Introduction

Abstract

The new, interdisciplinary field of Disability Studies offers a sociopolitical analysis of disability, focusing on its social construction and shifting attention from biology to culture. Within music, disability has been shown to be a core feature of the musical identity of music makers (especially composers and performers), often an identity that is affirmatively claimed in the face of widespread stigma. It has also inflected reception of the lives and work of composers and performers. Although music is a famously nonrepresentational art form, scholars have shown that musical works represent disability in various ways. Furthermore, music has proven a fertile ground for exploring the contention within Disability Studies that disability (like gender) can be understood as a performance: something you do rather than something you are. In all of these ways, disability both shapes and is shaped by culture, including musical culture.

Encountering disability in music: Exploring perceptions on inclusive music education in higher music education

“…Furthermore, students mentioned that the project had challenged their traditional views on what instruments, music making, and “quality music” can encompass. The AIR-project raised awareness that disability is not only shaped by culture, but that culture (including music culture) is shaped by disability (Howe, 2016). In other words, musicians with disabilities can have unique experiences of and perspectives on the world and can produce new music with unique instruments, not necessarily fitting conventional ideas about (the quality of) music (Arts Council England, 2018; Watts & Ridley, 2007).…”

“…When developing the AIR-project, the Conservatory of Amsterdam and Drake Music Scotland decided that it would not only provide students with practical skills for inclusive music education but also discuss the medical and social models of disability. In short, the medical model of disability frames disability as a deficit with respect to normal standards, which should be diagnosed and treated (bell et al, 2020; Howe et al, 2016). The goal of the treatment is to cure a person and to facilitate a person’s return to the state of “normal” (Imrie, 1995, p. 397).…”

“…How society reacts to these differences determines whether a person will experience disability (bell et al, 2020), and categorizations of who is (dis)abled are viewed as sociocultural constructions (Davis, 2002). In contrast to the medical model, the social model frames the experience of disability as a societal problem rather than the problem of a person and, consequently, looks toward society to adapt and accommodate (bell et al, 2020; Howe et al, 2016; Rathgeber, 2017). This latter model underlies the work of Drake Music Scotland.…”

“…Strongly linked to the discussion of the medical and social model is the concept of “ableism.” The basic premise of ableism is that able-bodied people are privileged over people with nonable bodies, therefore disadvantaging people with disabilities (Darrow, 2015; Derby & Wexler, 2015). In general, music academies have high expectations of able-bodiedness: Students are usually asked to showcase their musical skills (including complex techniques involving speed, agility, and precision) and musical sensitivity (including nuance and emotionality) (Howe, 2016). Musicians who cannot conform to these able-bodied practices are often excluded from music academies, ultimately complicating pathways to professional musical development.…”