As part of their research and contextual introduction to the subject matter, each school is given an online toolkit relating to a specific black British, British West Indies Regiment or Indian Army soldier. Students complete the questionnaire to explore the life, background and story of their soldier’s life so as to build as full a picture as possible, of his experiences of the war. They use their research to write a Letter Home to or from their soldier. During the composition workshop, they work with a Composer (each school working with a different artist and a range of musical genres), to set their letter to music and create a song for them to sing, which is incorporated into the final performance.
“The song was owned by the children. They led the direction that the song would take, and have been singing the song ever since. It has given them pride!”
Teacher, Starks Field Primary School
