Access and inclusion

Working with transgender singers in your music group might be a new experience, but breaking it down into smaller steps would better enable you to support your transgender members on their music making journey.

In practical terms, much of the guidance from our LGBTQ+ inclusion guide is applicable when working with transgender singers. This guide, written by Dr Kathleen Cronie and Dr Michael Bonshor, will provide some extra information about the following questions:

Sometimes LGBTQ+ people encounter barriers to getting involved in music making, but by making some simple adjustments to your practice you can work towards creating a more inclusive environment where they can thrive in your group.

In this recording of our webinar (original event 25 September 2023), Making Music launched INCLUDE, our 18-month inclusion programme where we will work with four member groups to explore what leisure-time music groups can do to include more people, from a more diverse demographic, in their regular activities.

In this recording of our webinar (original event 22 September 2023), guest speakers discussed what it means for a music group to be 'social prescribing friendly' and the rewards and challenges that come with engaging with social prescribing.

Social prescribing is an NHS scheme where medical services can refer patients to community-based activity to improve their health and well-being. It offers a huge opportunity to benefit music groups and positively impact their communities. 

We welcomed:

Understanding how the demographics of your members or audiences compare to the make-up of your geographical community can be helpful when planning your strategy, performances, or community engagement plans.  

We have created a census comparison survey to help leisure-time music groups collect data from people who belong to your group, or attend your events, so you can directly compare it to the UK government's Census 2021.  

Traditional concert environments are not always the easiest places for people to come in, but by thinking creatively we can remove many of the barriers that stop people being able to come.

At the heart of your music making is the people, whether that's members, potential members or audiences. But if you're struggling to attract new people or keep your current people engaged, could there be barriers that you're unaware of?

Use the resources below to review and make the changes you need to welcome more people.

These resources aren't exhaustive, and we're constantly reviewing, updating and adding to them. We would be happy for you to contact us with suggestions. 

Music making and experiencing music as an audience member are rich social experiences that connect participants. To build a group or audience that is more diverse and inclusive, thinking about how you invite, recruit and welcome people is crucial. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plays an important role in the character and culture of your group. It shows your members, potential members and the world in general that you are taking action to ensure you are an open, inclusive and welcoming group.

In this recording of our webinar, guest speakers discussed how to prevent and manage hearing loss.

Many of us suffer a smaller or greater hearing loss as we get older, particularly if we are involved in music-making, whether acoustic or amplified. This event talked about two aspects of this: how to prevent greater hearing loss which may be due to being exposed to loud noise and/or music in your private or working life; and what you can do if you do experience hearing loss, tinnitus or other issues. 

We welcomed the following expert speakers: