Barry Manilow gives gift of music to Dunbar High as he prepares for Germain Arena show

Barry Manilow knows it better than just about anybody: The piano can change your life forever.

For him, the change started modestly in elementary school.  “Suddenly I became the most popular kid in school,” Manilow says. “Because I knew how to play the PIANO.”

Then along came his love song “Mandy” in 1975 — a song Manilow will no doubt play Tuesday when he visits Germain Arena in Estero.

And boy, did Manilow’s life change after that one. Forty three years later, he says, it’s still the song that means the most to him.

“That was the first one,” says Manilow, 74, of Palm Springs, Calif. “It was the biggest surprise of my life.

“I never thought I’d have a hit record. Suddenly, I had a No. 1 record, and it was crazy. It was the most exciting and terrifying couple of years of my life."

Manilow never saw himself as the superstar he later became, a pop icon who’s 50 Top 40 hits include “Copacabana,” “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Can’t Smile Without You” and “Looks Like We Made It.”

He had a more low-key career planned, in fact.

“I was going to be a musician, an arranger, a conductor, a songwriter,” he says. “That’s where I was heading. And suddenly I wind up with a No. 1 record. And boy oh boy, that was a crazy year.

“It exploded in a million pieces, and I just wasn’t prepared for it. ... I’d never even thought of it. And really, it changed my life.”

That’s why Manilow started his Manilow Music Project about 10 years ago. Wherever he performs — including Tuesday’s Germain Arena concert — he donates a keyboard to kick off a musical-instrument drive for a local school’s musical program (in this case, Dunbar High School).

Then he asks his fans to donate instruments, too. And here's the sweetener: If they do, they get two free tickets to the Manilow show.

So far, Germain Arena has collected about 12 instruments for Dunbar High, including keyboards, guitars, trumpets, a saxophone, a clarinet and a flute, according to Germain’s event coordinator, Channa Harrington.

MORE: Barry Manilow talks about SWFL show, his 'secret' marriage, 'Mandy' and more

MORE:How to score free tickets to Barry Manilow at Germain Arena

Dunbar High’s principal, Carl Burnside, said he's excited to be selected as a beneficiary of the Manilow Music Project.

“The gift of music is a very powerful one,” he said in a press release last month announcing the charity drive. "I am extremely appreciative that students of Dunbar High will benefit from Mr. Manilow’s mission of highlighting the importance of music programs in schools.”

Manilow says he got the idea for the Manilow Music Project from a friend in Palm Springs, California.

“He asked me if I knew where his daughter could get a sax, because the school didn’t have one,” he says. “And I said, ‘They don’t have a sax?’

“And I started looking around and reading up on it. And yeah, nearly all the middle schools and high schools around the country, because of budget problems… the first thing that goes is music and art. That’s the first thing that goes.

“And I said, ‘I’m a musician. I have to do something!’”

Music is important, Manilow explains. Sure, most people don’t become famous pop stars. But learning to play an instrument can boost your confidence, sharpen your memory, improve your math and reading skills, and a lot more.

“A lot of people think it’s playtime, but it really isn’t,” Manilow says. “It’s more than just playtime. I’ve spoken to principals and teachers, and they always tell me that (the students’) grades go up when they’re in music classes.

“It’s more important than people think. It changes peoples lives — like it did mine!”

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (Facebook), @charlesrunnells (Twitter), @crunnells1 (Instagram)

If you go

Who: Barry Manilow

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Germain Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero

Tickets: $55-$247.

Info: 948-7825 or germainarena.com

Donate a musical instrument, get two free tickets to Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow got things started last month by donating a Yamaha keyboard to Dunbar High School. Now the pop icon wants Southwest Florida residents to step up, too, and donate more musical instruments to the school.

Anyone who donates a new or “gently used” instrument will get two free tickets to Tuesday’s Manilow show (while supplies last, valid for pre-selected seat locations on a first come, first served basis).

Donations can be dropped off at the Germain Arena box office between now and Tuesday. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Learn more about the Manilow Music Project at manilowmusicproject.org.