Middle School Lesson Plans

Defiant Requiem Lesson Plans

Introduction:
The Defiant Requiem Foundation Education Curriculum is a multi-lesson educational program for middle school students (grades 6–8) centered on the music created in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp during the Holocaust. Through the stories of conductor Rafael Schächter, composer Viktor Ullmann, and the children who performed the opera Brundibar, students will explore how prisoners used music as an expression of identity and a form of resistance and resilience in the face of oppression.

The curriculum includes four lesson plans that can be taught independently or as a sequence, each with worksheets, discussion prompts, and extension activities that teachers can adapt to fit their classroom. Lessons 1 and 2 are built around the documentary film Defiant Requiem, which tells the story of Schächter and his chorus, features interviews with surviving members, and provides historical context about life in Terezín, the Nazi propaganda campaign, and the performances of Verdi’s Requiem.

Teachers planning to use Lessons 3 or 4 as standalone lessons should be aware that these lessons do not include the film, and instead focus on guided listening, artist biographies, historical readings, and primary source analysis. For the fullest experience, we recommend starting with Lessons 1 and 2 so that students have the foundational context the film provides before exploring the additional topics in Lessons 3 and 4.

Resource:
Defiant Requiem Film – WATCH HERE

Lesson Plans:
All Lessons
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Lesson 1: Terezín: An Introduction
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Lesson 2: Rafael Schächter and the Verdi Requiem: Music as Resistance
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Lesson 3: Viktor Ullmann: Music as Resilience
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Lesson 4: Brundibar: Music as Resistance
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