Marc McOwens

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
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