Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Overview
On the 29th September 2017, a national symposium called ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ was hosted by Bristol Music Trust at Colston Hall in Bristol. The event brought together representatives from the music industry and music education sectors to explore how they might work more strategically to remove barriers to careers in the music industry for young, talented musicians with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEN/D).
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The provocation for the event was as follows: Despite recent progress in music education, there remain significant barriers to a career in the music industry and the arts for talented young musicians with SEN/D. This ‘Glass Ceiling’ can only be broken if music education and the music industry begin to work strategically together to remove these barriers. The day was facilitated by Philip Flood, CEO of Sound Connections and keynote speeches were given by Suzanne Bull, CEO of Attitude is Everything and DWP Sector Champion for Music, and Nerissa Taysom, Research Manager for The Music Commission (ABRSM). Two panels were also present; the first ‘Artist Panel’ comprised artists who are disabled and who have overcome barriers to forge a career in the music industry. The second ‘Industry Panel’ was made up of music industry organisations who either employ musicians or whose role it is to support and represent the interests of musicians. The panel discussions preceded breakout sessions during which delegates reflected on the key challenges, opportunities and actions necessary to ‘break the glass ceiling’.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Welcome and introduction from Bristol Music Trust
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Louise Mitchell, CEO of Bristol Music Trust, welcomed delegates and told them about the upcoming transformation of the Hall and how, when the hall reopens in 2020, it will boast three, fully-accessible professional performance spaces and an education, and studio complex which will act as a base for the National Centre for Inclusive Excellence (NCIE). Louise explained that the transformation will provide Bristol and the region with a fit-for-purpose, 21st century, civic asset which will match the aspirations of Bristol Music Trust and bring the life-changing power of live music to everyone.
Siggy singled out the work of the National Foundation for Youth Music, particularly its Fund C programme, which focuses on supporting music education hubs to become more inclusive, both in the activities they run for children and young people and in the way they train and support their music education workforce so that inclusion becomes ‘built-in’ not ‘bolted-on’. This more strategic approach is key to ensuring lasting change at an institutional level. He added that those organisations with a government mandate to support and improve music education (i.e. music education hubs) and music as an art form (i.e. Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations) should be seeking ways to join up their activities and begin to create destinations beyond the end of compulsory education which are accessible to everyone. In order to achieve a ‘musically inclusive England’ he said, there must be a musically inclusive industry.
Siggy Patchitt, Education Manager at Bristol Music Trust, then set the context for the day. He highlighted the disparity between the working age population of England who are disabled (19% at the last count) and the percentage of National Portfolio Organisation staff who are disabled (4%) and challenged those present to use the day to think hard about what might need to happen in order that this statistic might change. Acknowledging the recent progress in music education, Siggy pointed out that, even where the work is at its strongest, it is still small scale and is largely limited to school age children. Furthermore, when children with SEN/D leave school, they don’t have the same opportunities to progress into the industry that their non-disabled peers have. There is, in effect, a glass ceiling. This glass ceiling is both socially unjust and severely limits the arts sector from continuing to grow, and for it to reflect and include the whole of society.
Louise Mitchell CEO, Bristol Music Trust
“There is a place where education and industry overlap. We have a chance to chart that territory. To look at which structures help achieve social justice and which perpetuate social injustice; which breathe oxygen into our creative culture and which suffocate it. We have the chance to redefine excellence so that it excludes no one.” - Siggy Patchitt Siggy concluded by welcoming Suzanne Bull, CEO of Attitude is Everything.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Keynote 1: Suzanne Bull, CEO Attitude is Everything
Suzanne spoke about how Attitude is Everything’s Charter of Best Practice had influenced larger music venues to begin to work harder to make their spaces accessible to deaf and disabled customers. This has had an economic impact on Charter venue income as thousands of new customers have begun to attend concerts as a result. Three consecutive ‘State of Access’ reports (produced using feedback from 600 volunteer mystery shoppers who assess all aspects of accessibility in music venues - from physical access to the space, to the way they are treated by venue staff) have shown that the music industry is increasingly more active in increasing access for disabled audiences. Suzanne has recently become one of 10 DWP Sector Champions and, representing music, she is able to share the intelligence that Attitude is Everything has gathered with other sectors, such as retail, leisure, tourism and banking. But, Suzanne said, the progress made for audiences does not reflect the state of access for disabled artists. Suzanne believes that the reasons for this go beyond the difficulties that smaller venues (essential stepping stones for any artist) have in making the adjustments that larger venues might find easier due to more staff, bigger spaces and bigger budgets. She believes it is largely down to attitudes, stating “I believe it is also an issue of perception by some areas of the industry that disabled people don’t want to or can’t achieve careers as musicians.” As Ammo Talwar, of Punch Records said “Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.” Suzanne insisted that there is a wealth of talent in the UK but not enough opportunities to develop that raw talent. She called on those present to use the day to increase opportunities to showcase talent for emerging artists who are disabled.
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Attitude is Everything (AIE) have, since 2000, run Club Attitude, a gig that was inclusive to artists and audiences. Despite putting on successful gigs in London, Manchester, Brighton, Glastonbury, and even Brussels, the model wasn’t sustainable because the events remained isolated from the mainstream. It was when they began working with artist Kris Halpin in his ‘Gloves are on’ tour that they were able to catalogue the full range of issues faced by a disabled artist. After securing a grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, AIE set up ‘Breaking the Sound Barriers’, a programme that focuses on making improvements to small venues, and they have just launched a dedicated Charter for venues with less than 500 capacity. In November 2017, at their ‘Off the Record’ event, they will launch the new DIY guide for bands, artists and promoters, aimed especially for those who are putting on their own gigs but with no or limited resources to make them inclusive. Suzanne warned delegates that one-off events for a ghettoised audience is not the way to solve this issue. As one group of artists in the North East said “we’re sick of playing disabled gigs, we want to go mainstream!” It is, she said, pointless producing reports, guidelines, and toolkits if programmers and promoters aren’t booking more disabled artists. “The ball,” she said, “is in your court….What are you waiting for?”
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Breaking the Glass Ceiling Artist Panel The Artist Panel was made up of the following individuals:
Lloyd Coleman Associate Music Director, The Paraorchestra and Friends
Kris Halpin Independent touring artist and Drake Music Associate
James Rose Conductor, composer and Change Maker at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Charlotte White Youth Worker and music education practitioner with Bristol Plays Music and the National Open Youth Orchestra
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Artist Panel
Philip Flood, of Sound Connections, then asked the Artist Panel to tell their stories, focusing on the key challenges they faced, and highlighting any factors that enabled them to overcome these barriers. Lloyd Coleman began by telling delegates how, despite late speech development due to his hearing impairment, he never got the sense from his parents or teachers that it would inhibit his musicality. The result of this was that he never considered deafness as a problem. A key moment for him was when his piano teacher noticed that he had been playing by ear, rather than by reading the notation. This was because Lloyd was unable to see the notation on the page in front of him so his teacher magnified the pages and helped him to develop his sight reading. This adjustment allowed Lloyd to access more professional musical situations, which would not have been accessible to him had he continued to rely on memory alone. As a clarinettist in the National Youth Orchestra (still using magnified scores) Lloyd’s teacher recognised that his perception of his instrument and the sound it made was something which she could use to improve her own playing (i.e. being more conscious of the feel of the air, as opposed to solely relying on the sound the air was making). Lloyd concluded that he benefitted from having bespoke adjustments made for his needs and from flexible, creative teachers who were able to tailor his learning. He made the point that sustained support is crucial and reliance on short term funding to enable disabled people to have the same chances non-disabled people have is dangerous.
“Opportunities tend to disappear once the funding ends.” Lloyd Coleman
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James Rose told delegates that he had been conducting with his head since he was four years old. But it was only when taking part in the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony that he realised that he could do this at a higher level. James recognised that conducting is a profession which is hard for anyone to get into as there are no clear progression pathways. On top of this, James had no formal music qualifications and, due to his unconventional technique, found that he had to work very hard to sell the idea that what he wanted to do was even possible. He was about to apply for funding when he heard about a call out from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for their Arts Council England ‘Change Makers’ programme. He now conducts and composes for a professional orchestra. James feels strongly that perceptions of what people who are disabled can do in music need to be challenged and changed.
“If we can do this in music, we can influence the wider society.” James Rose
Charlotte White talked about how, when she lost her movement when she was 12 years old, music gave her control and independence. Moreover, it allowed her to show her teachers and others that she was capable of independence and creativity, and this positively affected her learning in other subjects. However, Charlotte made the point that, even though she was able to make music at school, at the end of the session, the instrument she played was taken away and she had to wait until the next session to play music again. This was a significant barrier to her musical development. Even when she joined the British Paraorchestra, her instrument wasn’t ‘off the shelf’ and was very technical and complex to set up. It wasn’t until she played the Linnstrument, a winner of the
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Artist Panel
One-Handed Musical Instrument Trust’s annual competition, that Charlotte felt that she was on a level playing field. Charlotte echoed James’ point about the inaccessibility of formal qualifications acting as a barrier to those who don’t play conventional instruments. She said that there are so few accessible instruments, places to play them and repertoire to play with them that people who are disabled don’t have the chance to hone their musical skills. There need to be alternatives to graded exams so that people with alternative instruments can access higher education (something Charlotte wasn’t able to do). There are a lot of fixed structures (such as repertoire) that are inflexible but need to be broken down in order to provide people with SEN/D with something to play, if they are musical. At the moment, there is very little that is suitable out there. The same goes for institutional barriers;
“Attitudes among the more traditional institutions are preventing disabled people from becoming great musicians.” Charlotte White
Kris Halpin said that, when he was growing up, the medical model of disability was the lens through which his impairment was viewed. For him, though, there was no perception of any limitations to his potential. He was naively optimistic. He was going to be a rock guitar legend. However, when he began playing gigs he found that he was often confronted with inaccessible stages and back stage facilities; something which limited Kris’ ability to perform and, especially, to tour.
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As he got older, his impairment began to change and affect his dexterity. This meant that Kris had to give up playing the guitar, which severely affected his confidence to the extent that he thought he would have to give up performing live altogether. He looked into the use of accessible music technology but, at the time, it simply wasn’t advanced enough to allow him to achieve the level of virtuosity to which he aspired. It was only when he met Gawain Hewitt at a Drake Music workshop that Kris discovered a way forward. Imogen Heap’s Mi.Mu gloves had been developed to allow Imogen to add a performance element to her live shows. But, for Kris, they gave him the gestural control which he was unable to achieve on any conventional instrument because of his impairment. Using the gloves, Kris began to perform again and linked up with Attitude is Everything for what was supposed to be a 2 week tour of the north of England. His ‘Gloves are On’ tour lasted over two years and took him to different countries, including the USA. This provided a valuable, in-depth look at the state of access and expectation for artists. Kris made the point that there is a long way to go before artists have the same access as audiences.
“There is a gulf between what is being done for audiences and what is in place for artists.” Kris Halpin
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Breaking the Glass Ceiling Industry Panel The Industry Panel was made up of the following individuals:
Sean Gregory Director of Learning and Participation, Barbican
Ellara Wakely Senior Learning Manager BBC Proms and London Performing Groups, BBC Ten Pieces
Phil Castang Head of Bristol Plays Music
Lisa Tregale Head of BSO Participate, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Chris Walters Education and Training Officer, The Musician’s Union
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Industry Panel
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The Industry Panel were asked to respond to what they had heard from the Artist Panellists.
“The sector needs to begin to join things up nationally.” Sean Gregory
Ellara Wakely spoke about how BBC are in a pivotal position to help address the challenges laid out by the Artist Panel. BBC is a large employer of musicians and provides music education activity across the UK. There are, she said, lots of big performance and broadcast platforms which BBC can provide for showcasing talent and influencing public perception of musicians who are disabled. She reiterated the point that there should be no compromise when it comes to music and disability and spoke about the value of learning from each other.
Pic: Dominika Scheibinger
Sean Gregory recognised that, whilst there had been progress within music education, is was a real struggle to embed this growing culture of inclusion into arts organisations and the music industry. He reiterated the need to make inclusion a part of core, long-term business modelling, rather than short-term, funding-dependent projects. He said that Barbican are committed to a vision of arts without boundaries or compromise, where industry access and excellence are part of a golden thread of lifelong learning which runs through formal, traditional and non-formal music making. He said that this work is impossible to do in isolation and that working with partners to achieve a greater impact is essential, adding that this should not be restricted to local partnerships.
“Sharing practice is an essential part of the process if we are to change things on a national scale.” Ellara Wakely
Phil Castang spoke about how attitudes to disability are sometimes subconscious and many people don’t see the impact that their natural tendency to preserve the status quo has on people who need things to change in order to achieve an equal footing within the music industry. From the point of view of a music education hub lead organisation, Phil said that hubs, on the whole, aren’t doing anywhere near enough to address this issue. Too many hubs still feel that giving everyone a chance to join in is enough but what they fail to acknowledge is that they are the ones who have the power to change the systems and frameworks and structures which are disabling factors to many musicians with SEN/D.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Industry Panel
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“If we don’t change the system, nobody else will.” Lisa Tregale acknowledged that there has been lots of great participatory work done. However, she said that the orchestra sector is nowhere near where it should be and the whole setup is inaccessible. This is, she said, not limited to the orchestras themselves. Audience expectation is also very fixed and inflexible. She admitted that blame for the lack of diversity in UK orchestras tends to roll down hill (orchestras blame conservatoires, who blame the music hubs, who blame the schools, etc) but, if anything is to change, it is up to the orchestras to reach down and work together with everyone involved to achieve change.
Pic: Dominika Scheibinger
Phil Castang
“Nothing that has been done so far has worked, so we need to do something more radical”
“Diversity in the workforce won’t change unless we do more to support emerging practitioners who have SEN/D”
Lisa Tregale
Chris Walters
Chris Walters said that two thirds of the 30,000 MU members teach. This is an area that needs some real focus as there is currently no obvious support mechanism in place for the next generation of musicians with SEN/D to develop their teaching skills. There is a lot of reaction but not enough proactive action and this is precisely what is needed to make change happen. He said that there is a need to join up the various sectors to provide more holistic and coordinated support for musicians with SEN/D and offer more suitable training to enable them to develop themselves professionally and musically. At the same time, we need to be working with government to help develop policies that are sympathetic and supportive.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Keynote 2: Nerissa Taysom, Research Manager for The Music Commission (ABRSM) Nerissa spoke about The Music Commission’s work, which, she said, is how all children and young people can be best supported to thrive and progress in their music. She drew delegates attention to the achievements of the South West Open Youth Orchestra and paid tribute to its artistic ambition and its work around involving new technologies and commissioning new works and, in doing so, developing fascinating new sound worlds. Nerissa then spoke about the aims of The Music Commission and was clear that they are not solely to look at frameworks of classical music or graded music. ABRSM acknowledges that graded exams, though useful for some, are not for everyone and the Commission wants to improve support and sustain progression for everyone, regardless of genre, circumstance, or ability. She added that the Commission is also very interested in the holistic experience of progression for the young musician, as the inventors, thinkers, listeners and explorers of music.
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She said that, in addition to collating the research that has already been undertaken on the subject, The Music Commission is interested in areas that are under-researched, or which haven’t yet been considered. The panel sessions, she said, had already provided lots of food for thought and she was looking forward to taking part in the delegate sessions later on. The final report will be published in September 2018 and Nerissa asked delegates to actively contribute, adding that in addition to the write up of the day’s discussions feeding into her research, she would welcome any individual input into the Commission’s research.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Delegate breakout sessions
Delegates then broke into eight groups and were asked to spend an hour reflecting on the morning’s speeches and discussions and, given the context of the day, agree key points to present back to the conference under each of the following headings: What is the biggest challenge? What is the biggest opportunity? What is the most urgent action? Feedback was as follows:
What is the biggest challenge? • T he rigidity and inflexibility of existing structure and attitudes within the music industry and music education • P reconceptions of what is and what isn’t possible for disabled people in music and in society in general • Lack of understanding of the social model of disability • Low parental expectations • Low aspiration among young people • Improving the recognition of personal improvement in music • The lack of a social scene for inclusive music • Institutional culture being too focused on the short term • Lack of role models for young people with SEN/D • Physical access to venues and the particular needs that artists may have • Lack of opportunities post school • Lack of dialogue between stakeholders (parents/carers, schools, hubs, venues, etc) • Making inclusive ways of working the norm • Fear of technology within traditional music making • L ack of understanding and confidence around financial independence for musicians with disabilities (benefits & self-employment, etc)
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Breaking the Glass Ceiling Delegate breakout sessions
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What is the biggest opportunity? • Making inclusion part of the fabric of the mainstream • Developing closer partnerships between HE and hubs • Uniting industry and education voice to influencing policy around inclusion • Joining up the various smaller networks and representing them at a national level • Redefining the culture of expectation of music and people with SEN/D • The development of new instruments and models for the orchestra • Flipping perception from music being something that ‘other people’ do to something ‘I’ can do • Raising the profile of ‘inclusion’ • Increase the number of disabled people in the music education workforce • Shared composing resources • Influence the wider society around issues of inclusion and disability • Break the structures
Pic: Dominika Scheibinger
• Make music non-disabling, so there cannot be any such thing as a ‘disabled musician’
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Delegate breakout sessions
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What is the most urgent action? • Set a date to meet in one year to assess progress made • Connect this work to the Music Education Council and The Music Commission • Develop stronger links between education and the industry such as work experience schemes and apprenticeships • Meet with government departments to begin to bring this work into their consciousness • Develop the pathways between compulsory education, further and higher education • Plan a high profile event to showcase the talent of musicians with SEN/D • B egin to work with talented individuals with SEN/D to create their own bespoke artistic and professional development programmes • Create a consistent message which can be shared and championed by the whole sector • S hare the Attitude is Everything Toolkits with community music groups/choral societies and amateur orchestras • Employ more music leaders who are disabled and support them to gain qualifications • Develop more strategic partnerships with local authorities and with the health sector
Pic: Dominika Scheibinger
• Investigate issues around self-employment and benefits for musicians with SEN/D
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Summary
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The above feedback from delegates, when combined with the speeches from the event, raise several key areas of focus: Technology in traditional music making
Role models
The apprehension around the use of new technology within traditional music making is a particularly important area to address. Coupled with a poor understanding of how musical progress manifests when non-traditional instruments are used, this is currently blocking the implementation of more inclusive methodologies across the whole of the music sector. There is a real need to test new ways of working and commission impact assessment and research to support this work.
There are too few music education practitioners with SEN/D. More role models means higher ambition and raised expectation on the part of young people with SEN/D and their families. It also begins to address issues of representation at management levels, as most music education managers have worked as practitioners during their early careers. In addition to supporting the existing workforce to develop the skills necessary to work with children in SEN/D settings, more support is needed for musicians and teachers with SEN/D to become confident and capable music leaders.
Profile of inclusive excellence A lack of profile for the levels of musical excellence that are rapidly increasing for musicians with SEN/D is perpetuating low public expectation. This perception filters into all areas of music education and the music industry and manifests in poor opportunities to develop musical excellence for children and young people with SEN/D and poor access to the music industry for emerging artists with SEN/D. In order to shift perception, there is a need for regular, high-profile, public performance opportunities showcasing the talent of artists who have SEN/D.
Artistic and professional development All creative professionals have, at some stage in their career, had the time, the space, and the support necessary to allow them to hone their craft and develop themselves professionally. This is rarely the case for people with SEN/D. Emerging artists with SEN/D need more support to push their musical and creative skills. For those wishing to enter the creative industries, more support is needed around personal, social and professional development and stronger links with the music industry.
Advocacy The impact of the work taking place nationally must feed into discussions and decisions at government level. There is a need to work more closely with government to present evidence and make the case for policy change in a more cohesive way. Employment, education and industry links need to be reflected in conversations between DWP, DfE, and DCMS if standards for people with SEN/D within the creative sector are to rise.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling Conclusion
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There was a clear sense throughout the Breaking the Glass Ceiling symposium that conversations and discussions around inclusion have become significantly more mature over the past few years. The sector is much more confident in articulating the business, social, and artistic case for diversity in the arts and inclusion seems to be something that is increasingly considered as an approach, rather than an activity. This distinction is indicative of the distance travelled by the sector as a whole. All present, whether panellist or delegate, were in agreement that, if change is to take place, it is incumbent on institutions to take the first step and accept that existing systems and structures are, in effect, perpetuating social injustice, hindering the evolution of art and culture, and restricting access to ‘The Blue Pound’. Crucially, those representing the institutions who have the power to make these changes (i.e. orchestras, hubs, venues, broadcasters, HE institutions and funders) were among the most vocal advocates for change. The unity and shared sense of mission across education and industry sectors is very encouraging. It has given rise to an undeniable sense of critical mass, momentum, and impending change. Bristol Music Trust will continue to work to make sure that the energy that was so palpable at the Breaking the Glass Ceiling event does not dissipate. Over the next year, each of the areas of focus from the conference will be addressed with local and national partners in preparation for the opening of the National Centre for Inclusive Excellence (NCIE) in September 2018. In addition to supporting emerging artists with SEN/D to forge a career in the music industry, NCIE will work to create a musically inclusive UK, where there is no such thing as a ‘disabled musician’ and where, ultimately, the NCIE itself becomes obsolete. Patchitt, S.P., 2017. Breaking the Glass Ceiling Symposium - Report and Conclusion.