‘Social impacts of music-making’ (lecture #1)

Dr Lukas Pairon (doctor in political and social sciences, University of Ghent, Belgium) knows Gaza very well. Since 10 years he spends 1 to (sometimes) 2 months per year working for his organisation Music Fund on music training projects in Gaza with and for UNRWA primary school teachers and with repair technicians of music instruments at the Edward Said Music School and the Al Sununu Music School. During his lecture he will focus on the role music can play in social work: how can the study and practice of music help young people to navigate towards more constructive positions in their society? From 2012 to 2016 Lukas Pairon followed and studied 2 social music projects in Kinshasa (DR Congo): one with so-called ‘witch’-children living in the streets of Kinshasa and one with former members of violent gangs. All the participants in his PhD-research claim that ‘music saved them’. Lukas Pairon wanted to come to a better understanding of how mastering music could help such youngsters to master other aspects of their lives. More information on his research can be found here: www.lukas-pairon.eu/phd.

A 2nd lecture on the ‘social impacts of music making’ will be given on Thursday 31st October (11 am) at the Al Azhar University, with a focus then on qualitative research methodology.