UPSURGE Presents: Neurodivergence, the music industry and me with Lee Holder

With awareness of neurodiversity on the rise, this session will explore the benefits and challenges of neurodivergence in the creative industries and take a look at where progress is being made.

In this talk, Lee will discuss how their neurodivergence has shaped their journey from frustrated musician to Disability Lead at The Music Works. They will share recent discoveries on the prevalence of neurodiversity on the arts, coping strategies for burnt out artists and ideas for how we build a better music industry in the future.

Lee Holder is a self-professed Music Hacker and has been using music technology to overcome their own challenges to making music for the last 35 years. They have led and performed in numerous bands, run a record label, created multimedia art installations and worked as a DJ & club promoter since the 1990s. They now use this experience to empower young people in their musical journeys as Disability lead for the Music Works.

Using everything from handmade electronics to garden vegetables, Lee has dedicated their life to helping others make music and remove barriers to access. Lee's own musical journey has resulted in demolishing the barriers between performer and audience through interactive performances involving proximity sensors, crowd generated visuals, EEG brainwave mapping, ambient audio sampling and a large amount of custom built electronics. In the day job, Lee brings this experience to their role as disability lead, ensuring that music making is as accessible as possible for anyone who comes to The Music Works.