Martin 1

Lanie Martin

Mr. Phillips

AP English 3

13 December 2017

Music for the Children of Syria

It is often said that when words fail, music speaks. This is one of the unique approaches

refugee programs have found to connect with and support Syrian children housed in refugee

camps. Entering its seventh year, the conflict in Syria between the government of Bashar

al-Assad and those opposed to his rule has forced over 11 million Syrians out of their homes

(“Syria: The Story of the Conflict”). Unable to agree on a future or defeat each other, the groups

continue fighting, putting many young children and families in jeopardy. Syrians have been

tragically displaced from their homes and separated into crowded refugee camps around the

world. ​Syria's nearly 3 million child refugees are the war's most fragile and innocent victims

(“​Syria: The Story of the Conflict”)​. Scared and confused in strange and harsh environments,

these children have been living in a state of constant toxic stress. ​However, music offers a

universal language to help counter their suffering.​ ​Acknowledging the long term scars of living

through years of conflict in Syria, music has become an increasingly essential resource to

mitigate the trauma by enabling children to experience a sense of normality and express their

inner thoughts and feelings.

Many music schools have emerged in Syrian Refugee camps, to help young kids and

teach them, Hassan Yousef is just one of the many kids positively affected. At the young age of

nine, Hassan Yousef and his family were forced to leave their home in Syria after a bomb fell
 Martin 2

near their house, nearly destroying it (For Children Who Fled War-Torn Syria, a Music School

Offers Strength). They traveled to Lebanon as one of the millions of Syrian families embarking

on a tremulous life in a refugee camp (For Children Who Fled War-Torn Syria, a Music School

Offers Strength). Then something special happened. Action for Hope, a music school in Lebanon

run by the United Nations, was looking for talented children in the refugee community. Out of

the 200 children that applied to be a part of the program, 24 were chosen, and Hassan was one of

them (For Children Who Fled War-Torn Syria, a Music School Offers Strength). The children

learned traditional songs from their homeland and music from Egypt and Turkey. Hassan has not

only graduated from the program this year, but he has come a long way from being a scared

refugee. Hassan became the lead singer of the band, his shy mannerisms contrasting with his

confident performances of traditional Syrian songs. ​Music, he says, “makes one forget

everything. Music is the most important thing” (​Syrian Children in Lebanon Find Music School

Away from Home​).

The Action for Hope program has trained these 24 displaced children for over a year. The

program aims to preserve the musical heritage of Syria and the region, offering classes in theory

and the history of Arabic music as well as traditional songs from different parts of the region

(​Syrian Children in Lebanon Find Music School Away from Home​). The director of Action for

Hope, Basma el-Husseiny, said the school “offers children who have lived through a trauma a

way to express themselves and stop thinking of themselves as victims” (​For Children Who Fled

War-Torn Syria, a Music School Offers Strength​). “Art gives strength. It emanates from the

ability to create and at the same time to appreciate creativity,” Husseiny said. “This strength is

needed by people who are marginalized, deprived and undergoing difficult circumstances much
 Martin 3

more than the rich.” (​For Children Who Fled War-Torn Syria, a Music School Offers Strength​).

Not only does music give them strength, there is an emerging science that is helping to explain

how music actually improves the brain.

Over the past decade, therapists have used the creative art form to address stress and

coping with survivors of trauma. Music is a therapeutic tool to assist people express their

feelings. ​Syrian children particularly benefit from this form of therapy, ​as they are facing the

possibility of long-term health consequences from the traumas they are experiencing due to their

displacement.​ ​Science also explains how music can improve the brain​. Music reaches different

areas of the brain, and can access deeper neural pathways (​How Music Is Good for Your Brain​).

Playing music with others or enjoying live music stimulates the brain hormone oxytocin.

Oxytocin helps humans bond with and trust others (​How Music Is Good for Your Brain​). This is

especially important for children who do not know whom to trust or where they are safe. Music

can make children feel protected, and singing traditional songs reminds them of who they are and

where they came from.

In this way, musicians and composers may function as therapists, which is why certain

composers have been bringing their music to Syrian refugee camps all over the world. Edinburgh

University's music professor and composer, Nigel Osborne, travelled to Syria and Lebanon to

hold arts workshops for refugee children caught up in the Syrian Civil War (​Bradley​). ​He

observed that children enrolled in arts programs have become more stable since his project

began. “We want to give them hope and skills that mean they can go forward in an optimistic

scenario of peace” (​Bradley​). They have also taken the music to a community level by holding a

series of events and concerts that people living in the camps can attend, giving them a sense of
 Martin 4

normality (​Bradley​). However, not everyone has sees the benefit of providing music for the

children.

Back in 2016 in Yarmouk, Syria, Ayham al-Ahmad played his music in the streets of the

refugee camp for the children, but he ran into some issues with the camp’s elders. With the

distress that the war was inflicting on the refugees living in Yarmouk, Mr. al-Ahmad wanted to

find a way to make children smile and hopefully forget about the horrors of the war (​Music for

the Children of Yarmouk – and All Refugees​). However, the older people in the camps didn’t

much appreciate the idea. Many felt that it was distracting and insensitive, questioning why they

were playing music when people were suffering and even dying (​Music for the Children of

Yarmouk – and All Refugees​). Despite the elders’ objections, al-Ahmad observed that the

children kept coming back; it was like a safety net for them. He realized that ​the most important

impact was the positive one his music was making on those who likely needed it the most​. The

point of playing the music was not to act like everything was okay but to lighten people’s spirits

and give the children something to look forward to. “I couldn’t afford to provide food for people

in Yarmouk,” al-Ahmad confessed, “but I could feed their brains with music” (​Music for the

Children of Yarmouk – and All Refugees​).

This theme of nourishing the children’s minds with music became so popular that new

programs and schools emerged solely for that purpose. Kinan Azmeh ​is a Grammy

award-winning musician who is originally from Syria. Over the summer, he partnered with the

International Rescue Committee Refugee Youth Summer Academy (​Amos​). Azmeh volunteered

to lead music workshops. The academy immerses young refugees in American culture and holds

classes to increase their English skills. The children are primarily from Syria and have been
 Martin 5

resettled for less than a year. More than 70 children are enrolled in the three-week course, the

majority of them between five and twelve years old (​Amos​). Azmeh speaks in a language all

refugees can understand: music. Azmeh's music workshop provides relief from the pressure of

adjusting to a new country and culture. He introduces them to music of their homeland.

Sixteen-year-old Abdullah Mahmoud claps his hands and sings alongside his new friends from

summer camp. He along with many other children are learning how to sharpen their English

skills and appreciate their new freedoms, while getting the chance to express the horrors they

have witnessed and the way they feel. Azmeh says the music “is all about freedom: the freedom

to express your emotions.” (​Amos​). It's a gift he leaves for these refugee children.

This healing, therapeutic gift of music should be available to all children in Syrian

refugee camps. There is a multitude of evidence showing the positive impact music can have on

these children in their stability and happiness, but little resources are available to give music to

these kids, even if the benefits are clear. Governments and other organizations need to

understand the unique benefits and invest sustainable funds to provide music therapy to Syrian

youth refugees. Non-governmental organizations should also look for creative funding

partnerships to sustain these programs, for example by involving partners such as the United

Nations Foundation and international patrons of the arts. In this way, those who recognize the

power of music can be enlisted in a collaborative effort to help Syria’s future generations. Music

already has the power to unite people, however in war-torn Syria, music has the power to save

lives.
 Martin 6

Works Cited

Amos, Deb. “Kinan Azmeh Brings The Magic Of Music To Summer Camp For Refugee

Children.” ​NPR​, NPR, 27 Aug. 2017, www.npr.org/

Bradley, Jane. “Composer Brings Music to Children in Refugee Camps.” ​News​, The Scotsman,

8 Dec. 2015, www.scotsman.com

Editors, Big Think. “How Music Is Good for Your Brain.” ​Big Think​, 11 Dec. 2011,

bigthink.com/ideafeed/how-music-is-good-for-your-brain.

“FEATURE: Music for the Children of Yarmouk – and All Refugees | Refugees and Migrants.”

United Nations​, United Nations, refugeesmigrants.un.org

“For Children Who Fled War-Torn Syria, a Music School Offers Strength.” ​The Washington

Post​, WP Company, 30 Sept. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com

Newsela | Syrian Children in Lebanon Find Music School Away from Home, newsela.com

“Syria: The Story of the Conflict.” ​BBC News​, BBC, 11 Mar. 2016, www.bbc.com

“Voices of Zaatari: Oxfam Helps Syrian Refugees Use Music to Cope with Life in Camps.”

Voices of Zaatari: Oxfam Helps Syrian Refugees Use Music to Cope with Life in Camps |

Oxfam International​, www.oxfam.org