Müzikhane

Müzikhane Is a socIal musIcal school for vulnerable and refugee chIldren based In Mardin ProvInce, located In the south east of Turkey along the border wIth SyrIa.

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Initiated by San Francisco-Based composer, Sahba Aminikia as part of Flying Carpet Festival under Turkish NGO, Her Yerde Sanat Derneği (Art Anywhere Association), in 2018 and the school continues to grow to become a cultural learning center for vulnerable children. We connect artists from all around the world to our children, and they learn from those who have been through horrendous experiences and still keep the fire of hope burning in their hearts. In our view, the most true and honest music is created out of pain and hardship.

Where We Are

The Syrian war has entered its 8th year. Since the beginning of the war more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees who have lost their home and homeland have found their way into Turkey. One thousand new refugees enter Turkey each day, primarily through Mardin Province, and new social policies are constantly being developed to integrate them. Despite of all the efforts by the authorities, extreme difficulties and monumental challenges continue to exist. Children are the most vulnerable and struggle to find meaning in their new lives in a world adults have created around them. One third of Syrian children refugees are still not integrated into the educational system and remain illiterate in both their native and adopted language. Problems such as child marriage, child labor, child abuse, and lack of identity persist in an already impoverished area. This is a region where it is extremely difficult to have a childhood, preserve innocence, and keep a smile.

WHAT WE CAN DO

We aim to cultivate the innate beauty and confidence within a child via a non-political, non-religious and non-ideological method. We cannot solve all the problems these children deal with, but we can bring beauty, light and hope into their lives. We cultivate independent human beings who do not need anyone or anything to bestow identity upon them, and we equip them with story-telling skills so they may express themselves in the most meaningful ways possible. We teach them to express themselves through music and positive social interaction rather than through violence and revenge. We also emphasize the social aspects of music as collaboration and adherence to structure guides them toward healthy social skills. We teach them how to be positive creators rather than negative manifestations of dark experiences. By providing a structured educational environment we guide children as they find the beauty and civility that, even if buried by trauma, is inside every human being.

MUSiC WORKSHOPS

Music workshops are an essential part of our social music pedagogy. They are not necessarily result-based, and we do not intend to create professional musicians out of our children. We believe that the process of musical education is a holistic way to bring calmness and concentration into our children’s lives. We invite musicians to volunteer at our Müzikhane and help enrich our music workshops. We work with children in groups and teach them the basics of music. We also teach how to create music incorporating musical toys and simple instruments. All our guests artists attend the workshops in order to learn how to be patient and how to address the needs of our children. Mucahit Poyraz, who grew up in Her Yerde Sanat, is our main instructor for the workshops. We invent games, and use playful methods to teach music, to empower our children and to boost confidence.

Nusaybin
Youth
Choir

Formed in June 2018, Nusaybin Youth Choir (NBYC) consists of a group of talented young residents of the city of Nusaybin, located in Turkey on the Syrian border. NBYC is led and directed by Iranian-American composer and Sirkhane’s Music Director, Sahba Aminikia a few months before the first Flying Carpet Music Festival. During the festival the choir had the chance to collaborate with composers such as Aleksandra Vrebalov (Serbia/United States) and Luciano Chessa (Italy/United States) and performed at several venues across the region. NBYC will continue to exist and work as part of “Muzikhane” and will continue to collaborate with international artists, musicians and composers. For inquiries please contact music director Sahba Aminikia at sahbakia@sirkhane.org.

WE form collaboratIons between InternatIonal artIsts and local chIldren In order to create a platform for for them to express themselves through peaceful means.