Cafe Palestine 39: Introduction to a new music therapy-informed programme for music teachers in Gaza
Saturday 18 April from 4–6pm (UK)

This Café Palestine session introduced a new online support programme for music teachers in Gaza, developed in response to the urgent need for practical ways to support children experiencing severe trauma. The programme recognises that many musicians are already working closely with traumatised children and offers a music therapy-informed framework to strengthen this work through accessible, ethically grounded tools.

The initiative has been developed by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, a leading Palestinian cultural institution, in collaboration with international partners.

Dr Lukas Pairon, Chair of the Centre for Social Action and Music-Making at the University of Ghent, presented the programme alongside music therapist Hala Hamdan, who is facilitating the weekly online sessions. The approach is deliberately modest and pragmatic, focusing on shared reflection and practical techniques for observation and stabilisation rather than formal clinical training or trauma treatment.