Youth Orchestras for disabled people. What should they be called?

The MUSE Project is working to establish youth orchestras for disabled people in England and we’re changing our name to reflect this new focus for the organisation. But what should these youth orchestras and also the new organisation be called?

We want a bold, simple name that states what we’re doing in a clear and unambiguous way. We want our name to do ‘exactly what it says on the tin’. Please help us to decide what the new name should be, by completing a short online survey via the link below. It’s really quick – there's only a handful of questions. If you would like the questions in an alternative format please email doug@museproject.co.uk The survey will close on Tuesday 13th May.

Should the new name contain the word ‘Disabled’? This is a burning issue from conversations we’ve had already. It seems that while some people view the word 'Disabled' as an empowering badge of pride, (like James Brown singing “Say it loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”), others feel it has potentially negative connotations (let's focus on "ability" not "disability").

We do want the name to include the word ‘Orchestra’ because we aim to challenge people’s expectations, not only of what disabled people can achieve, but also of what an Orchestra can be.  As well as making existing musical repertoire more accessible, we believe that disabled young people can radically redefine the idea of The Orchestra, creating new musical forms for the 21st century.

Of course, the ultimate aim is for universal access and the full inclusion of disabled people in all orchestras and other musical ensembles. We’re nurturing the next generation of talent that can go on to play in all kinds of musical groups. So hopefully this new organisation won’t need to exist forever. But the situation right now is that young disabled people face so many barriers to playing music live that there’s clearly a need to focus in hard on creating opportunities, raising aspirations and challenging public perceptions.

Web: www.museproject.co.uk

Twitter: @muse_project

We are grateful to Youth Music for funding our current project.

The picture accompanying this blog post was snapped by me at the British Paraorchestra's recent concert in Qatar, which I attended in support of Paraorchestra member Charlotte White. Where is the next wave of Paraorchestra members going to come from?