Thanks for the Memories (T4TM)
Thanks for the Memories (T4TM) is a 3-year project supported by the Wellcome Trust that explores interactions between viruses, vaccines, immune memory … and music.
What’s the aim?
Our immune systems don’t just battle the current disease that they are exposed to: they form memories in response to past infection or vaccination that help to protect us against future disease. This project asks how immune memory can inform musical composition – and how the creation and performance of music can, in turn, offer a new perspective on scientific practices and their impact on our lives. T4TM brings together the worlds of immunology and music for researchers, composers, secondary schools students, and the public; allowing these diverse communities to share their own perspectives and learn from each other.
Who’s involved?
The project is led by University of Oxford’s Prof. Paul Klenerman and Royal Northern College of Music’s artist-in-residence Dr Zakiya Leeming. They are combining their scientific and musical expertise to explore the subject of immune memory in two strands to this project: a T4TM Schools Project, engaging with secondary school students in Manchester and Oxford, and a T4TM Opera by Leeming, performed for the wider public.
What will happen?
T4TM Schools
The project brings multidisciplinary exploration into secondary schools in Oxford and Manchester, working with year 9 pupils to:
- Uncover the history and science of vaccines – from the early pioneering work of figures such as Lady Mary Wortley Montague and Edward Jenner, to the cutting-edge challenges of contemporary vaccine science, pupils will receive a solid foundation on which to build KS4 work on the immune system and viruses.
- Create their own musical response to immune memory – whether they have any prior musical experience or not, pupils will be guided by Leeming to compose their own piece of music inspired by the history and science of immune memory.
Teaching Resources Pack
The Thanks for the Memories Project, in collaboration with Holly Sedgwick and Olivia Shorthouse, both University of Manchester, have created three Biology lesson packs inspired by the project's themes of the immune system, immune memory, and the vaccine pipeline. Each lesson pack comes with a lesson plan, resources and worksheets for use in the classroom, and a powerpoint presentation. They are designed for use with year 9 students (13-14 year olds), and can be used stand-alone or consecutively.
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Immune System
In this lesson, students are introduced to the role of the immune system in protecting the body, including the function of different organisms and cells and the sequence of the immune response. Students will prepare a sorting activity to develop their understanding and will be challenged to participate in a role play activity, which they will perform in groups to their classmates, using their storytelling and teamwork skills to communicate their learning.
- Download Lesson 1 Plan, Resources and Worksheets
- Download Lesson 1 PowerPoint Presentation
Lesson 2: Creation of Immune Memory
In this lesson, students will develop their understanding of how the immune system responds to different types of pathogens, and explore how vaccinations take advantage of the natural functions of the immune system. Students will explore how the body 'remembers' past infections and will create graphs mapping how the body's immune response changes over time. Students will consolidate their understanding by creating a storyboard outlining two exposures to infection, evaluating their ability to communciate knowledge of immune memory with scientific accuracy, clarity, and creativity.
- Download Lesson 2 Plan, Resources and Worksheets
- Download Lesson 2 PowerPoint Presentation
Lesson 3: Vaccine Development Pipeline
In this lesson, students are introduced to the real-world application of vaccine science. They will develop understanding of the key steps in developing a vaccine, from discovery to quality control, as well as exploring the diversity of careers related to vaccine science and healthcare through an interactive career spotlight activity. The lesson provides an opportunity for students to reflect on how scientific research helps solve real-world problems and improve public health. Click on the links to download the documents.
- Download Lesson 3 Plan, Resources and Worksheets
- Download Lesson 3 PowerPoint Presentation
Students’ musical compositions will come to life at the end of the project: performed by musicians from the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Oxford.
T4TM Opera
The project has culminated in the premiere of a new chamber opera in 2025. Created by Leeming and Klenerman together with mezzo soprano Rosie Middleton, the opera will bring together song and storytelling to explore memory: both immune and cultural, through the pioneering work of Lady Mary Wortley Montague.
This scene appears early in the opera and introduces Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s time in Constantinople. She observes a different approach to smallpox - inoculation - and begins to grasp its implications. The narrative is Lady Mary in her own words, drawn from her letters.
Video Clip 2: Lymphocytes Scene
This is a more experimental segment of the opera, focusing on the role of immune cells (lymphocytes) in the body. The chorus represents the scientific process, dramatizing cellular interaction through music and movement.
Video Clip 3: Newgate Trials Scene
Towards the end of the opera, this scene shows the aftermath of Lady Mary’s public campaign for inoculation in Britain, working with Charles Maitland. The scene captures her disappointment - her efforts came at personal cost.
Why participate?
For school students
When you’re infected or vaccinated, your immune system is able to ‘remember’ how to treat the disease in the future. You might think of science and music as being completely separate parts of your school life – but this project will help you to explore the links between the two.
For teachers
T4TM offers curriculum enrichment across science, music, and history, allowing your year 9 pupils to be inspired to discover new connections across their work, supported by the University of Oxford and the Royal Northern College of Music. But more than this, the work with T4TM will build a strong foundation for your pupils’ work on the immune system in KS4 Science.
For researchers
The scientific research underpinning this project investigates immune memory and vaccination; the project expands to examine how musical composition and performance can be informed by, and in turn inform, scientific research. The project is an opportunity to introduce the wider community, including school pupils, to these multidisciplinary perspectives.
For musicians
Musicians taking part in both the T4TM Schools performance and the T4TM Opera have the chance to create their own musical compositions, and share their feelings and experiences on the topic through an innovative cross-disciplinary investigation of science and music, a meeting of the University of Oxford, the Royal Northern College of Music, and schools: a multidisciplinary collaboration bringing together diverse communities.
If you would like to get in touch with the T4TM team, please contact project facilitator rachel.hindmarsh@stcatz.ox.ac.uk.
