In support of the Army’s Senior Leader priorities and the Sergeant Major of the Army’s focus, the Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness has partnered with the United States Army Field Band to creatively share messages of hope and explain prevention concepts to prevent harmful behaviors, like suicide and self-harm.
“The Army is good at performing music that delivers a positive message,” said Master Sgt. Lauren Urquhart, the band’s Director of Production.
“Partnering with a fellow Army agency is really important to us,” she said.
The collaboration began in 2024, when Staff Sgt. Nicholas Feemster wrote and recorded rap verses and dialogue videos inspired by the Ask, Care, Escort annual suicide prevention training curriculum. The videos are designed to spread awareness and represent a novel approach to sharing prevention messages with Soldiers. Feemster developed accompanying dialogue videos that training facilitators may show with the rap videos to emphasize ACE concepts and best practices. The successful video campaign was disseminated on social media between September 2024 and January 2025.
As a part of its annual outreach efforts, the field band typically produces and records covers or new recordings of popular songs. This past January, DPRR and the band partnered to identify popular songs with strong messages of hope and resilience to emphasize these concepts outside of training and typical Army environments. Together, they selected songs across eras and genres to appeal to Army community members of all ranks, ages and musical preferences.
The selections are as follows: 1. “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World 2. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House 3. “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield 4. “Rise Up” by Andra Day 5. “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves 6. “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers
Once finalized, these covers will be shared across DPRR and TUSAFB social media pages. Some of the band’s past recordings are available on their Instagram.
ACE Base + 1 annual training teaches Soldiers how to support one another before and during challenging times. The curriculum provides effective strategies to recognize warning signs and encourage Soldiers who might be struggling with suicidal thoughts to seek help. The topics focus on reducing stigma, active listening and lethal means safety.
Training facilitators are encouraged to share the music and dialogue videos alongside the ACE curriculum to encourage thoughtful discussion and application of training concepts.
“We need modern and creative ways to share prevention concepts and actions and messages of hope and encouragement, especially among young, enlisted Soldiers,” said Renee Johnson, Suicide Prevention Program Manager.
“Music is a powerful tool to elevate resources and stories of hope,” she said.
If you or someone you know is thinking about self-harm or suicide, help is available. Call or text 988, or chat. Soldiers and their Family members can also use Military OneSource to request a referral to short-term counseling.
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