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My voice isn’t beautiful! I feel shy, I can’t sing in front of anyone! In my entire life, I’ve never played a musical instrument! I don’t know how to use musical instruments, nor do I even know their names!!!!! 

These questions and thoughts were running through my mind at the beginning of the Music as Therapy course. I felt a strange mixture of emotions, including fear, especially when I had to write the first assignment, which was [based on observing] a video of two children. They seemed to be speaking, but in their own language that I couldn’t understand! I felt anxious and surprised because I didn’t understand anything, and I didn’t understand how to analyze this video! This passage made me excited to discover this new world, and I felt that it wasn’t about musical instruments or even a beautiful voice!… I wasn’t sure how well I would cope with the demands of this course, especially since I was also finishing my diploma studies, and I felt a great deal of pressure to persevere and work hard to achieve them. Especially since I love learning and I love to have new experiences, which transforms me and develops me in my field of work and expertise. From an educational perspective, especially since I had never had a similar experience before, I often wondered at the beginning: “Will I be able to understand musical concepts easily? Will I be able to apply what I’m learning in a practical and productive way with my students?” These questions were controlling my thinking, but they didn’t prevent me from continuing and moving forward. During the first meeting in this course, I felt like I was facing a wide world full of subtle details.

I learned about the importance of music in education and how music can become an interactive tool that contributes to improving children’s skills and developing their cognitive and social abilities.

I watched several videos during the course and noticed how melodies and tunes can affect a child’s mood and behavior, which made me more aware of the role of music in education.

As time passed, I began to feel more comfortable, but also lost at the same time, especially with the accumulation of assignments. I was facing difficulty in my studies, but I realized that the assignments were easy; I just had to organize my time and set a starting point to achieve it.

As the course progressed, and with each time I read [the tutorials], I learned many activities that I could implement in my classes with children. Among these activities, I learned how to use songs in storytelling, how certain tunes can make a story more lively and engaging for a child, and that my voice doesn’t even have to be beautiful! I also learned how to use simple musical instruments, such as small drums and bells, to create an interactive environment that encourages children to explore and express themselves. These instruments were not just means of producing sounds, but rather educational tools that contribute to improving concentration and attention, and enhancing motor skills.

One of the things that most influenced me during this course was learning how to organize and manage a music class effectively, for example through adding an opening and closing activity to the class. I realized that it’s not just about playing a song [on a listening device] and having the children play along or listen to it. Rather, there are planning and strategies that must be followed to ensure the desired educational goals are achieved. I learned how to prepare children psychologically for participation and how to tailor activities to their different age levels. I also learned how to deal with challenges I might face during class, such as some children’s lack of attention, others feeling shy or even refusing to participate. I found that music can be a great way to break down barriers, as a shy child can express themselves through playing or clapping instead of singing. I also discovered that as a teacher, I had to be flexible and find the best way. Each child interacts with music differently, and I had to find the best way for each child to get the most out of it.

Every time I read about a new activity [or technique] in the course, I noticed an improvement in my performance. At first, I had difficulty coordinating activities within the class, but over time, I became better at planning and learned how to transition smoothly from one activity to another without losing the children’s attention. I also gained the ability to adjust the pace of the class so that it was enjoyable without becoming distracting. One of the moments when I felt proud of myself and the result of my hard work was when I saw my students gradually improving.

[As part of the course], I was asked to give a Music as Therapy session in front of my supervisor [Rula Barghouti]. I was nervous and afraid because I was sure I would make mistakes, but I remembered everything I had learned and read and began to apply it step by step. I had the children participate in the activities and made sure that each child felt like an important part of the experience. When I saw the children’s interaction and participation, I realized how much impact this course had had on my professional development. I received some feedback from my supervisor, including:

  • I should incorporate songs into my class because I wasn’t playing songs;
  • I should reduce the amount of talking and giving instructions;
  • I should allow each child to participate in the way they like and are comfortable with;
  • I shouldn’t force any of them to do something they don’t want to;
  • I should accept their participation, even if it’s light and not what I expected.

I tried to implement these tips in my classes little by little, and I began to feel the difference and how receiving feedback, whether positive or negative, is very important in this area in order to develop and move forward. This experience not only helped me improve my skills in managing music classes, but it also changed my view on education in general. I became more aware of the importance of interactive methods in education. I realized that learning shouldn’t be just rote learning [focusing on repetition and memorizing], but should be fun and inspiring. I also gained new ideas about how to use music in teaching children with special needs, especially those with disabilities. They find it difficult to express their feelings in words.

By the end of the course, I felt like a completely different person than the hesitant and fearful person who started this journey. I was no longer worried about my ability to use music in education or my shyness about singing and composing songs.

Heba Al-Saeeda