The Music Man Project Global Ambassadors are world-leading, musical role-models with learning disabilities based at the charity headquarters in the City of Southend-on-Sea. They support David Stanley in his voluntary role as the UK’s Disability and Access Ambassador for Arts and Culture. David and his Ambassadors work together on a voluntary basis to increase musical opportunities for disabled people and to meet The Music Man Project’s objectives of promoting equal access to performance and raising awareness of the achievements of disadvantaged people in the arts. Contact us to book The Music Man Project Global Ambassadors for your event.
A Music Man Project Ambassador is expected to undertake the following duties in the role:
- Support David’s work as Government Disability and Access Ambassador for Arts and Culture
- Tour the UK to Launch Regional Projects
- Build National Partnerships and Musical Collaborations
- Teach Accessible Music Workshops to Mainstream and Special School Pupils
- Deliver Disability Awareness Training and Team Building for the Corporate Sector
- Lead Performances and Assist other Students
- Help Shape the Future Direction of the Charity
- Promote The Music Man Project in the Media
Major Achievements
- UK Tour of 30 counties to Launch new Music Man Projects (2016-)
- Music is Magic at the London Palladium Concerts (2015, 2017)
- School Workshops to 17,000 School Pupils (2018-)
- London Marathon Performances (2017, 2018)
- Royal College of Music Seminar and Performance (2016)
- Royal College of Psychiatrists Performances for World Mental Health Day (2018, 2019)
- Music is Magic at the Royal Albert Hall Concerts (2019, 2024)
- National Lottery 25th Birthday TV Advert (2019)
- Mr Motivator meets The Music Man Project on BBC1 TV (2021)
- Westminster Cathedral Tribute at Funeral of Sir David Amess (2021)
- Salvation Army Christmas Concert with the International Staff Band at the Royal Albert Hall (2021)
- Tate Britain Corporate Workshop for TEAM LEWIS Global (2022)
- Queen’s Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games (2022)
- iTunes Top 10 Charity Single with HM Band of the Royal Marines (2022)
- Performance at the Painted Hall, Royal Naval College, Greenwich (2022, 2023, 2024)
- Royal Marines Massed Bands Christmas Concert at the Guildhall, Portsmouth (2022)
- Charity Single Promotion on BBC Breakfast/ITV Good Morning Britain/Sky News (2022)
- NEC, Birmingham for the Naidex Disability Show (2021, 2022, 2023)
- San Diego, including USS Midway Aircraft Carrier performance with the Royal Marines (2023)
- Mountbatten Festival of Music with the Royal Marines at the Royal Albert Hall (2023)
- National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals on BBC1 TV (2023)
- Schools Workshop at 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister’s Wife (2023)
- Deal Memorial Bandstand with the Royal Marines (2023)
- UK Royal Marines Tour to Manchester, Leicester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Nottingham, Gateshead (2023)
- Performance at Speaker’s House, Westminster for UK Disability History Month (2023)
- ITV’s Good Morning Britain with Michael Ball (2024)
- Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, Canada (2024)
- Methodist Central Hall, Westminster for Churchill Fellowship Awards (2024)
- Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber, Milan, Italy with AllegroModerato (2024)
- Normansfield Theatre, Landgon Down Centre, for National Downs Syndrome Association (2024)
How do Ambassadors help?
The Music Man Project Ambassadors represent the charity globally. In 2022 they featured in a video presentation by the Minister for Disabled People at the United Nations in New York. In 2023 they toured San Diego, California courtesy of TEAM LEWIS. In 2024 the ambassadors performed at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Canada to help launch The Music Man Project Canada. Their recordings, videos and media appearances are shared globally by our marketing partner, TEAM LEWIS and through The Music Man Project’s international work in Nepal, the Philippines, India, South Africa and America.
The Music Man Project Ambassadors deliver workshops and performances to help other individuals, charities and organisations set up Regional Music Man Projects for their local communities – typically with our national partner, The Salvation Army. They travel thousands of miles to deliver their workshops, including trips to launch MMP Scotland and to Bangor in Northern Ireland. The Ambassadors feature regularly in national TV, radio and press coverage. All Regional Music Man Project owe their existence to the work of David Stanley and The Music Man Project Ambassadors from the original service in Southend. David’s decision to duplicate The Music Man Project across the UK was encouraged by the UK Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron (Letter from David Cameron).
Our global marketing partner, TEAM LEWIS, produces videos and online content to promote and document The Music Man Project Ambassadors’ greatest achievements. Their videos have reached the United Nations in New York and around the world.
The ambassadors played a leading role in The Music Man Project’s 2022 Christmas charity single with His Majesty’s Band of the Royal Marines. They recorded the official music video and promoted the track widely in the national media.
The ambassadors have appeared on the BBC, ITV, Sky News, Canada TV and BBC Radio 4. This raises awareness of all Music Man students at Regional Projects around the country, helping them to raise funds for their local service by capitalising on our brand recognition and national reputation.
Since 2019, the ambassadors have raised over £100,000 for The Music Man Project through an average of 100 concerts, workshop and media appearances every year. The money they raise enables the national Music Man Project charity to offer grants, produce major joint concerts at London venues and produce free music recordings, videos and teaching resources for Regional Music Man Projects across the UK.
The Music Man Project Ambassadors deliver Corporate Workshops and Away Day Experiences for businesses. Highlights include Tate Britain, London and The Guggenheim Theatre, San Diego. The corporate programme raises understanding of disability diversity in the business community and increases volunteering and employment opportunities for disabled people across society. The sessions also raise money for the charity which is invested back into the charity to provide performances, resources and grants for Regional Music Man Projects and the wider learning-disabled community.
The Music Man Project Ambassadors deliver music workshop in schools to raise awareness of the talents of disabled people for the next generation. They have reached 15,000 school pupils since 2019. The workshops typically last for one hour and play to whole school assemblies – often over 500 children. The workshops help the charity reach children with SEND in mainstream settings (who often miss out on such specialist provision and opportunity), raise money and increase awareness of the talents of learning-disabled musicians in new communities.
The Music Man Project Ambassadors supported David Stanley in his role as Disability and Access Ambassador for Arts and Culture. They contributed to a Government video for the United Nations in New York, delivered a Music Workshop at 10 Downing Street and performed at Speakers House in Westminster to celebrate UK Disability History Month.
The Music Man Project Ambassadors played a pivotal role in nurturing vital national partnerships with TEAM LEWIS, the Salvation Army, His Majesty’s Bands of the Royal Marines and the Bands of the RAF. These partnerships are transformational for our charity, lifting awareness of learning-disabled music-making to ground-breaking new heights. They have formed life-long connections and friendships, and opened doors to opportunities that would be impossible to achieve by someone without a learning disability. The impact of the partnerships goes far beyond the ambassadors and the achievements of the national Music Man Project charity. For example, TEAM LEWIS raised thousands of pounds to help The Music Man Project support Regional Projects across the UK. TEAM LEWIS is also responsible for our website which advertises Regional Projects and it promotes the charity in the mainstream national media.
The Salvation Army partnership has enabled The Music Man Project to launch Regional Projects across the UK, from Southampton to Scotland.
The Royal Marines Band accompaned all the UK Regional Projects at the Royal Albert Hall in our return concert in April 2024.
None of this would have been possible without the tireless voluntary efforts of The Music Man Project Ambassadors and their families.
From helping the Countess of Wessex to break a world record at the London Palladium in 2017 to receiving a standing ovation from His Majesty The King at the Royal Albert Hall in 2023, The Music Man Project Global Ambassadors have enthralled members of the Royal Family ever since David Stanley launched the fulltime Music Man Project service in 2012.