University News Last updated 01 October
Alumnus and founder of mental wellbeing company quietnote Will Crawford has been awarded Innovate UK’s Creative Catalyst Funding Prize of £50,000.
BMus Performance and Composition graduate Will Crawford was recently awarded Innovate UK’s Creative Catalyst Funding Prize of £50,000 for his mental wellbeing company, quietnote. This Birmingham-based startup is offering a fresh perspective on mental health by integrating music and therapy techniques.
quietnote was conceived during the challenges of Lockdown when uncertainty ignited Will's exploration of the connection between music and mindfulness, laying the foundations for what would become quietnote.
Since its launch in 2021, quietnote has provided one-to-one coaching, corporate training, workshops and community programmes – all centred around the innovative concept of mindfulness through music.
Over the past three years, Will has collaborated with HSBC, Selfridges, and PureGym, as well as making significant impacts in local schools and community organisations.
The Innovate UK funding will be used for two main objectives: To form a partnership with the University of Birmingham to conduct scientific research on the effectiveness of mindfulness through music; and to expand quietnote to reach a wider audience.
Will reflected: “This funding is an incredibly exciting moment for quietnote, which provides a transformative journey through a blend of mindfulness and music. What started as a research idea during Lockdown has transformed into my full-time job.
He added: “Mindfulness has grown into a global movement over the last 30 years, but quietnote is bringing something new – we’re putting music at the forefront of our practice.”