An inclusive education initiative using the arts to embed diversity across the primary school curriculum
HMDT Music’s E Project sets out to empower, enrich, equalise, expand, embed, engage, and evaluate through the creation of an arts-embedded curriculum focusing on themes and issues of inclusion, diversity, racial inequality and anti-racism. Creativity is one of the best ways of helping young people understand the views and experiences of others and is uniquely placed to integrate with other subjects and underpin cross-curricular learning.
Over three years primary schools in Stoke on Trent, Lytham St Anne’s, Luton and Hackney are receiving drama, art and music workshops delivered by guest artists who link curriculum themes and topics with a range of activities and materials including former HMDT projects such as Hear Our Voice, STEM Sisters, An Invite from the Queen, Trench Brothers and Shadowball, in order to build a bank of resources for long term use.
In recent workshops, drama workshop leader Jo Carey explored themes of racism, antisemitism and discrimination with our Berger Primary in Hackney. Through the lens of Hear Our Voice, students explored the experiences of Jewish children during the Holocaust, what it would have felt like to leave their home behind and move to the ghetto, and the resilience they showed when faced with moving to the concentration camps.
In a workshop with students at Hillborough Junior in Luton they explored Floella Benjamin’s early life in Trinidad, giving thought to her home, cultural celebrations, and schooling. As a class, they then created a soundscape to accompany her journey to England, focusing on her hopes and fears and exploring the differences between her expectations of England and the reality of the life and the racism she faced here.
Luke Perry’s art sessions in Moorpark Junior in Stoke on Trent have focused on Public Art exploring the BLM movement, Islamic representation, Feminism, LGBTQIA+ representation, environmental activism and was followed by CPD training for staff developing skills and confidence aligned to developing methodologies for introducing wide cultural referencing, a focus on women and a non-European/Western approach.
Music workshops have encompassed song-writing with Michael Betteridge at Lytham Hall Park and Vahan Salorian’s exploration of music to protest and persuade looking at Women’s Rights Movement and female composers to create new choral pieces.
The Art of Inclusion Training Scheme
Alongside these workshops, The Art of Inclusion Training Scheme develops arts practitioners’ skills and creative practice by engaging with diversity, equity and inclusion.
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