Wiltshire Music Centre has been awarded nearly £60,000 to run musical projects for young disabled people in Wiltshire over the next two years.

Around 400 disabled young people took part in a series of workshops at the Bradford on Avon centre last year.

With the new funding music centre staff plan to extend the service to pupils at more special schools in Wiltshire and Bath.

The National Foundation for Youth Music has donated £39,436 for music courses for young disabled adults about to leave school and Barclays bank has agreed to contribute £20,000 to the annual Special Schools Music Festival.

Keith Nimmo, artistic director of the Wiltshire Music Centre, said: "This substantial external investment in our education and community outreach programme is not only an endorsement for the quality of the work which we deliver, but also enables us to make a long-term impact on the lives of these young people."

The 2004 Special Schools Music Festival starts in January while a new project for disabled youngsters and those with learning difficulties called Making Waves begins next week. Pupils can do a range of workshops with an emphasis on creating music, rapping and sampling.

Audience development officer Alexandra Tomkinson said: "All students can evaluate the workshops as they go along and it is up to them what direction they develop their musical skills in."