmore), Matt Butler (Paul McCartney, Katie Melua, Rush) and has also played many sessions for the ‘19 Miles High’ production team with producer Tim Wilson, recording drums for Fin, Fall Of Jupiter, Dead Nettles, Comic Book Heroes and Hello Girl.
One of the tracks was even bouncing back and forth across the water to input from George Marinelli, currently the guitarist in Bonnie Raitt Band, guitarist for Bruce Hornsby and The Range, James Taylor and many others.