The appeal was launched in November 2024 by founder David Stanley BEM, who set out to "fulfil the dream" of the charity's late president, Sir David Amess. Former Southend MP Sir David Amess was one of the charity's biggest supporters before his tragic death in 2021. Incredible - The Music Man Project will head to Broadway later this year (Image: Jon Webber)He famously declared during a Royal Albert Hall performance in 2019 that the Music Man Project would one day perform on Broadway. Since being founded in Southend in 2000, the Music Man Project has grown into an international organisation, inspiring more than 16,000 children through workshops and performances. The charity now operates 27 regional Music Man Projects across the UK and has expanded into 17 countries spanning five continents.