Digital Orchestra: Youth Central, Dundee

We’re proud to have supported Drake Music Scotland’s inspiring Digital Orchestra: Youth Central programme in Dundee through a Music for All grant.

Thanks to funding from Music for All, students at Kingspark School accessed a full year of inclusive, creative music-making – exploring technology like iPads and head-tracking apps to compose and perform music, as well as BSL used for song. Participants worked with composer Ewan McKay on a piece called “Sunrise over Forvie Sands”, written with and for the participants.

One Associate Musician shared:

“Each member of this class has low mobility. We found that each could make use of the CMPSR Swipe app in headtracking mode; this meant they could create sound by moving their eyes.”

And after writing a song called Spacey Stacey, they added:

“One participant, Max, finally came out of his shell – once we introduced theatrics to the music, he became very animated!”

We’re thrilled to have helped make this work possible and to see how the presence of disabled role models, like DMS’s visually impaired musicians, gave students the confidence to thrive.

Click here to see a short video of the Digital Orchestra: Central performing at V&A Dundee in 2024.