Gift Music Therapy to very Vulnerable People

Ministry of Education’s Kindergarten Program (May - Aug 2020)

From May to August 2020, the Ministry of Education had its own Kindergarten Program in Malakasa. Connect by Music was invited to provide music therapy sessions to 4-year-old children. During May and June, we did 3 hours a week; we increased to 5 hours a week in July and August.

In our collaboration with the Ministry of Education, we provided music therapy sessions based of the Orff approach* and worked on the following topics:

• Early music education
• Rhythmic and melodic exercises
• Social skills
• Language skills
• Cognition skills (such as memory or attention)

 *The Orff approach is a method of teaching children about music that engages their minds and bodies through a mixture of singing, dancing, acting, and playing percussion instruments. For instance, the Orff method often uses instruments such as xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels. A key characteristic of this approach is that lessons are presented with an element of play, which helps the children learn at their own level of understanding.

Adapting our Program to the New Reality: Covid-19

Since March 2020, a global pandemic has struck the world. We all had to learn how to navigate this provisional new reality we are living, which has had a tremendous social impact globally.

In the humanitarian aid sector, work has become dramatically complicated, leading some organizations to cease operations because of the multiple set-backs, and others like Connect by Music to strive for resilience working with the communities we serve.

Connect by Music adopted a series of safety measures to adapt to the new needs and be able to deliver our program and continue creating a positive impact despite the circumstances:

• Hand sanitizer is available at the beginning and end of the session and any time a student request.
• Heater/air-conditioning is used only in extreme weather conditions and for a short period of time. Instruments and chairs are cleaned with antiseptic wipes by the music teacher or music therapist at the end of every session.
• Only six students are allowed per space.
• 1’5m social distance is required between all attendees.
• Use of masks is mandatory at all times.
• Shorter sessions: before the pandemic, there would be up to 17 students in one class; after decreasing the number to 5, the teams decided to do shorter sessions in order to include all the students registered in the program.

We believe in perseverance. The world is changing and so we will adapt. Flexibility is a non-negotiable in the humanitarian field, where everything is subjected to ever changing environments. With common sense and best practices, we continue to provide the best we do to the ones who need it the most.