BOSTON (WHDH) - A professor at Berklee School of Music is raising awareness about inclusivity in the music space by showcasing how an adaptation has allowed him to master the violin and form an ensemble made up of other musicians with disabilities.
The Music Inclusion Ensemble at Berklee is a group of students and faculty that aims to showcase the skills and innovation of musicians with disabilities. The ensemble was founded by Berklee professor and musician Adrian Anantawan, who plays the violin, to encourage musicians with disabilities to embrace their unique sounds.
Anantawan, who was born without a right hand, showed 7NEWS how an adaptation allows him to play the instrument and shared a message for anyone who wants to pursue a career in music, regardless of their accessibility needs
“I was in fifth grade and our music teacher at the time wanted us all to learn the recorder, which was an inaccessible instrument for me because I was missing my hand and I didn’t have enough fingers to play all the notes on the instrument,” he recalled. But rather than be discouraged, Anantawan set his sights on learning the violin.
“For me it’s very much like a unique sonic fingerprint, I think that for me disability is all about expressing what you have rather than expressing your deficit,” he said.
Speaking about the ensemble he founded, Anantawan said, “I know a lot of our students find a different type of home in a place where they don’t have to hide their disabilities, they can advocate for the accommodations that they need. I think the most important thing for us is not necessarily even saying that we are a set of disabled musicians … we are just trying to make as much excellent music possible and share that with the world.”
The Music Inclusion Ensemble is set to perform Sept. 27 at Berklee.
Learn more: https://college.berklee.edu/courses/ends-411
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