AHRC Music and Disability Grant
Deconstructing the barriers to music participation
Our Arts and Humanities Research Council grant work is deconstructing the barriers to full participation to music and providing a space for transdisciplinary exploration and debate. The network will bring together academics and professionals from various fields including; music education, instrumental science, music technology, music psychology, medical and neurological sciences, as well as policy makers, charity organisations, funders, musicians, music practitioners and those working in the music sectors, to four network events.
Music equality is the goal for new BCU research project
The research project, which also involves Imperial College London and The OHMI Trust, is being funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It will explore the wider issues of underrepresentation and discrimination within education and employment.
About the project
Currently, there are profound differences in language and discourse between fields of research and practice, impacting the provision for and progression of disabled musicians. The way forward has to be through the critical discourses that can arise from collaborations, networking and exchanging knowledge.
Four network events within the AHRC networking grant will create opportunities for transdisciplinary discussion, debate and research. We will question and seek opportunities to resolve issues regarding the complex and multifarious barriers to full participation in music-making faced by disabled people. These include educational, technical, material, health and institutional problems, alongside ideological, attitudinal, policy, and structural obstacles.
Our overall objective with this network is to provide structured opportunities for building collaborative, transdisciplinary research partnerships which can overcome these barriers, while acknowledging the complexity of this multifaceted issue. The network will host four events exploring issues related to educational pathways, techno-solutionism, a sustainathon and transdisciplinary perspectives on inclusion.