Drake Music Scotland - Playback project
10th anniversaries
Playback anniversary music celebration project
Drake Music Scotland and the Youth Music Initiative
'We believe that everyone has the ability to participate in making music' (Drake Music Scotland website).
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Drake Music Scotland creates music-making opportunities for people of all ages and with a wide range of disabilities. Although based in Edinburgh, the organisation works throughout Scotland, often with people who are unable to use conventional musical instruments. |
Instead, Drake Music's projects use cutting-edge technology such as sound beams and switches which enable participants to develop musical skills, improvise and compose.
In addition to their work directly with disabled people, Drake Music also provide staff training in conjunction with local authorities and other agencies. This ensures that their work has a sustainable lifespan beyond each specific project.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Drake Music Scotland's creation in July 1997.
Another organisation preparing for 10th anniversary celebrations is the Playback Trust. Formed in September 1998 to campaign for better resources and recreational opportunities for young people with disabilities, Playback now works directly with young people to give them a voice in the media both locally and nationally.
| This project evolved from the young people involved with Playback, who wanted to mark the two anniversaries in some way. Discussions with Drake Music resulted in a plan to create a celebration CD, and so the project became a series of workshops aimed at developing musical and creative skills in order to compose a song. |
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The workshops took place over two summer weeks, and were followed by recording and editing in Drake Music's custom-built studio.
Thursa Sanderson (Director, Drake Music Scotland) explains:
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'The song, 'Sense of Independence', touches on issues such as the visibility of young people with disabilities in the media and the importance of them having a say in decisions that affect them, at whatever level they are taken be it in their own family, local services or national policy making.' |
The song will form part of a celebration CD which will be available to supporters and friends of both organisations.
The Playback project was part of Drake Music's 'In and Out of Edinburgh Schools' programme, which was awarded funding from the YMI's informal sector fund in January 2007.
Other strands of the project involve music workshops in Edinburgh's special schools, with activities including creative music-making, listening, ensemble work, improvisation and composition. The workshops are combined with staff training in music technology.
| For more information about the 'In and Out of Edinburgh Schools' project, contact Thursa Sanderson. For more information about YMI funding, see our funding pages for organisations and individuals. | |