It's Thursday afternoon, and I am conducting the Musicians Without Borders orchestra in Bethlehem, Palestine. In this free music education programme, 50 children participate in group instrument lessons (violin, oud, qanun and Arabic percussion), choir, social-work group sessions and orchestra twice a week. The children come from Bethlehem, from surrounding refugee camps and villages. The programme includes children who are enrolled in special education schools, and serves mainly girls.
We have a very simple rule during the orchestra lessons: when a child has an important question related to the music or rehearsal, they raise their hand, pointing one finger in the air. When a visit to the toilet is urgent, two fingers go up. This way I don't need to stop the music; I can just make a gesture to the child to show that permission is granted.
Register now to continue reading
Register to the Music Teacher website today to read more of the latest news and developments from the world of music education.
You’ll receive:
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here