Category: Community Music Programme
Lebanon, August 2021
singing games Community Music rehearsals vocal awareness excercise rhythmic games with frisbees Despite extremely hard life conditions here in Lebanon, within the context of a constantly worsening economic situation, THE MUSIC MUST GO ON! Prima Materia is leading a 3-week program of follow-up for music therapy, community music and psychosocial music support, together with Assumoud, in the centres located in Beirut, Saida and Baalbek. The photos show workshops in the Eine Elhilweh Assumoud centre with 50 students, some of whom are now working as peer-to-peer teachers for the younger children. The socio-economic context - the entire country is without electricity [...]
“Music and Resilience” article preview!
We are delighted to present the preview of the peer-reviewed article, "Adjusting the Pitch" written by key members of the M&R project team, Deborah Parker, Dario Gentili, Henry Brown and Alberto Balducci, which has been accepted by the international journal Voices, for publication in July 2021. Structured as an ethnographic exploration of action learning, the article narrates and analyses the project's developments and transformations during its first 8 years, considering both its successes and challenges. "Voices" are given to the Palestinian, Italian and Lebanese children, students, teachers and healthcare professionals involved, through both their words within the text and the [...]
Finally back to Lebanon!
After 9 months of waiting and hoping, at last it is possible to travel to Lebanon again. From 11th to 21st December 2020, with the support of Montespertoli council and Città Metropolitana Firenze, and on behalf of the PM M&R coordination team, Deborah Parker will lead a 10-day program of monitoring, evaluation, training and supervision, together with Assumoud, in all the localities where project actions take place: Beirut, Beddawi, Saida and Baalbek. During these months of covid restrictions, with no group activities in the Assumoud centres, PM has offered distance support, including online supervision for the music therapy team. The [...]
Overview of activities M&R 18-19 – New video online
The video presentation of the Music and Resilience 2018-19 project is online: an overview of the activities we have done during the eighth year of the project. The activities took place in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon in collaboration with the local partner Beit Atfal Assumoud and thanks to the support of Taawon Lebanon. Video by Dario Gentili.
Planning for 2020
PM coordinator Deborah Parker is completing a 10-day visit to Assumoud and the centers where M&R is active, for follow-up, monitoring and planning meetings for 2020. Unfortunately, the road closures caused by the civil demonstrations against political corruption have made travelling up North to Beddawi center impossible, but all other scheduled meetings, in Baalbek, Beirut and Saida were able to take place. The project is "healthy and kicking"; it's tendencies towards growth continue to challenge us to maintain quality and ensure sustainability. On this last point, a very fruitful meeting was held with Welfare Association Lebanon, main sponsor of M&R, [...]
Community Music Concert, Saida, July 2019
The 2-week Summer Community Music program ended with a great final concert in Ishbilia Theatre, Saida. Click here for the full video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewL11JDE5-s
Summer Program 2019 completed!
We worked hard in July - there were 17 of us, between professionals, trainees, students and volunteers, working in the Community Music groups (Saida and Beddawi) in psycho-social music support (Baalbek), and in music therapy (Beirut and Saida). We worked hard ... but we received much more ... from more than 100 children, adolescents and student volunteers, who studied and played with us. Here are just a few moments ... Thanks, as always to Welfare Association Lebanon for supporting the project.
Summer Program 2019 is running!
Our Summer program in Lebanon with Beit Atfal Assumoud is underway, with a 3-day training in psycho-social music interventions, facilitated by Deborah Parker, which brings together music teachers and students from the M&R project in Saida, Beddawi and Baalbek, Al Kamanjati project Beirut, Rashedie Music project, and KG teachers from many centres. Thanks, as always to Welfare Association Lebanon for the essential financial support! Our Community Music team arrives Saturday to begin the Summer worshops and Music Camp - stay with us for more news soon!
M&R April visit 2019
Our April trip focussed on activities with the Beddawi and Saida Community Music groups of Beit Atfal Assumoud بيت اطفال الصمود, providing training workshops directed to the most advanced studentvolunteers, who are learning the basics to teach to the youngest students of the project. Training and workshops also continued in the Baabek Assumoud Centre in Wavel camp, for the psycho-social music program there. Thanks to Taawon Lebanon مؤسسة التعاون - لبنان for their support and the field visit to our music project!
January visit 2019
The Prima Materia M&R team was back in Lebanon for a week in early January 2019, to set the actions for the year: - the final touches were put to the music therapy theses of Liliane Younes and Mohamad Orabi, ready for discussion at the Assisi school of Music Therapy on 10th March 2019, when Assumoud will have 2 qualified music therapists amongst its staff ranks! - community music student volunteers in Beddawi and Saida worked with Henry Brown to structure support for the younger children in the groups. - plans were finalised for multiple training programs to be implemented [...]
