September 27, 2014

One month ago, Questscope hosted a music residency program in the Za'atari refugee camp in partnership with Music for Life International. The three-day residency program brought together Syrian mentors, youth, members of the Za'atari security directorate and elders from the community, who together enjoyed performances led by the "Za'atari String Quartet" - four distinguished musicians from around the world. Music education courses were also held after each performance, creating space for young Syrian refugees to explore creative expression and the power of music to heal and build community.

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George Mathews works with a group of Questscope's Syrian mentors/case coordinators on recorders in preparation for the music residency program held in August.

The impact of Music in Za'atari was recently featured in an article written for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In it, George Mathews, Artistic Director of Music for Life International, talks about the ability of music to connect people across cultures and build community: “What music [tells] us is that the most important, difficult and demanding activity in both music and life is listening. When you listen first you listen from the perspective of yourself. When you listen again you listen from a perspective maybe a little bit beyond yourself. And when you listen from the perspective of the other, well that's when you start having a chance of being in tune.”

Read the full Music in Za’atari article here. Learn more about Music for Life International here