What The OHMI Trust does

The OHMI Trust is a UK-registered charity (England & Wales Charity No. 1143623; Scotland Charity No. SC052047) founded in 2011 by Dr Stephen Hetherington MBE after his hemiplegic daughter was excluded from her school orchestra. The organisation's stated mission is to remove barriers to music-making for people with physical disabilities by adapting instruments that would otherwise be unplayable. Core operations are built around three pillars: a hire-scheme catalogue of more than 300 adapted instruments and pieces of enabling apparatus; a teaching programme called OHMI Music-Makers that delivers Whole Class Ensemble Teaching support through partnerships with regional Music Hubs and Music Services; and a biennial OHMI Competition that commissions new one-handed instrument designs from makers, with winning designs entering the hire catalogue. Notable adapted instruments include the one-handed recorder (purchase price from c. £100), Peter Worrell's hand-crafted one-handed clarinet (c. £6,000), Maarten Visser's one-handed flute (now moving to UK CNC production), and the P-bROCK digital bagpipe chanter with its Bagpipe Hero learning interface developed by Duncan Menzies at Queen Mary University of London. The hire scheme runs on annual subscription-style rentals, while the shop offers one-time sales; complementary revenue comes from donations, fundraising campaigns (including the 2026 '15 for 15' anniversary), and Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants. Programme reach has grown from a 2015 Birmingham pilot to nine English Music Service areas by 2026, with international hire-scheme customers in North America and Australia.

The OHMI Trust supports its mission through an OHMI Research Partnership with Queen Mary University of London and Birmingham City University, an IAMM (Inclusive Access to Music-Making) consortium with Creative United, Drake Music, and OpenUp Music, and 2026 membership in the International Alliance of Accessible Music. Workforce is lean — three paid staff (General Manager, Music-Makers Manager, Instrument Development Manager) supported by a board of trustees drawn from Imperial College London, University of Southampton, Birmingham City University, and Staffordshire University — and the organisation holds no patents and discloses no revenue. The OHMI Reveal digital platform and OHMI Connect resource community extend the service beyond instrument provision into systematic needs identification in schools and ongoing teacher CPD. The charity is governed independently, with no parent company and no institutional venture or private equity backing, and is overseen by a Chair (Clare Salters) following founder Dr Hetherington's 2023 transition to Founder and Chairman Emeritus.

Name

The OHMI Trust

Legal name

The OHMI Trust

Website

https://ohmi.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The OHMI Trust is a UK charity that develops, adapts, and hires out musical instruments and teaching programmes so physically disabled people — primarily children and adults with upper-limb impairments — can participate in music-making alongside non-disabled peers in schools, at home, and in ensembles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accessible Musical Instruments and Disability Music Services

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG), Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

Keywords

• Adapted musical instruments
• Disability music services
• Accessible music education
• One-handed musical instruments
• Instrument hire scheme

Headquarters

HQ city

Harborne, Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, corporate donors, and fundraising events. The organization runs specific fundraising campaigns like the '15 for 15' anniversary events.
2. Instrument Hire Scheme: Rental of adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment to disabled musicians. Standard initial period is one year with flexibility.
3. Arts Council England Grants: Major grants from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants to fund Music-Makers Whole Class programme expansion
4. Shop Sales: Sale of adapted instruments and enabling equipment through the OHMI shop

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The OHMI Trust pioneers the development and adaptation of musical instruments for people who are physically disabled, particularly those with upper limb absence, impairment or weakness that makes traditional two-handed instruments unplayable. The charity runs an Instrument Hire Scheme of 300+ adapted instruments and enabling equipment, delivers the Music-Makers teaching programme in schools through Music Hub partnerships, and operates a biennial OHMI Competition to drive instrument innovation.

Product overview

The OHMI Trust is a charity providing adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment for people with upper-body physical impairments. The core offerings include the Instrument Hire Scheme (300+ instruments for rental), the OHMI Music-Makers teaching programme, the biennial OHMI Competition, and the OHMI Research Partnership. Supporting services include the OHMI Reveal digital platform for identifying student needs, the Inclusive Access to Music-Making (IAMM) programme, OHMI Connect resources, and CPD training. The product portfolio includes adapted instruments such as one-handed clarinets, recorders, flutes, and the P-bROCK Digital Bagpipe Chanter, along with enabling equipment for brass, woodwind, strings, and electronic instruments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OHMI Research Partnership (ORP): A collaboration between OHMI Trust, Queen Mary University of London, and Birmingham City University for research on music and disability.
• OHMI Music-Makers
• OHMI Competition

Products and services

• OHMI Instrument Hire Scheme Rental programme providing adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment to physically disabled musicians, with a collection exceeding 300 instruments and pieces of enabling apparatus available on a standard one-year initial trial period with flexibility for renewal.
• OHMI Music-Makers Teaching support programme aimed particularly at school children and young people with physical disabilities, providing Whole Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET) with appropriate adapted instruments and equipment through Music Hub partnerships.
• OHMI Competition Biennial competition challenging instrument makers and designers to develop musical instruments that can be played without the use of one hand or arm; winning instruments are made available through the Instrument Hire Scheme and Music-Makers programme.
• OHMI Research Partnership (ORP) Research collaboration between the OHMI Trust, Queen Mary University of London, and Birmingham City University forming new research partnerships on music and disability with universities, researchers, musicians, educators, sociologists, and instrument makers globally.
• OHMI Reveal Digital platform created to help schools and Music Hubs systematically identify children who may benefit from adaptations or alternative approaches within Whole Class Ensemble Teaching.
• Inclusive Access to Music-Making (IAMM) Programme Programme delivered with Nottingham Music Service, Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust, and Creative United to identify physically disabled pupils, produce plans for WCET, and provide accessible instruments, enabling equipment, and staff training.
• OHMI Connect Resource and community platform for sharing knowledge to support disabled musicians, their families, teachers, and health professionals.
• OHMI CPD Training Continuing professional development training for music teachers on working with adapted instruments and adaptive music-making techniques.
• OHMI Shop Online shop for purchasing adapted musical instruments and enabling equipment directly from OHMI.
• One-Handed Clarinet Hand-crafted, one-handed clarinet developed by Peter Worrell, winning entry of the OHMI Competition, typically priced around £6,000; available through the Instrument Hire Scheme.
• One-Handed Recorder Adapted recorder designed for one-handed playing, with keys corresponding to missing hand functions on conventional instruments; available for purchase (over £100) and through the Instrument Hire Scheme.
• One-Handed Flute Adapted flute designed for one-handed players, with production being moved to UK-based CNC manufacturing process under new makers.
• P-bROCK Digital Bagpipe Chanter Digital bagpipe chanter developed by Duncan Menzies of Queen Mary University of London, winner of the 2017 OHMI Competition, with software for recording, playback, visualisation, ornament recognition, and a Bagpipe Hero game interface.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78 children identified with barriers to music-making in pilot programme; 37 required adapted instruments
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• International Alliance of Accessible Music (IAAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026IAAM founded by The Music Man Project (UK) and AllegroModerato (Italy) to reverse perceptions of disability through music education and performance. OHMI joined in March 2026. Membership provides opportunities to connect with accessible music education providers worldwide.
• OHMI Research Partnership (Queen Mary University of London and Birmingham City University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaboration between OHMI Trust, Queen Mary University of London, and Birmingham City University launched in 2019. Purpose is to form new research partnerships on subjects relating to music and disability with universities, researchers, musicians, educators, sociologists, and instrument makers globally.
• Creative UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Creative United, Drake Music, and OpenUp Music to tackle crisis in music education. Consortium called on government to help at least 25,000 families over 4 years with musical instruments for disabled and non-disabled children.
• Nottingham Music ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot partner in Inclusive Access to Music-Making (IAMM) programme launched 2019. Identified needs of 78 children, 37 requiring adapted instruments. 37 schools participated in 2020-2021.
• Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust (NMPAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in IAMM programme extension. 42 schools identified pupils who would benefit from additional support on WCET in 2020-2021 academic year.
• Maarten VissercoreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloper of one-handed flute who is stepping back from making. Has shared designs with OHMI to enable UK-based production with CNC manufacturing.
• Peter WorrellcoreTechnology or IntegrationInstrument maker who developed one-handed clarinet, winner of 2017 OHMI Competition. Instruments typically cost around £6,000 hand-crafted.
• Duncan Menzies (Queen Mary University of London)coreTechnology or IntegrationPhD student who developed P-bROCK Digital Bagpipe Chanter, winner of 2017 OHMI Competition. Created one-handed bagpipe solution with accompanying Bagpipe Hero software.
• Royal Birmingham ConservatoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of OHMI's 15th anniversary celebration concert on 12 September 2026. Partnership for joint performances and ongoing collaboration.
• City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner in early OHMI Competition; hosted fundraising event featuring video with Dutch foundation My Breath My Music and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Drake Music: UK charity pioneering music, disability, and technology; develops assistive music technology and is a named OHMI consortium partner on the 25,000-families campaign. Directly comparable mission of enabling disabled musicians through adapted instruments and inclusive practice.
• Music for All: UK charity providing instruments and music-making opportunities to disadvantaged communities; OHMI displays its Music Makers' Charter support badge. Both operate hire/donation programmes targeting access to music-making, though Music for All focuses more broadly on disadvantaged groups rather than physical disability specifically.
• The Music Man Project: UK charity for children and adults with learning disabilities co-founding the International Alliance of Accessible Music with AllegroModerato, of which OHMI became a member in 2026. Targets broader learning-disability population with music education programmes overlapping OHMI's school-channel mission.
• OpenUp Music: UK charity that creates inclusive ensembles for young disabled musicians and is a named OHMI consortium partner. Targets overlapping audience (physically disabled young musicians in schools) with complementary approach (ensemble-based vs OHMI's instrument-adaptation focus).
• Creative United: UK charity developing programmes to support disabled musicians and an OHMI consortium partner on the 25,000-families campaign. Focuses on inclusive creative industries; overlapping audience of physically disabled musicians and families.

Emerging players

• Paraorchestra: Ensemble of disabled and non-disabled musicians (referenced as a customer/user of OHMI-adapted instruments including Gareth Churchill). Directly benefits from OHMI's adapted instrument provision and represents the professional-performance end of OHMI's beneficiary pipeline.
• BSO Resound: World's first disabled-led ensemble with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (led by customer James Rose). Demonstrates the professional performance pathway for OHMI beneficiaries and validates market demand for one-handed instruments at the highest performance tier.
• Ability Music: Operates in the adapted/assistive music space, addressing accessibility for disabled musicians with technology-enabled solutions. Comparable niche focus on assistive music-making though with potentially different technology emphasis than OHMI's bespoke instrument adaptation.

Broad incumbents

• Nordoff Robbins: UK's largest music therapy charity, providing music therapy services for people with disabilities and life-limiting conditions. Operates much more broadly across therapy, training, and research; OHMI's instrument-adaptation work is complementary rather than directly competitive.
• Live Music Now: UK charity delivering live music performances in care homes, hospitals, and communities; works with disabled musicians and inclusion initiatives. Overlaps with OHMI's inclusion mission but focuses on performance delivery rather than instrument adaptation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/watch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ohmi-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The OHMI Trust