John Hart died last week, peacefully in St Michael’s Hospice. He had lived to see his passion for music-making realised in his project for enabling access to music for children.
He founded Music Lifeline, a Rye-based CIC to reach children in East Sussex who would not otherwise have access to music. Its aim was to provide free access to music for all children and to introduce them to the joy and benefits that music brings to our lives.
The pathway of the project has been long and winding with many obstacles and setbacks. He served as a governor of Rye Community Primary School and stocked his garage with instruments kindly donated by retired musicians which were used by pupils at music workshops. He was Treasurer of The Music Well in Rye for many years. He also acted as trustee and treasurer of the Hastings Music Festival (HMF) charity until his illness led him to resign.
Breakthrough came when John met Andy Nunn, a music teacher, composer and resident of Hastings when they were on a dinosaur walk at Pett Level. He introduced Andy to Hastings Music Festival and a very creative partnership began. Music Lifeline sponsored HMF to run a non-competitive event for state primary schools in Hastings, alongside their competitive programmes.
Last year, Andy worked with teachers at 10 state primary schools, encouraging children to create their own school song based around confidence, resilience and teamwork. The result was a joyful concert at The White Rock Theatre in March 2025 enjoyed by parents, teachers and local residents.
Other concerts followed including one for the Rye Festival on 26 September this year with children from Rye Community Primary School. Pictured above.
Now the Hastings Music Festival has set up a fund in John Hart’s memory to continue his legacy. Donations to help HMF continue and expand the widening access to music programme can be made here.
John was a chartered accountant (at one time finance director of Mencap) but music was always his passion. By nature he was a quiet person, serious, unostentatious but determined. His sense of humour was on the dry side but he exuded goodwill and interest in other people’s ideas and plans. I used to call on him without phoning first and often found him practising a piece on the piano, happy to break off and chat over a cup of coffee. On one such occasion I found myself in the middle of a family party, visiting from all parts of the world and was made welcome.
Dee Alsey, who helped him set up Music Lifeline, said that when he was in the hospice he was so overwhelmed with the care and kindness shown to him that he set about running a music event for the volunteers! “It gave him something to look forward to and, as I suspected, once it was over and all his children had returned from other parts of the world, he allowed himself to be in peace. I and a few others will keep his legacy going and his work will continue via the Hastings Music Festival. Another programme will run in January in 10 schools in Hastings and I’m meeting Lesley, (chair of HMF) in the new year to look at how we can expand it. Access to music for children mattered so much to him. We are planning a memorial for him next year which he said had to be filled with music, friends and laughter.”
As a result of his illness, John was pleased to hand over the name Music Lifeline to The Music Well and Bell Tree Music Therapy who are coming together under the Music Lifeline name. They too are committed to ensuring that children have free access to musical activities.
RYE NEWS: John was also involved in helping to manage the finances of Rye News. His work on the paper from when it started in 2014 was greatly appreciated by the team, both then and now. Our condolences to his family and friends.
Image Credits: Dee Alsey .