Find out about

Military Musicians

Kneller Hall in Twickenham, West London, was home to the Royal Military School of Music – a world-renowned training college which taught musicians to be part of the Corps of Army Music and prepared them to join their regiments to represent the British Army at home and abroad. It closed in 2021.

I had the best training in the greatest music conservatoire known to man.

- Louis Dean Davies - Bugler

The Teaching Resource

The five sets of learning materials tackle a different subject each.

The history of Kneller Hall and the Royal Military School of Music: Music for Morale, Ceremony and Celebration, Music as Communication, and Remembrance.

Within each session you will find links to video interviews specially recorded with veteran and serving Army musicians, and we hope you will enjoy hearing their first-hand testimony which brings to life the rich stories Kneller Hall has to tell. You will also see planned thinking points to stimulate classroom discussions, and task pointers for the activities associated with each session. The activities themselves are located within a separate workbook, and available to you to download and use with your learners – they include individual, pair and group tasks, research and written work, homework and family involvement.

Our resources are all provided free of charge, and whilst they remain the intellectual property of Legasee Educational Trust,  we would be delighted if you would download, print off, photocopy and use in the way that best suits your learning and teaching styles.

Lesson plans included in this resource

Lesson Plan 1

Kneller Hall

Learn about the history of military music in this impressive building in the suburbs of West London.

Lesson Plan 2

Music for morale

Find out about the role music plays in maintaining the morale of the modern army – how has music remained such an important part of military life?

Lesson Plan 3

Musical messages

Discover how the military uses it’s regimental bands as a source of influence through the common language of music.

Lesson Plan 4

Ceremony and Celebration

No major life event is complete without music, from a school ensemble playing at a local fete to a military band at a royal wedding, music sets the tone of any gathering. Find out how the military use music to set the mood.