Drake Music - South West (Bristol)
Drake Music has been working in the South West since 2000, mostly in schools, although we are equipped to work in other settings and with people of all ages. Our aim is to break down disabling barriers to music - physically disabling barriers in particular - using Assistive Music Technology. We're about active participation and enabling disabled people to realise their full musical and creative potential. In addition to running music sessions for groups and individuals we are available for consultancy and training.
Click on the youtube clip to see Charlotte (St. Rose's school) playing an abridged arrangement of the prelude to Bach's Cello Suite no. 1 using a midi motion sensor and 2 switches.
To hear more music, check out the Drake Music MySpace
Current work
We are running a range of group, one-to-one and inclusive music making sessions and / or delivering training at:
Hareclive Youth Centre, Hartcliffe, Bristol
Emersons Green Primary School, Bristol
Sing Up
We are working closely in partnership with Sing Up to make their national singing programme accessible to disabled pupils as part of their 'Beyond The Mainstream' project. This involves the creation of accessible resources for children with a range of needs, including those with communication difficulties, as well as a training package for teachers and music leaders. Resources should be available to download from the Sing Up Song Bank from September 2009.
Curriculum Development
We are pioneering a Curriculum Development Initiative which, among other things, seeks to promote access to accreditation in music for disabled pupils through:
• Creating pathways to accreditation for disabled pupils who face barriers to progression & accreditation within the National Curriculum for music at KS 3 & 4
• Lobbying and working with exam boards, teacher training institutions and any others who can impact on improving access to accreditation in music
• Collating, disseminating and promoting information on all accreditation options for disabled pupils, in order to raise awareness and broaden access
We have created a four unit music course, accredited by the National Open College Network at Entry level, level 1 and level 2. The course is currently being piloted at St. Rose's School and should be available more widely from January 2010.
Conferences
We are presenting at a number of conferences and events including:
The Sing Up 'Beyond The Mainstream' gathering, Birmingham, 3rd July
The Music Leader 'Engage' conference Bath Spa Uni, 7th July
The National Association Of Music Educators annual conference York Uni, 19th September
The Communication Matters National Symposium Leicester Uni, 20th September
Colin and Bill's Musical Journeys!
Colin Williams has been collaborating with local early years music expert Bill Roberts of 'Play It!' to produce this taster session designed to get early years pupils in SEN and neighbouring mainstream schools working together. Using acoustic instruments, Soundbeam, switches and songs the children go on a musical journey to the jungle, the beach, outer-space and almost anywhere else their imagination might take them. So far the Musical Journeys have visited New Fosseway, Warmley and New Siblands schools in Bristol as well as Fiveways School in Yeovil, Baytree School in Weston-Super-Mare, Larkrise School in Trowbridge and Penrose school in Bridgwater among others. If you would like 'Musical Journeys' to visit your school, please get in touch using the contact details below!
A St. Roses student plays blues guitar using a 'MIDI Compass'
Recent work
Following her Bronze Arts Award achievement in 2008, Charlotte White (featured in the video above) was commissioned to compose music for and perform at the Northern Lights Music Festival in Tromsø, Norway in January 2008. Charlotte composed three pieces using Sibelius accessed via The Grid 2 and a SmartNav hands-free mouse . Listen to Charlotte's composition 'The Sønn is born (Summer Day)' recorded by Elin Skogdal and musicians from the Tromsø symphony Orchestra on the Drake Music MySpace or watch videos of the performance on Youtube. This opportunity was made possible by the SKUG Assistive Music Technology centre at Tromsø Culture School with whom we are planning further collaborative music projects.
Within the last few years we have also worked at:
New Siblands School, Thornbury
Heart Of The Forest Community School, Coleford
New Fosseway School, Hengrove, Bristol
Three Ways School, Bath
Florence Brown School, Bristol
The Briarfield Centre, Bristol
St. Christopher's School, Bristol
Assistive Music Technology
We use a range of specialist and 'mainstream' music technology including (not an exhaustive list):
This software is controlled using instruments and accessible hardware from:
Contact
For more information please contact Doug Bott, Regional Programme Manager for the South West.
email: dougbott'at'drakemusicproject.org (where 'at' should of course be @. The actual email address has been removed to guard against SPAM)
office: 0117 3533614
mobile: 07940 503535
Drake Music SW, C/o Claremont School, Henleaze Park, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 4LR
Regional Programme Managers
Associate Musicians
Donations
To make a donation towards our work in the South West, please go to the How You Can Help section.
We are extremely grateful to all current and recent funders, donors and partners who directly support work in the South West: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Youth Music BBC Children In Need Sing Up UPCC, GASFEST Kirby Laing Foundation, Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust, Bramble Charitable Trust, John James Foundation Four Acre Trust PROPS Summerfield Charitable Trust Creative Partnerships Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Off The Record The Ernest Cook Trust Charlotte White Youth Opportunities Fund The Royal Northern College Of Music, Wooden Spoon The Elmgrant Trust, Bristol Arts and Music Service Claremont School, Bristol St. Roses School, Stroud City Academy, Bristol Emersons Green Primary School, Bristol Penrose School, Bridgwater
