Access and inclusion

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:

What is social prescribing and how can your music group benefit from it?

Social prescribing is part of the relatively new NHS personalised care programme and a way for GPs and local agencies to refer people to a link worker, who takes a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing. They then connect people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support.

Making Music has partnered with the Singing for Health Network and other organisations to publish free downloadable guides on social prescribing for leaders of music groups across the UK, and for social prescribers (also known as link workers).

In this recording of our webinar (original event 20 May 2022), guest speakers discussed what social prescribing is and how it could be a huge opportunity for music groups. 

Social prescribing is a key feature of the NHS’ long-term plan, which aims to strengthen the link between the local community and social activities such as music, sport, and arts. In this webinar, we discussed who does the prescribing, what kind of people are referred and what it would mean for your group to become ‘social prescribing friendly’.

We welcomed: