Project Beit Sahour
In 2012, Music as Therapy International embarked upon a new music as therapy introductory training project working alongside Music Therapist, Liz Coombes and volunteer Music Therapists, Hazel Child and Teleri Dyer. The objectives were to deliver a sustainable and efficient music programme which would enable local staff to learn the key principles of music therapy. These newly acquired skills would then, in turn, be utilised by staff to help children explore different ways of communicating with each other, whilst also promoting self-expression through a creative medium.
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"Palestinians, in general, and Palestinian children in particular are under lots of pressure due to the unstable prevailing political and financial situation. Some children are traumatized and need help psychologically and emotionally."
The six-week skill-sharing project was delivered in September 2012. On arrival Hazel and Teleri quickly began to gain an insight into the frustrations and tensions which pervade Palestinian existence and often manifest through children’s behaviour at schools.
They split their time between the three schools. Two days a week were spent in Beit Sahour, two days in Dar al kalima and one day in Ramallah.
At ELS Beit Sahour , Hazel and Teleri and local staff led music sessions with eight groups of children. There was an initial two day training programme for teachers taking part. One of the trainee teachers notes that:
"We have so many trainings as teachers, and they are all about the teacher - the planning, the lesson, the thinking, the materials - but this training was the first one that taught us how to be with children, to communicate with them, be with them and help them be more confident... It is like a mother and baby, who can talk without using words." Rasha Khair, Beit Sahour
At ELS Dar Al Kalima, Hazel and Teleri noticed that the teachers had extremely busy timetables and this bought about some challenges. Consequently, it was important for them to adapt the training to meet the needs of the teachers and children and be flexible in their approach.
Although Hazel and Teleri spent only one-day a week in Ramallah, they were able to make significant progress with both the children and the teachers.
“We noticed small differences in behaviour from week to week, as the children developed the capacity to listen to each other and play together” Teleri Dyer, 2012
By the end the end of the third week it was amazing to see the social worker at Ramallah conducting several sessions independently.
If you would like to find out more about the project, click on this link to read the full report.
Plans for 2013
We are currently in early discussions with the schools to identify how best to continue to provide on-going support for the teachers and social workers at the school. It is likely that Hazel and Teleri will return later on this year for a follow-up visit. This visit will help address any challenges the staff team will have encountered in their first few months of working with the children therapeutically and enable them to share their experiences to date.
For more information about the ELCJHJ please follow this link
February 2013 update
We are delighted to have recently received some really positive feedback from our Local Partners.
One school describes the progress that they have observed:
“We have observed some developments during the music sessions. For example, the students sit for long periods of time, they respect each other more…... We think that the students’ behaviour has changed because the music really is a wonderful way to interact with the students as a therapy session”
In addition, we were also delighted to hear from the schools development officer:
“The administrations of all schools and the staff Director of Education office were very pleased with the program, the trainers and the results.”
If you would like to donate to this project, click here
