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The Music Man Project (charity number 1188041) is a charity initiated by former state school teacher and Churchill Fellow David Stanley BEM, and designed to promote the enjoyment, education and performance of music for people with a learning disability through traditional music-making with authentic musical instruments. Focusing on ability rather than disability, the students’ musical instincts are nurtured and they are trained as musicians in vocal and instrumental ensembles. They learn technique, expression, musical language, and performance etiquette through rehearsing and performing David’s specifically composed repertoire. The aim is to equip the students with confidence, pride and self-esteem, so that they become valued and accomplished musicians with a sense of purpose, meaning and identity in society.

= History =

In 1999 David Stanley taught music to a young man with Down Syndrome. Recognising what he saw as a profound uplifting effect of music on this student, David expanded his teaching to more people with learning disabilities.

As a result of positive feedback from the students’ families, David established a Saturday Music School with local charity Southend Mencap. A testimonial from the mother of a severely autistic student at the school inspired David to give up his job as a Deputy Head Teacher in a mainstream secondary school to start a full-time accessible music education and performance service for people with learning disabilities.

In subsequent years the service was replicated throughout the UK and overseas, with the opening of 14 regional Music Man Project centres in the UK and 5 in overseas countries: Nepal, South Africa, India, USA and Philippines. This was achieved by helping other communities set up their own versions of David’s accessible music education and performance service using his teaching methods and music, sometimes in countries where children with learning disabilities receive highly unfavourable treatment.

To keep pace with further national and international demand, David established the National Music Man Project as a separate charity in 2019, and extended its reach to encompass not only the learning-disabled community, but also people who are blind or partially sighted, and those suffering poor mental health, terminal illness, dementia and other disability or disadvantage.

Concerts at the London Palladium (2015 & 2017), a new Guinness World Record for the largest triangle ensemble (2017), performances to members of the Royal Family (2017, 2019), a National Lottery TV advert appearance (2019), multiple awards and a Royal Albert Hall debut (2019) all followed within 8 years. In 2022 the project recorded a Christmas charity single with the Royal Marines Band Service.

Charity founder David Stanley was awarded the BEM for Services to People with Special Needs in the 2021 New Year’s Honours.

COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Music Man Project developed ways to respond to the crisis offering services to engage, teach and entertain the nation’s learning-disabled communities who were confined to their homes. These included home doorstep visits to play and sing to his students, live Facebook concerts, Zoom rehearsals, video calls and YouTube videos, which kept the service running for thousands of families across the UK. Supported by emergency government funding the project also delivered £6000 worth of musical instruments for children and adults to play at home, and tablet computers to enable them to access the internet. David's “Sing and Play with The Music Man Project” played to guests from all over the world and earned a 5-star rating on Airbnb Online Experiences.. He additionally launched “The Music Man Project Ambassador Zoom Sessions” welcoming students, carers and volunteers from all Music Man Projects, both in the UK and abroad, to rehearse the latest Music Man Project repertoire alongside a group of student ambassadors.

= UK Centres = Working in partnership with other organisations, musicians, teachers and most notably the Salvation Army, David and his Music Man Project UK Student Ambassadors deliver performances and workshops around the UK to inspire more people to offer regular music teaching to their local learning-disabled communities.

Notable workshop recipients include Europe’s largest Disability Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Marines and global PR Company, TEAM LEWIS.

Regional Music Man Projects across the UK

Stretching from Sussex to Scotland, David has established 14 regional Music Man Project teaching hubs:

London (Caterham Salvation Army 2022)

Liverpool (Salvation Army Strawberry Field 2020)

Surrey (Frimhurst Enterprises 2019)

Hertfordshire (Grove Cottage Mencap 2019)

Scotland (Kilmarnock and Kilbirnie Salvation Army 2018)

Lincolnshire (Bourne Salvation Army 2018 and Boston Salvation Army 2019)

Bristol (Keynsham Mencap 2018)

Hampshire (Hedge End Salvation Army 2018)

Kent (Southend Mencap 2017 and Medway CIC 2020)

Suffolk (Lowestoft Mencap 2016)

East Sussex (Southend Mencap 2016)

Essex (Southend Mencap 2012)

All regional Music Man Projects employ David’s teaching methods and are officially licensed for free, enabling them to use The Music Man Project branding and to access David’s exclusive music, teaching resources and performance opportunities.

All regional centres belong to the umbrella Music Man Project UK community and collectively share their news and successes via social media. As a result, over 500 children and adults with learning disabilities now access regular music education and performance across the Music Man Project UK network.

= International Centres = David Stanley visited the Philippines, America, Nepal, India and South Africa, personally training communities and mentoring dedicated Music Man Project Directors to continue his work. During the trips David taught children and adults with disabilities or other vulnerabilities and presented them in a concert for their local community. To date approximately 500 individuals with learning disabilities overseas have participated in international projects.

South Africa 2016
In August 2016, David visited Sizanani Children’s Home in South Africa for an inaugural 10-day teaching and research trip. Supported by 2 other tutors, David delivered 25 teaching sessions to children’s homes, day centres and orphanages from local townships over 7 days, culminating in a public concert. David donated 3 suitcases full of instruments and trained teachers and volunteers to enable them to continue with the educational programme and musical repertoire beyond the visit. David’s colleague returned to South Africa in 2017 and the charity continues to offer support for the first ever international hub: Music Man Project South Africa.

India 2018
In 2018 David established the Music Man Project in Bangalore, India during a 7-day teaching and training visit to a special school, adult residential care home and the DIYA Foundation – a vocational college for young adults. At the end of the visit, David brought everyone together for an hour-long concert in the community featuring 80 new Indian Music Man Project students performing to an audience of 150 people. All 3 institutions committed to continuing their own local Music Man Project service. David also identified and trained an ideal candidate to pioneer the expansion of Music Man Project India, thereby marking the visit as the beginning of expansion into the rest of the country, based on the UK model.

The United States of America 2019
David was awarded a Churchill Fellowship from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in 2019, enabling him to research music education and performance for people with learning disabilities in New York. His report has made 11 recommendations to raise awareness, enhance provision and increase impact across the UK, and provides the foundation for a UK/US transatlantic partnership for special needs music education. He inaugurated The Music Man Project New York and established links with special needs music providers in America, including Daniel’s Music Foundation in East Harlem. He gave numerous presentations about The Music Man Project and delivered music workshops to care homes from Brooklyn to the Bronx. On the final evening of his teaching and research trip, David delivered a combined workshop to all the residents from Salvation Army care homes across New York. The Music Man Project and Daniel’s Music Foundation have since established strong links as both are committed to connecting people with learning disabilities across the Atlantic.

Nepal 2019
In 2019 David launched The Music Man Project in Nepal in partnership with the Dolma Foundation. After just 6 hours of teaching, children from the Navjoti Special School in Kathmandu performed their first ever Music Man Project concert in front of 300 people, including the British Ambassador to Nepal, the late Richard Morris. David is now a trustee for the Dolma Foundation, supporting its work helping vulnerable children in Nepal.

The Philippines 2020
In 2020 David visited the Philippines to teach children in poor communities traumatised by natural disasters. His itinerary included 3 visits to the Botongon Elementary School, 3 visits to a class for children with Special Needs at the Estancia Central Elementary School, 2 workshops for disabled children in a remote township who never leave their homes, a meeting with the local Mayor and a public concert to the local community to officially launch The Music Man Project Philippines. The debut performance brought them all together for a celebratory musical party.

= The Music Man Project in Southend Now and for the Future = Birthplace of The Music Man Project, the service supports over 200 students per week in Southend City alone, through daily fee-paying adult classes, a children’s music school on Saturday mornings and services to local special schools. Constantly appearing in local press and across social media platforms, David’s Music Man Project Student Ambassadors are invited to perform at civic engagements, concerts, private and public parties, indoor and outdoor events across the City.

Musical Role Models Programme

David founded the Musical Role Models programme in 2017. The programme delivers inspirational performance workshops to mainstream Primary School pupils, taught by musicians with a learning disability. Pupils learn to sing, dance, play musical instruments and use sign language for original Music Man Project songs composed by David. With the help of funding from Southend Music Education Hub, David and his Music Man Project Student Ambassadors brought their music to over 10,000 school children in a single year, whilst teaching them invaluable life skills in diversity awareness and acceptance of disability. The programme continues after the initial visits due to David providing schools with online resources to follow up in the classroom, thus enabling the pupils to perform the songs in assemblies and concerts. There is now demand for these workshops from all over the country.

Special School Music Hub Services and Performance Opportunities

David’s Music Man Project delivers classroom and one-to-one teaching, and leads choirs, orchestras, music clubs, music assemblies, school concerts and public events on behalf of its client Special Schools in Southend. School pupils access the complete range of performance opportunities offered by The Music Man Project, including competing at local music festivals, performing in large scale integrated concerts and appearing in the West End alongside other schools and adult students.

David also provides school leadership teams with tracking and progress data, evidence of impact, case studies and a range of stakeholder reporting in fulfilment of OFSTED inspection criteria.

In 2023, The Music Man Project UK Ambassadors will travel to San Diego, USA to deliver workshops and performances. They will also perform with the Royal Marines at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall.

= Notable Performances and Media Appearances =

London Palladium
The project presented ground-breaking original productions at the London Palladium in 2015 and 2017. The first premiered David’s musical “From the Asylum to the Palladium” which told the journey of people with learning disabilities from patients in mental hospitals to stars of the West End. The second premiered David’s musical “The Label” about a mother of a disabled baby, based on the book of the same name by Caroline White. The concert also celebrated 70 years of Royal Mencap and David’s students broke the Guinness World Record for the largest triangle ensemble.

Royal Albert Hall Concert
In April 2019 the project presented its debut concert at the Royal Albert Hall, fulfilling a promise that David had made to students 20 years earlier. The performance was held in front of an audience of 3,000, and featured 700 performers, including 200 project students from across the UK, supported by a symphony orchestra, massed choirs and celebrity guests.

National TV/Cinema Advert National Lottery 25th Birthday “3 is the Magic Number”
In 2019 three Music Man Project students opened the National Lottery’s 25th birthday TV advert, which brought the Music Man Project to millions of people on national television.

BBC1 and ITV Appearances 2021
The Music Man Project featured with 'Mr Motivator' on BBC1 TV's Morning Live show and sang Christmas carols live on Christmas Eve for ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2021.

Sir David Amess
The project's students performed at the funeral of murdered Southend West MP Sir David Amess, who was the Music Man Project Charity president, singing a special version of David Stanley's own song "Peace and Hope".

In February 2022 The Music Man Project performed as part of the memorial concert for David Amess.

In response to the murder global marketing and PR agency TEAM LEWIS reached out to support the project. The agency provided immediate financial backing and advice, and created a brand-new documentary about the charity as a tribute to Sir David. The company continues to provide creative, media and consultancy services on a pro bono basis.

Appearance on Britain's Got Talent
In 2022 David was invited to showcase The Music Man Project on ITV's Britain's Got Talent. 35 musicians from The Music Man Project headquarters in Essex performed David's song "Music is Magic" in front of the celebrity judges at the London Palladium. The performance received a standing ovation from the Palladium audience and judges. The group were given 4 yes votes and judge Simon Cowell described the performance as "like drinking a glass of happiness".

Charity Christmas Single
In October 2022 the project launched a charity single with the Royal Marines Band Service. This was promoted by David and ambassadors from the project on Sky TV. Proceeds from the single will go to help the project.

= Discography =

Albums
“Music is Magic” (2017)


 * 1) You Can Have It All
 * 2) Note by Note
 * 3) Hey There
 * 4) Peace and Hope
 * 5) It’s Animals I Adore
 * 6) The Sizanani Suite
 * 7) Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone and 1521 Triangles – featuring Jemma Andrews and Leisa Jones
 * 8) The Ukularmy!
 * 9) High Low Middle
 * 10) Join Together
 * 11) Music is Magic

“The Label” ( 2017)


 * 1) Prologue
 * 2) Campaign
 * 3) Not Like This
 * 4) Books!
 * 5) Want Me
 * 6) The Postman’s Song
 * 7) Not Like This Reprise
 * 8) Hey Dad Look At Me
 * 9) The Seed You Have Sown
 * 10) Here I Am!

“Follow the Music” (2022) (The Music Man Project UK)


 * 1) Now We’re on Broadway
 * 2) One Poor Lonely Mite
 * 3) Think of the World You Leave Behind (featuring Peter Kerrie)
 * 4) United We Stand
 * 5) My English Rose
 * 6) Would You Wear Someone Else’s Knickers?
 * 7) In My Garden
 * 8) The Music Man Time Machine
 * 9) Have You Ever Stopped to Think?
 * 10) Sax Appeal!
 * 11) Follow The Music!
 * 12) Music is Magic (featuring HM Band of The Royal Marines)

Singles

 * 1) “Music is Magic” (single, 2015) – The Music Man Project Essex
 * 2) “Music is Magic” (single, 2022 released by SONY) – The Music Man Project UK and HM Band of The Royal Marines

= See also =


 * Mencap

= References =

= External links = Official Website