Presto Music School to launch Rhythm Warriors series

Little did David Jones know that singing to his then one-year-old son, Charlie, on Hayle Beach would create the seed of inspiration for an animated adventure more than a decade in the making.

From that family singalong to a concept for a TV show with 52 episodes, it has been quite a journey for the co-founder of Presto Music School in Crosfield Street.

And now the musical education programme, Rhythm Warriors, has gone into full production after catching the eye – and ear – of Singapore’s Sparky Animation, a partner of Disney and The Jim Henson Company.

David said: “It was based on a fantastic holiday in Cornwall where I was just making up daft songs for the kids.

“We started writing songs from there and it grew and grew. We met up with around 30 studios from around the world to find a really good partner to work with and Sparky was a perfect fit.”

Around 55 Presto students – some as young as four – have been involved in the music or vocals for the show and the work is ongoing.

David added: “It was so popular that we had about 50 auditions just in one day. What blew us away is that so many young people were willing to give it a go and we had such a wide age and ability range.

“We’ve got little ones as young as four doing this and they bring so much energy. All the instruments that we teach are involved in the show so we have guitarists, drummers, pianists and much more.”

Rhythm Warriors has also been a real family affair as David’s sons Charlie, a Presto guitar student, now 13, and Sam, a Presto drums student, 15, are involved.

Meanwhile, his 20-year-old daughter Mollie, who teaches at Presto, voices two of the characters, sings and has been doing some choreography work.

Presto students were doing some backing vocals for one of the show’s tracks during Weekend’s visit and David has been keen to involve youngsters outside of his classes too. Pupils at Barrow Hall Primary School in Great Sankey and Beamont Primary School in Orford have both been learning about the world of Rhythm Warriors.

David, who is supported with the ambitious project by his wife Helen, said: “It depends how much they want to throw themselves into it but they can learn about the recording process.

“So if there are schools in the Warrington area who would like to be involved they’ve just got to give us a ring and we will quite happily visit them and show them what we’re up to. Potentially they can get involved in the process as well.”

The 11-minute episodes are aimed at children aged between four and seven.

David, who has been running Presto for 16 years, said: “We’re looking to pitch to broadcasters this year but we’re not in a rush to do that at the moment because Sparky Animation and Emofront, the producers, have been keen to invest in it early on. They had faith and confidence and have been backing us massively from the outset.

“There’s a high educational value but the first thing that the children will be drawn to is the zany, loveable characters. It’s funny, it’s adventurous. It’s like a musical Harry Potter meets Indiana Jones.

“Little ones won’t realise they’re learning how to read music. You’ll have four-year-olds who will watch the show and love every second of it and not pick up at all on the fact that they’re actually learning how to read real notation.

“So they could turn up for lessons anywhere and, not having had a formal education, they could sit down and read what is effectively GCSE level music.”

Rhythm Warriors also champions the aspects of teamwork in music and as well as the show itself there is going to be an album and possibly even a live tour if things take off.

David added: “It’s a show about a band – a nutty band at that – but it’s certainly about a band and in the ‘real world’ they have got an album coming out later this year with the videos in tow.

“It’s very slick. We have a wide range of students involved from real youngsters to accomplished, high flying students and they form a group of mad characters called the Boogie Woogies who are the sidekicks to the Rhythm Warriors.”

The series went from being an idea in the back of David’s head to a fully fledged concept by 2011.

David, who keeps in touch with Sparky via Skype, emails and meet ups at the likes of Cannes Festival, said: “We love what we do at Presto but I think the fact a company the size of Sparky have said ‘wow’ is reassuring for the parents. They know that there’s a major authority behind it.

“Bizarrely the hardest part is creating the show in the first place and mapping it all out. It will only take 17 months of production to make 52 episodes but it has taken eight years of planning to put it all together.

“The first episode takes much longer because you’re still assembling bits and pieces. By the end of the process the final episode will take us two weeks. I can’t take any credit for the animation though – it is really eye-popping.

“I’m executive producer alongside my excellent right-hand man KC Wong, the chief executive of Emofront and Sparky. We created the show together and I couldn’t have done it without him.”