Summer Music Camp

The 10-day long Summer Music Camp, organized by Sabreen, was held in Bethlehem area in the summer of 2000.  Sabreen brought together school teachers, students, and PNA government officials together in a music-oriented program to address the music education needs of the area in general, and address the concerns identified in the Conference on Music Education in Palestine held in 1999.

Sabreen developed the camp to serve as a model to show how music could be combined with other art forms in a creative and resourceful manner, employing participatory techniques. It was an opportunity for students to enhance their creativity and expressiveness, for teachers to develop their training skills and teaching methodologies, and for officials to see how different art forms could be integrated into one program. Additionally, to satisfy the needs in local schools, the camp enabled teachers and officials to see what inexpensive instruments could be made from using local resources to solve the shortage of music instruments in classrooms.

Workshops allowed the children to experiment with sound outside the traditional classroom setting and incorporate music with other art forms, such as painting, poetry, drama and dance.  Morning and afternoon sessions were jam packed with fun hands-on learning, playing and experimenting with instruments, sights, and sounds.   The last day and its final presentation were the culmination of over a week’s worth of learning, showcased the children’s activities, and brought youth together for a fun production for family, friends, and members of the community.