The Music Man Project Podcast

The theme of this week's podcast is siblings.
If you ever get the chance, we urge you to watch a young person helping someone with special needs. Their insight, kindness and empathy defy their age, and their experience shapes their personality for the rest of their life. These young people develop the most extraordinary qualities: selfless kindness, patience and love. When that young person is also a sibling of someone with a learning disability, these qualities are even more life-changing for the whole family.
In this episode of The Music Man Project Radio Show on Chelmsford Community, David explores what it is like to have a brother or sister with a disability. He talks to two wonderful young woman, Remy and Emma, who are both sisters of students at The Music Man Project here in Essex, and he concludes with a moving interview with the most famous Music Man Project carer of them all - the legendary Auntie Ann Randal! Ann talks about her life as the sister of two brothers with learning disabilities, David and Paul.
David also chats to The Music Man Project’s resident filmmaker, web designer and all-round media guru, Paul Carpenter. 2012, Paul's acclaimed documentary “The Music Man” made a huge impression on the Prime Minister David Cameron. Finally, Chris Stringer from the Salvation Army talks about The Music Man Project/Salvation Army partnership in an interview recorded for the first series of our podcast last year.

The Music Man Project is a multi award-winning, world record-breaking music education and performance service for people with disabilities - direct from the Royal Albert Hall! It started in Essex but has spread right across the globe!
To find out more visit www.themusicmanproject.com, follow "The Music Man Project UK" on Facebook, subscribe to David Stanley's blog at www.themusicmanblog.com and subscribe to The Music Man Project's YouTube channel.
Devised and presented by David Stanley BEM
Produced by Jon Webber
The Music Man Project, charity no. 1188041
Email [email protected] to tell us your news!

The final episode of The Music Man Project Podcast series 1, presented by founder and CEO of The Music Man Project charity, David Stanley. In this episode we hear every track from the new Kingsdown Special School Christmas CD!
"It is fair to say that 2020 did not go as planned! It started well with a memorable teaching trip to the Philippines, our fifth international expedition in as many years. We also took The Music Man Project to Wales and even launched The Music Man Project Strawberry Field in Liverpool. Following 6 months of hard work, The Music Man Project officially became a registered charity in February. We looked forward to performances at the House of Commons, Birmingham's NEC, a special presentation to Camelot and the first concert of our "Music is Magic on Broadway" preview tour. Everything was coming together for yet another spectacular year in our history, two decades after it all began. But then the restrictions put in place to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a standstill. I have been immensely proud to witness how our community has adapted to the challenges presented by lockdown. In fact, our music has actually reached thousands more people through all the Zoom rehearsals, Facebook live sessions, YouTube videos, video calls, virtual concerts, podcasts, blogs and doorstop visits. Thanks to the National Lottery and Government funding, we were able to deliver £6000 worth of musical instruments for isolated families to play at home. The original Southend Mencap Saturday music school, which was the forerunner for the Music Man Project we know today, has of course been closed since March. I especially miss the children and it has been wonderful to work some of them at Kingsdown Special School. We were delighted to record and produce their very own Christmas CD, which you can hear on this special Christmas episode of The Music Man Project podcast. We hear from Kingsdown teachers, Lisa Stroud and Sophie Harris who tell us how the CD came into being and give an insight into life at their wonderful school during the pandemic." David Stanley

The world record-breaking Music Man Project provides award-winning accessible music education and performance opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities across the UK and around the world. These remarkable musicians have performed at the Royal College of Music, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall.
Every podcast includes news, music, interviews and lots of other exciting features and surprises. It celebrates the achievements of all people with learning disabilities from around the world.
To find out more visit www.themusicmanproject.com, follow "The Music Man Project UK" on Facebook, subscribe to David Stanley's blog at www.themusicmanblog.com and subscribe to The Music Man Project's YouTube channel.
Devised and presented by David Stanley
Produced by Jon Webber
The Music Man Project, charity no. 1188041
Email [email protected] to tell us your news!

Episode 14 of The Music Man Project Podcast, presented by founder and CEO of The Music Man Project charity, David Stanley.
No matter how driven or talented they are, everyone needs someone to believe in them, to share their vision and to take risks on their behalf. For David Stanley, that man was Marc McOwens, General Manager of Southend Mencap.

Marc valued David's ambitions and encouraged him to follow his dreams. It was the same as back in 2001, when David had proposed a Saturday morning music school to the then President of Southend Mencap – the late Joe Dorado. The two men are widely different in many ways but in this they are the same: they supported, encouraged and trusted David and he will forever be in their debt.

We hope you enjoying learning how The Music Man Project started with an amazing charity from South East Essex. Without Southend Mencap and Marc in particular, there would no Music Man Project and no Music Man Project podcast!
The world record-breaking Music Man Project provides award-winning accessible music education and performance opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities across the UK and around the world. These remarkable musicians have performed at the Royal College of Music, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall.
Every podcast includes news, music, interviews and lots of other exciting features and surprises. It celebrates the achievements of all people with learning disabilities from around the world.
To find out more visit www.themusicmanproject.com, follow "The Music Man Project UK" on Facebook, subscribe to David Stanley's blog at www.themusicmanblog.com and subscribe to The Music Man Project's YouTube channel.
Devised and presented by David Stanley
Produced by Jon Webber
The Music Man Project, charity no. 1188041
Email [email protected] to tell us your news!

Episode 9 of The Music Man Project Podcast, presented by founder and CEO of The Music Man Project charity, David Stanley.

In this episode we meet The Music Man Project’s amazing musical arranger, Al Steele. Al is one of the most accomplished and versatile musicians you will ever meet. Whether playing, composing, arranging, recording or producing, Al approaches his work with professionalism, enthusiasm and most of all, expertise. He is equally comfortable in both the classical and popular traditions - a guitar playing, singer song-writing music producer with a passion for Gustav Mahler!
The student guest this week is Claire Alderton. Claire is a Music Man Project UK Ambassador and original Saturday music school student from almost 2 decades ago.
This week's song is Music is Magic, written by David Stanley and Jenny Hitchcock. The song was the first to be arranged by Al and it was released as a charity single in 2015. Claire sang on the recording and performed the entire first verse as a solo at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019. The song topped the Amazon Broadway chart for a couple of hours, pushing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway album into second place!
The world record-breaking Music Man Project provides award-winning accessible music education and performance opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities across the UK and around the world. These remarkable musicians have performed at the Royal College of Music, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall.
Every podcast includes news, music, interviews and lots of other exciting features and surprises. It celebrates the achievements of all people with learning disabilities from around the world.
To find out more visit www.themusicmanproject.com, follow "The Music Man Project UK" on Facebook, subscribe to David Stanley's blog at www.themusicmanblog.com and subscribe to The Music Man Project's YouTube channel.
Devised and presented by David Stanley
Produced by Jon Webber
The Music Man Project, charity no. 1188041
Email [email protected] to tell us your news!

Episode 12 of The Music Man Project Podcast, presented by founder and CEO of The Music Man Project charity, David Stanley.
Since 2017 The Music Man Project has worked in partnership with the Salvation Army. The Music Man Project UK Ambassadors have travelled thousands of miles around the country, including flights to Scotland and Northern Ireland to deliver workshops and performances, and to launch new regional Music Man Projects together.
The Music Man Project is a great big musical family and people often comment on the fellowship, joy, love, kindness and general sense of community at our teaching sessions. It is incredibly fitting that the Salvation Army, with its tradition of music and service is working with us to extend our music to an often-forgotten society of people. The Salvation Army opened our Royal Albert Hall debut in 2019 with a special fanfare and we dedicated our performance of Kumbaya to our partnership.

This week's guest is Chris Stringer – Disability Inclusion Development Manager at the Salvation Army. Chris talks about the origins of the partnership and his admiration for the Music Man Project UK Ambassadors. He also chooses his favourite Music Man Project song: "Peace and Hope".
We also hear from the Music Man Project/Salvation Army workshop in Wrexham, recorded just before the coronavirus lockdown.

The world record-breaking Music Man Project provides award-winning accessible music education and performance opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities across the UK and around the world. These remarkable musicians have performed at the Royal College of Music, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall.
Every podcast includes news, music, interviews and lots of other exciting features and surprises. It celebrates the achievements of all people with learning disabilities from around the world.
To find out more visit www.themusicmanproject.com, follow "The Music Man Project UK" on Facebook, subscribe to David Stanley's blog at www.themusicmanblog.com and subscribe to The Music Man Project's YouTube channel.
Devised and presented by David Stanley
Produced by Jon Webber
The Music Man Project, charity no. 1188041
Email [email protected] to tell us your news!