The purpose-built Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon opened in 1998, committed to creating and sustaining opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in and enjoy music. We deliver in-house and outreach education and community projects alongside a busy series of public concerts, writes Alexandra Tomkinson.
New Audiences funding in 2002/2003 enabled us to respond imaginatively to the Disabilities Discrimination Act (DDA) and develop inclusive practices through a long-term sustainable audience development project, across the entire programme and involving the whole organisation. Developed with a disability arts consultant, the resultant ?Moonraking? project worked primarily with adults with learning difficulties. Participatory activity included workshops at the Centre and in local resource centres led by disabled and non-disabled artists. There were also pre-concert events for disabled people attending performances at the Centre. The Ripple Effect, a powerful celebratory event, emerged from this work and involved over 100 learning-disabled people as leaders, performers, participants and audience. At all events there were opportunities to ?have a say? through music, mixed media, video and ?easy word and picture? feedback. Our annual partnership project with local special schools has become more inclusive, using video to celebrate new work with young people otherwise unable to perform because of the profound nature of their disabilities. Recent school leavers also trained with the music leaders to work as peer mentors.
To develop inclusive working practices, we provided training for staff and trustees centering on disability culture, the DDA, etiquette and inclusion. Front-of-house volunteers were also trained in customer care to support disabled people appropriately. ?Moonraking? informed a Disability Action Plan to which staff and trustees all had an input, ensuring strong ownership and whole organisation commitment. It incorporates artistic programming, marketing, customer care, education, capital development, governance, recruitment and training. As part of this, we presented our first professional disability arts event in the mainstage concert series, with a performance by Heart ?n Soul, and set up a fully accessible website. We are now scheduling integrated activity in the summer workshop programme, as well as staging accessible pre-concert events. To ensure we are fully compliant with the DDA, a CCTV link is being installed between the auditorium and a comfortable workshop room, enabling it to deliver an appropriate inclusion policy.
A new Youth Music-funded project ?Making Waves? is targeting a gap in leisure provision for young disabled people in the transition from school to young adult life. It aims to empower them to advocate for music in their life plans under the White Paper ?Valuing People?. Local music leaders are being trained to deliver disability arts work and to build a greater resource of skilled practitioners in the area. We are also building links with existing ensembles with the long-term aim of establishing integrated, inclusive clubs and groups at the centre.
Alexandra Tomkinson is Audience Development Officer at the Wiltshire Music Centre.
t: 01225 860110;
e: alexandra@wiltsmusiccentre.fsnet.co.uk;
w: http://www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk