Music is Our Witness

LESSONS ON THE HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE WITH A MUSIC CONNECTION

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MUSIC IS OUR WITNESS . . . Lesson plans for the teaching of the Holocaust, genocide, bigotry, and discrimination through musical connections. Written for use by all subject and grade level teachers in a cross curriculum format in both historical and contemporary contexts.

WHY MUSIC? . . . Students have an innate love of music that enables them to connect better on a common level.

LESSONS CAN BE USED BY ANY TEACHER . . . whether musically trained or not. Add an extra dimension to your lessons to make them come alive for your students.

ALL MATERIALS ARE FREE . . . All lesson plans include links to free, copyright compliant materials, including recorded music.

BACKGROUND

As a music teacher, I have always been fascinated by the way music is so integrated in everything that humans do, and how it can be a major tool for learning.

The idea for this website emerged while I was attending the Rutgers University Master Teachers Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide (MTI) in 2008-2009. The Institute provided me with a unique opportunity to explore links between two subjects that I have felt very strongly about all my life, especially in my teaching career — music, and the importance of teaching about our shared humanity. From this exploration, it was a logical step to arrive at the idea of incorporating music into the study of the Holocaust and the phenomenon of genocide.

With MTI's resources, support and encouragement, I offer this web resource to teachers of any subject (not only music) who would like to incorporate Holocaust or genocide units into their courses.

Contact: E-mail: dabrune8@warwick.net

Acknowledgements:

Site administrator: Dorothea M. Brune. Music-is-our-witness.org was conceived and produced by Ms. Brune.

Web design and programming: Chris Brune

Artwork:

Text editor: Noelle Kalipetis

Header photograph: Taken by an SS Trooper, shows women at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Women who arrived with a musical instrument case had a chance to live by playing in the womens orchestra.