He could not fight, and yet he fought
His sacrifice was not for naught.
He bravely yielded up his life
A hero’s gift midst raging strife.
This #RemembranceDay, HMDT Music is reflecting on the service and sacrifice made by those who give their lives in wars across the world to defend the freedoms that we enjoy today.
Between 2014-2018, Trench Brothers our national schools project which commemorates the achievements and contributions made by Indian Army, British West Indies Regiment, and black British soldiers during the First World War, reached over 50 schools across England. It offered object handling, costumed interpreter, puppet making and composition workshops alongside our extensive Education Zone of 90 lesson plans and activities in preparation for the opportunity to perform a specially commissioned music theatre work by composers Julian Joseph and Richard Taylor and librettist Tertia Sefton-Green. In 2017 the Trench Brothers Exhibition was launched in Lancashire museums supported by interactive events. In 2018, Trench Brothers culminated in large-scale performances at the Brighton Dome and the National Memorial Arboretum.
The Trench Brothers project lives on today with our interactive workshops for KS1, KS2 and KS3 students which bring the First World War to life through handling artefacts and memorabilia or meeting a uniformed Sepoy.
“Trench Brothers is an imaginative and inspiring project taking the incredible story of our Great War ethnic minority soldiers to London primary schools. It is a wonderful synthesis of music, theatre and puppetry, engaging young people and challenging them to think about the events of a century ago.”
“This was a great activity to immerse the children into the topic. It created a great sense of interest and excitement in the children and having real objects for them to handle really brought the trenches to life. ”
“HMDT Music’s affecting music theatre work… “letters home” … These have all the poignancy, humour, sadness, bitterness and gritty historical detail that you would expect, from the blackly humorous “I’m afraid of getting nits so I keep my turban on!” to the heartbreakingly bold statement “I don’t want to be here anymore.” Arts education organisation HMDT Music have form for taking on projects with big themes.”
“The costumed interpreter was utterly convincing. Even the staff believed they were in his army! This had a significant impact on the children as they were actually made to feel like they had signed up to the army! You could hear a pin drop and they loved seeing the adults getting told off by the officer! ”
“The children were engaged throughout. They learnt valuable crafting skills and techniques. They became increasingly familiar with the uniform/look of the Indian soldiers. It was great fun. ”
“It has reinforced the value of student led investigations. If the children are given an interesting and relevant starting point, and allowed the chance to run with it in whatever direction they want, then they will be much more motivated and inspired to learn. As teachers we need to be facilitators providing guidance and resources, enabling the children’s knowledge to grow. ”
“We loved seeing our letters transform into a song and work with a real composer. We learned how to make our song come to life using emotions and feelings. ”
“It gave an understanding and grasp of the impact of war – a huge feeling of pride at being able to tell a story respectfully, giving the soldiers the recognition they deserve. It gave a better appreciation of the sacrifices that were made, and a vastly improved knowledge of the participation of soldiers from the Commonwealth countries and their roles.”
“I learned so much about the First World War that I never knew happened. Normally finding information about the past would be boring, but I was definitely wrong. I am hungry for more, and I love learning from the past now. ”
“It has brought history teaching to life for me. I wish I had been taught about the past in this way when I was at school. The project has gone far beyond my expectations. The learning and experience for our children is immeasurable - they will remember Trench Brothers for ever. ”
“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to commemorate the lives of special and bold people. (…) not only to perform at the Dome but to tell the stories of these incredible soldiers was amazing and I will never forget it. The project was sometimes sad and upsetting but it is so important to keep the memories alive so we don’t forget how brave these hardworking comrades were or so we don’t make the same mistakes again.”
AWARDS:
MT Awards: Music & Drama Education Winner
David Bedford Music Education Award
To learn more about our Trench Brothers project, or to arrange a workshop for your school, visit the website for Trench Brothers