Disability and access in conservatoire education: a discussion of higher music education provision for people with physical disabilities

Emma Brown, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, UK

In the UK over the last few years, there has been a push towards inclusivity in the music industry, particularly in music education. While the recent National Plan for Music Education (Department for Education, 2022) is not a statutory document, it encourages inclusive practices in music education in schools, with an emphasis on making music accessible to all. A significant portion of the research surrounding music and disability focuses on the therapeutic and rehabilitative effects of music, encapsulated in ‘The Power of Music to Change Lives’ (Hallam and Himonides, 2022). Alternatively, music and disability has been explored from a disability studies perspective by leading authors in the field such as Alex Lubet and Joseph N. Straus. However, as Low argues, ‘there is a deficit in research that explores disability and music from the perspective of the musicians themselves’ (2018). Additionally, most of the research that explores music education and disability focuses on the early stages of learning, meaning that the ways that musicians with physical disabilities progress, and the challenges that they meet through higher music education are not fully understood. My doctoral research aims to explore higher music education provision from the perspectives of disabled students.

Developments in adapted instruments and new interfaces for music making are progressing at pace, creating new possibilities for disabled young musicians to continue their musical development with tools that support and facilitate ever-higher levels of virtuosity. However, these developments in tools and equipment have not been matched with developments in the higher music education sector. Conservatoires, music colleges, and universities have yet to develop pathways which enable a disabled musician to train on an adapted instrument, or with instruments that can be changed to mitigate the challenges of health conditions that worsen over time.

After becoming a bilateral, below knee amputee in 2021, I began a two year Masters degree at conservatoire in flute performance. Whilst I acknowledged that undertaking a Masters degree as a newly disabled person would be a challenge, I reassured myself that my skills as a flautist were not affected by my lack of feet, and so I expected to have an education experience similar to my peers. However, I experienced significant barriers to progression through conservatoire, both in terms of the physical aspects of the facilities available, and latent attitudes that permeate many aspects of the student experience. Further discussions with disabled students have revealed that my experience was not unique, which has led me to undertake doctoral research exploring disability and access in conservatoire education. In this presentation I will share emerging findings from my research, alongside reflections of my own experiences and those of other students with disabilities.