Inclusion is often treated as an afterthought in the arts, something added once a production is nearly done. Galina Koretskaya explains how a different approach has been used in Kazakhstan. She traces how accessible technologies and disabled artists' leadership are not just widening participation but also reshaping what contemporary music can be.
Why disabled musicians in Kazakhstan struggle to build careers
Kazakhstan has many talented disabled musicians, singers and composers, but opportunities to develop sustainable professional careers remain limited. Access to music education, performance opportunities and artistic networks can be inconsistent, while many music organisations have limited experience working with disabled artists or adapting environments to support different access requirements. The use of accessible music technologies and inclusive teaching methodologies is still relatively new within the country's music sector. As a result, disabled musicians are often excluded not because of a lack of artistic ability, but because of structural barriers, limited awareness and a lack of inclusive infrastructure.
This challenge is not unique to Kazakhstan, but it is particularly significant in a region where professional inclusive music practice is still emerging. At the same time, there is growing interest among musicians, educators and cultural organisations in finding ways to make the arts more accessible and representative of society as a whole.
Music Unbound, a Kazakhstan-based organisation focused on contemporary music and inclusion, recognised both the need and the opportunity to begin developing a more inclusive musical ecosystem. Through its research, partnerships with disability organisations and growing engagement with international inclusive music practices, the organisation began laying the foundations for change.
Sharing inclusive music practices through Connections Through Culture
A partnership between Drake Music Scotland and Music Unbound was built on shared values around equity, diversity and inclusion in the arts. Supported by the British Council's Connections Through Culture programme, the project aimed to exchange knowledge, build skills and explore how inclusive music practices could be adapted within the Kazakh context.
This collaboration has been evolving since 2021. What began as online collaboration gradually grew into a live performance at the Edinburgh Festival in 2023 and ultimately into a comprehensive educational project in Almaty in 2026. Over these years, the two teams have become not only trusted collaborators but genuine friends, united by a shared vision.
Drake Music Scotland has spent nearly three decades developing approaches that enable disabled musicians to perform, compose and collaborate using accessible technologies and artist-led inclusive practice. Its work is grounded in the principle that disabled artists should be empowered not simply to participate, but to lead, innovate and shape cultural life.
Rather than approaching the partnership as a one-way transfer of expertise, both organisations saw it as a collaborative learning process. The Scottish team shared practical methodologies, technologies, and creative approaches developed through years of experience, while also gaining insight into Kazakhstan's musical traditions, cultural context and accessibility landscape. This has always been a living, evolving process rather than simply an exchange of methodologies. The partnership has been built through collective composition, sonic experimentation, and overcoming linguistic and physical barriers through the universal language of music. Scotland's expertise in alternative notation systems, such as Figurenotes and adaptive controllers, has met the Kazakh tradition of deep listening, improvisation and flexible musical forms, creating a truly unique artistic dialogue.
The collaboration built on earlier artistic relationships between Scottish and Kazakh musicians and demonstrated how international partnerships can support long-term cultural development through mutual exchange rather than instruction.
Workshops, masterclasses and Sheksiz Áuen
The project brought together professional musicians, educators, students, disability organisations and cultural institutions through a programme of workshops, masterclasses and public events in Almaty. These activities introduced participants to inclusive music-making approaches and demonstrated how accessible technologies can expand creative possibilities for disabled musicians.
Participants explored a range of adaptive technologies used internationally to support music creation and performance. These included eye-gaze systems, accessible digital instruments, adapted MIDI controllers, Figurenotes notation and iPad-based performance tools. Importantly, the focus was not only on accessibility but also on artistic excellence and creative experimentation. Musicians were encouraged to consider how technology could become part of professional contemporary music practice rather than simply a support mechanism.
The culmination of the project was Sheksiz Áuen (Limitless Melody), Kazakhstan's first professional inclusive contemporary music concert. Presented at the Tselinny Centre for Contemporary Culture in Almaty, an ultra-contemporary industrial venue and one of the leading centres for contemporary art in the city, the performance marked the very first academic concert ever presented in the space, giving the event the character of a significant artistic statement.
The concert united disabled and non-disabled musicians on stage in a programme featuring contemporary repertoire, accessible technologies, experimental sound design and innovative visual elements. The performance embraced an interdisciplinary nature, bringing together live voices, technology, generative visuals and the live sound of the chamber orchestra under the direction of Arshat Sharip as a single artistic experience. The majority of music performed in the concert was composed by disabled composers, with composer Ben Lunn a key driver behind the concert.
The concert challenged assumptions about disability and artistic practice. One particularly memorable performance featured visually impaired vocalist Aisulu Turymbek, who performed using Braille notation. Rather than focusing on her disability, audiences responded to the quality of the music and the artistic strength of the performance. The event attracted more than 350 audience members and introduced many people to inclusive contemporary music for the first time.
New skills, new networks and new possibilities
One of the project's most important achievements was the development of skills and confidence among musicians, educators and cultural practitioners in Kazakhstan. Participants gained practical experience with inclusive approaches, adaptive technologies and alternative teaching methods that can support musicians with a wide range of disabilities. The project also created opportunities for music educators to consider how these approaches might be embedded within institutions and future programmes.
The partnership strengthened relationships between artists, disability organisations, educational institutions and cultural venues. New networks emerged around the idea of inclusive music-making, creating a foundation for future collaboration. The project showed there is significant interest within Kazakhstan's cultural sector in developing more accessible and inclusive artistic opportunities.
The project has transformed not only artistic practice but also academic thinking. Years of collaboration have resulted in the publication of a landmark monograph, the first of its kind in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, dedicated to inclusion in music education: R. Jumaniyazova and Zh. Safiyeva, Inclusive Music Education: From History and Theory to Practice.
Importantly, the impact extended beyond Kazakhstan. The collaboration helped establish connections that could support future knowledge exchange across Central Asia, where inclusive music practice remains underdeveloped. It demonstrated a model that could be adapted and expanded in neighbouring countries, contributing to the growth of a regional community interested in accessibility, creative technology and contemporary music.
For both partners, the project created stronger foundations for future work, including artist exchanges, educational initiatives, research collaborations and new creative projects centred on disabled artists and inclusive practice.
Inclusion as a driver of artistic excellence
Perhaps the most powerful lesson from the project is that inclusion should not be viewed solely as a social objective. It is also a creative one.
The collaboration demonstrated that accessible technologies, alternative creative processes and diverse artistic perspectives can generate new forms of artistic expression. Musicians, composers, technicians and audiences encountered approaches that challenged conventional assumptions about who makes music and how music can be made. The result was not simply a more accessible version of existing practice, but genuinely new artistic possibilities.
This collaboration has inspired the creation of entirely new works and arrangements, including Call of the Mountains by Clare Johnston and the chamber orchestra arrangement of History Needs... by Ben Lunn. Working with alternative notation, sensors, and diverse ways of perceiving sound is not simply about adapting the classical repertoire; it represents the emergence of a new artistic language, a new kind of musical avant-garde.
Sheksiz Áuen showed that when barriers are removed, disabled artists contribute not only their talents but also new ideas, new perspectives and new forms of innovation. Inclusion can expand artistic vocabularies, encourage experimentation and create richer cultural experiences for everyone involved.
At a time when arts organisations worldwide are seeking ways to become more relevant, representative and resilient, this project offers a compelling example of how inclusion can drive artistic excellence while building stronger cultural communities. What began as a knowledge exchange between Scotland and Kazakhstan became evidence that cultural change is possible when accessibility is positioned not at the margins of artistic practice, but at its centre.
It is fitting, then, to close with the meaning of the project's Kazakh title. Sheksiz Áuen translates as ‘Boundless Melody’ or ‘Infinite Melody’. It perfectly captures the project's central idea: that music has the power to transcend every kind of boundary, whether physical, linguistic, cultural or social. Perhaps this is ultimately the most important message the project offers to the world.