Disability music charity aims to fulfil late MP Sir David Amess’s Broadway dream

A disablement euphony foundation that aims to situation perceptions has acceptable its sights connected Broadway to fulfil a imagination of its precocious president Sir David Amess.

The Music Man Project, an planetary euphony acquisition foundation for radical with learning disabilities, was founded successful Southend-on-Sea successful Essex 25 years agone by instrumentalist and teacher David Stanley.

Sir David, who was MP for Southend West, presided implicit the foundation for 20 years earlier his decease successful October 2021.

The precocious MP, who was stabbed to decease during a constituency country astatine Belfairs Methodist Church successful Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, had spoken of his imagination for the euphony foundation to “conquer Broadway”.

Mr Stanley, who hopes to instrumentality a radical of 30 musicians to New York to execute connected stage, has started a fundraising run to execute Sir David’s goal.

“It was his imagination truthful we privation to marque it happen, and we’ve got to marque it hap due to the fact that different his execution benignant of says that evil and calamity tin win,” Mr Stanley told the PA quality agency.

The Music Man Project, which has 14 determination centres crossed the country, has performed crossed the UK and internationally.

In 2019, 200 of its musicians took portion successful a show astatine the Royal Albert Hall successful beforehand of 3,000 people, successful the UK’s largest solemnisation of accessible music-making.

The foundation radical has besides performed astatine the London Palladium and astatine the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo successful Canada successful beforehand of 20,000 people, accompanied by the Royal Air Force band.

“(Sir David) said, ‘We’ve conquered the Royal Albert Hall, we’ve conquered the London Palladium. Next halt is Broadway’,” Mr Stanley said.

“That’s the eventual dream.”

He added: “Musicians with learning disabilities bring a definite magic.

“We specialise successful euphony acquisition starring to performance, it’s not euphony therapy.

“Music therapy is trying to close thing oregon dainty thing – what I bash is springiness everybody the close and the accidental to execute successful beforehand of thousands of radical connected the world’s biggest stages.

“It volition not lone alteration their lives, but it volition alteration you and I erstwhile we ticker them, it volition reverse perceptions.

“If you’re a genitor and you’ve got a kid that’s got Down syndrome oregon is autistic oregon immoderate different disability, you request hope, and you request radical to say, actually, astonishing things tin beryllium achieved.”

Mr Stanley hopes to rise much than £150,000 to money their New York expedition, wherever the Music Man Project volition execute connected Broadway and present euphony workshops to schools and charities.

To find retired more, sojourn the Music Man Project’s fundraising leafage here: www.gofundme.com/f/music-is-magic-on-broadway