Facilitating Anti-Ableist Remote Music-Making Research Project (FAARM)
The Facilitating Anti-Ableist Remote Music-Making (FAARMM) project is a disability-led Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) research initiative seeking to enhance access to remote music-making through collaboration between experts in music, disability, and technology. This initiative involves three key phases: Consult and Create, where 25 participants with disabilities collaborate on designing accessible music activities and interfaces; Prototype and Play, guided by experienced disabled artists who create multisensory music-making “kits” for testing; and Launch and Learn, involving 100 participants across Canada in a six-month remote residency program to express their disability experiences through music.
Seven Miniatures
Discover the groundbreaking Sound.colLAB project, a celebration of disability and neurodiversity through music, in partnership with Xenia Concerts (TO) and the National accessArts Centre. Seven talented neurodivergent artists collaborated with nine professional musicians, including renowned composer Bekah Simms and the award-winning Rolston String Quartet, to create original miniature movements for string quartet and accompanying electronic tracks. This innovative project, which began in November 2021, introduced participants to composition through workshops and transformed audio recordings of sentimental objects into captivating musical scores.
Robot Revelations
Carefully crafted over multiple online and in-studio collaborative sessions, The Science Fiction People’s Robot Revelations is the product of a profoundly unique and experimental creative project exploring individualized and peer-to-peer approaches to Disability-led music creation. The project, made possible with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, explored new frontiers of accessible music-making, remote technology, and accessible digital instruments.
Disability Led Sound Intensive
This immersive experience focused on creating original sound effects and a score for a speculative short film developed by the NaAC Film Ensemble. The intensive was led by artist and musician Dani Saldo, also known as “ur local disabled popstar,” whose lived experience as a disabled artist offered a deeply meaningful and relatable perspective for participants.
Dani provided a breakdown of how to score the film and how music and sound are used to emotionally and narratively support visual media. Artists were then guided through hands-on activities where they created sound effects for key scenes, developed musical cues, and contributed to the original score of the short film. The film also featured a song written and performed by NaAC artist Alicia Morrison, who choreographed and danced in the scene where her music was featured.
Canadian Accessible Musical Instrument Network Calgary Artist Residency Program
The Calgary Artist in Residence Program, part of the Canadian Accessible Musical Instrument Network (CAMIN), presently provides two $2500 short-term residencies to disabled musicians in Calgary. These residencies actively support musicians in developing their creative practices and careers by offering time, financial support, and collaboration opportunities with the CAMIN team. The Artists in Residence are currently working on music projects in partnership with CAMIN, actively researching and devising strategies for engaging audiences or participants. Additionally, residency artists have access to CAMIN’s nationwide network, including Blurring the Boundaries, an organization specializing in disability-led instrument development.