Future Faces member wins £50,000 Innovate UK investment

Birmingham-based mental wellbeing company, quietnote, has been awarded Innovate UK’s Creative Catalyst Funding Prize of £50,000.

quietnote is a mental wellbeing start up based in Birmingham that focuses on teaching mindfulness through music, an innovative blend of music therapy and mindfulness techniques.

By blending the therapeutic qualities of music with the principles and techniques of mindfulness, quietnote is offering a unique approach to understanding our mental health, helping people to build a deeper awareness of their mind and body.

CEO and founder, Will Crawford (pictured), said: “Over the last 30 years, mindfulness has grown into a global movement, sparking endless conversations.

“However, quietnote is bringing something entirely new to the table, we’re putting music at the forefront of our practice. We don’t use background music, we use foreground music!”

quietnote emerged during the 2021 lockdown, when Covid-19 brought life to a standstill.

Will, a classical guitar student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, saw his work as a musician almost vanish overnight.

That moment of uncertainty inspired him to explore the deep connection between music and mindfulness - a passion that eventually became the concept for quietnote.

Since launching, quietnote has become a notable presence in the mental wellbeing sector, offering onw-to-one coaching, corporate training, workshops, and community-based programs.

All their services are built around the company's method of mindfulness through music.

Over the past three years, quietnote has worked with a range of organisations such as HSBC, Selfridges, The Woodland Trust, and PureGym.

They’ve also worked extensively with local schools, retirement homes, and other community organisations across the UK.

This recent £50,000 investment from Innovate UK will support two key initiatives. First, quietnote will partner up with the University of Birmingham to conduct a scientific research study, aimed at exploring and understanding what makes mindfulness through music so powerful.

Second, the funding will help to grow their community, allowing quietnote to reach and impact more people.

“This funding is an incredibly exciting moment for quietnote,” says Will. “When I first started out on the concept for quietnote, it was more an exciting research idea to fill the time whilst waiting for lockdown to pass. Three years on and it’s become my full time job, working with new people and organisations every week.

“This funding will help us to really develop the research into what makes our work so unique. As with any start up, the last three years have been immensely challenging but seeing our practice out there making a difference is an incredible motivator. Our long term goal is to have our practice widely regarded on a national level.

“Mindfulness through music is a growing community, giving people back control over their mindset, their wellbeing and their lives. The more people we can reach, the better. If you’ve never experienced our work, come along and see what all the fuss is about. I promise you that we’ll bring you round.”

If you want to learn more about quietnote’s work you can find out more via their website, social media or contacting Will directly via email at info@quiet-note.com or via LinkedIn.