Art for Education

Activities in this area take place through partnerships with a range of local and international civil society organizations including the Palestinian Ministry for Education and Higher Education, and UNRWA. Through these partnerships Al Mada has significant experience of introducing music and expressive art therapies into both the formal and non-formal education systems as tools which can be used in a range of educational environments with children of mixed abilities.

Al Mada has developed and implemented an inclusive education program for the Ministry of Education to further it’s “Education for All” vision and approach. All programs are designed to build upon existing resources by promoting and developing capacities of staff on one level whilst simultaneously working toward the institutionalization and integration of the methodology and principles of music therapy into the overall strategies and policies of the partner organizations.  

The benefits of adopting principles and practices from the fields of music and expressive arts therapy include greater effectiveness in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psycho-social needs and the strengthening of educational support tools to promote learning and skill acquisition. The main focus has been on investing in and training teachers, counselors, special educators and care givers, considered both as human resources and instruments of change.   However, our programs are also designed to provide direct interventions with the children themselves from different age groups. 

Documentation of music therapy projects in Palestine as in several countries around the world have shown that the use of music therapy in a range of different educational settings ; mainstream, inclusive and special education lead to the following results:

• Increased attention
• Improved behavior
• Improved cognitive functioning
• Increased socialization
• Enhanced sensory-motor skills