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EDI statement

As a charity whose core focus is working with children and young people with disabilities, many of whom may be marginalised within society, equality, diversity and inclusion are all matters that are of fundamental importance to everything we do. Our very reason for existence is to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within the world of music-making. In addition, we want to ensure that, as an organisation, we reflect the communities we serve – in terms of our board membership, and in terms of our staff and contracted tutors.

Our Board of Trustees is composed of 12 members, where we prioritise various aspects of diversity, including gender, age, and disability.

Board Composition:

Gender Representation:

  • 33.3% (4 out of 12) of our trustees are male.
  • 66.7% (8 out of 12) of our trustees are female.

Age Distribution:

  • 16.7% (2 out of 12) of trustees are over 55 years of age.
  • 58.3% (7 out of 12) of trustees fall within the age range of 40-55 years.
  • 25% (3 out of 12) of trustees are under 40 years of age.

Disability Representation:

  • 16.7% (2 out of 12) of trustees identify as having a disability.
  • 8.3% (1 out of 12) of our trustees have a lived experience of disability.

Staff Composition:

Senior Staff:

  • 100% of senior staff members are female.

Programme Leads

  • 100% of programme leads are also female.

Ethnicity and Education:

  • All trustees and staff are of White European or White British descent and hold degree-level qualifications.
We recognise that while we have made progress in certain areas, our demographic composition presents opportunities for further growth in diversity.
We are actively working to identify strategies and implement practices that promote a more inclusive governance structure and workforce.

In our efforts, we aim to prioritise diverse recruitment, mentorship programmes, and community engagement initiatives to ensure that our Board and staff reflect a broader spectrum of identities and experiences. We believe that diversity enriches our decision-making and enables us to serve our mission more effectively.

Music of Life is dedicated to continuous evaluation and improvement of our practices to create a truly equitable environment for all.

In some areas, our diversity is broadly in line with the wider population (for example: sex). In other areas, we are not as diverse as the wider population (for example: age). In other areas the picture is more complex: for example, while the race/ethnicity mix on the Board at present is not significantly different from the wider national population, we are aware that it is very different from the inner-city communities we serve.

We make this statement knowing that we’ve got a long way to go, but in the hope it will be a small step to helping us get to where we want to be. We also hope it is an open and clear signal to any would-be Trustees reading this that we really want to hear from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds – and will truly value and welcome them on the Board if appointed. Everyone appointed to the Board will be appointed because of the skills they bring – we do not go in for tokenism.