[Music]
so by way of applause how many of you
have been in a new situation and met
someone you knew tried to get to know
them and you said hey so what kind of
music do you listen to anyone and by way
of applause how many of you at a certain
point in time felt like you needed to
release an emotion like anger or sadness
drop of tear here and there or just go
out for a run and be rebellious how many
of you used music to do that so I’m
balanced it’s safe to say that this is a
kind of a daily occurrence to many of us
really we are completely unaware
sometimes but we speak in music every
single day of our lives we are
completely unaware that we have at hand
one of the most powerful tools in
existence not only to communicate to
create bridges between one another but
also to heal now you may argue this may
sound really cliche but allow me to
demonstrate I been living in the UK for
the past eight years
I’m originally from Baghdad I was born
and raised there despite being born to a
completely non musical family I
completely know musical I love music and
I’m completely passionate about playing
the piano so I my family allowed me to
join the music and ballet school in
Baghdad which was at the time one of the
best musical institutions in the Middle
East but sadly during the outbreak of
the 2003 war this school was mostly
destroyed and most of the teachers fled
the country I was 11
and so me amongst the other students at
the time you were left with a challenge
not only to survive the war but also to
try to sustain this school so what we
did is for those of us who are capable
we help the younger kids but we also
helped each other find whatever
resources we can find online to continue
learning music and perhaps
subconsciously to us
I mean consciously it wasn’t something
that we were thinking doing but
subconsciously it was an act of defiance
so to the sporadic explosion of bombs
outside and the shattering of windows we
created an Armour of music to us that
was our safe place
fast forward a few years later and we do
to the gift of social media I found out
that there are dotted communities around
the country which was if you don’t know
made of Arab and Kurdish population and
they have been in conflict for decades
so even language there is a language
barrier there but for those who are able
to communicate through social media I
found out that there are small
communities of young people who didn’t
have the means to learn music probably
found some cheap instruments but they
were still trying to find resources
online to play so 2006-2007 dates there
was the divide of the city and the
Shia’s and and who’s with what religion
and we’re all fighting and there was no
unity of the country but I found that I
had a lot in common with people I’ve
never met but because we were both
trying to survive through music so the
idea was why not create a National Youth
Orchestra of Iraq maybe I don’t know the
people maybe I’m 17 I have no idea how
to do it but let’s give it a go so I
can’t paint for it online I had to
borrow a conductor from Scotland and
we’ve auditioned over YouTube and then
fast forward six months later we got
together in northern Iraq and the idea
was you’re self-taught you don’t know
each other but you’re here you can’t
speak the same language granted but
you can learn music and you’ve flown in
tutors from the UK and the US and so I
knew there was going to be problems with
communicating but I didn’t know it’s
gonna be that bad
I mean the first day they were sad this
is a limit of the first day just look at
their facial expressions they look like
they really don’t wanna be there and
they played horribly as well so out of
tune so at that point I thought this was
the worst idea in the world and it’s
going to fail massively therefore I
tried to get them together we brought
cake and one side and asked them to get
to join in together maybe they’ll find
ways to talk they didn’t for five days
we were going nowhere with an orchestra
you have to play as in unit otherwise
it’s not an orchestra it’s a bunch of
people were trying to be the best at
playing but one day we were out of
rehearsals and it was really hot it was
in August and northern Iraq about 50
degrees and someone put some really loud
dancing music it was really really loud
and it was hot but he started dancing in
the middle of a bus and someone else
joined him and sewn the ours and the
Kurds were dancing together on the bus
and and the bus was jumping on this
street and it was a nightmare for me but
really at that moment the wall that was
dividing them it broke
magic started to happen they started
playing beautifully they started
communicating perhaps not in a language
that they both understand but they
communicated which what matters they
played a beautiful concert attended by
over a thousand people from all over the
country to three years laters while they
we continued the success they played and
born they came to the UK they saw that
South Bank Centre and it was amazing
they learned how to communicate with
each other
decades have divided but they use music
to do it they also allowed to
communicate with people in the UK in
France maybe I don’t speak French or
English but they landon used using music
to do it and so they did it but then
something happened the so-called Islamic
state broke out
and as a result a lot of these musicians
have been displaced lost their homes
thankfully still alive
but the orchestra had to go on hiatus
and for a lot of us including myself we
were floating but the images coming out
of these places that were affected by
Isis as always wanted my mind I mean we
all remember the image of the little kid
from Aleppo is stained in blood I mean
this is one image that made it to the
media what about the other kids what is
their future going to be like I looked
up online in the center for
post-traumatic stress disorder the
National Center says that in any given
refugee population there is up to 86% of
them would experience post-traumatic
stress disorder what kind of future are
we are we standing there looking at for
these kids so a lot of people say what
can we do what can we do I have often
wondered what can I do but I do music
and that’s what I did I booked a flight
went back to northern Iraq
but this time to the Syrian refugee
camps and I wanted to work with young
kids to help alleviate post-traumatic
stress disorder symptoms through music
so what the people say the camps there
are tents and barbed wires and I’ve
never really believed it but it’s true
what’s worse is that whilst I imagined
that their world would not be as rich as
someone who lives in London or anywhere
else but I didn’t think it would be that
small one of the first activities I’ve
done with the kids was just music and
based on traffic lights and I said yeah
you know the traffic lights it’s a red
green yellow said miss what is a traffic
lights and it didn’t occur to me that
this child who’s 7 was here but the
surrounding the camp maybe three four
years ago he hasn’t seen the outside
life so to some what ins whose world is
so small what can you do where can you
start so we started with simple
activities we danced we played and I
brought a friend
the flutes and so then they’ve never
seen an instrument live before so at
first we played but we use music we use
happy music we use sad music and then we
progressed we started learning rhythm
and then we also progressed we did
improv plays whether we’re we use in
music and then we I give them a scenario
and they have to actor to the music I’ll
give you the scenario the center is move
has 500 kids registered at least and to
control the amount of kids coming in
after school they have to use whistles
to control them so it’s very chaotic so
to get them to do that was in few weeks
with a feat but then we started
discussing more subjects so I try to use
a music therapy method which is called
guided imagery so you give them a topic
and then we use music we use yog Rafi to
say well this is the Czech Republic and
there is this composer for instance who
wrote about homeland what is your idea
of homeland and I play the music of that
expresses homeland and they draw their
idea of homeland and then we play a more
melancholic melody and they draw their
idea of homeland and we discuss it and
for these kids the staff has to contain
them most of the time at school they’re
taught to sit down they told tune you
know not be naughty they told not to
express themselves this was an
opportunity for them to be to just
simply be and so I’ll give you few
examples of the drawings this is it says
home is a night out with friends perhaps
doing barbecue this one is a Vidal who
is sad that she left her home as you can
see and her friend and this one is
wasn’t about home but this kid just
heard him like drew himself crying and
say I’m crying I’m pulling my hair I’m
really angry so they learned how to feel
and it was through the use of music I
mean the images are there but it’s an
expression of what was surrounding them
then we progressed onto medication and
now for kids aged 8 to 16 it’s a feat to
sit them down and say listen sign out
the end and meditate but they did it
because they wanted to and they started
coming to me said hey miss do you know
where I can find the music because I
want to sleep to it at night and so
after we did that they wanted to learn
more about music because they found an
interest in it and that that connected
them and it started I can see them
changing I can see their facial
expressions opening up a lot more with
that I think the last day has been the
most monumental because I walked in and
instead of using whistles like the first
time I just did this and they all came
around in a circle about 80 of them I
still get goosebumps thinking thinking
about it because I didn’t think it was
going to be possible they appreciated
that it is possible not only to
communicate and to heal but it’s also to
find something in common with another I
mean they always ask me so what is
London like is it better than here they
always ask me that question for some
reason but we found something in common
and this is very important during this
time where fear so prevalence everything
is happening around us in this world is
telling us but but look out but but be
afraid of this person but be suspicious
watch out you know protect yourself but
we are so much better than that we
really really are we have so many things
that bind us and one of them is music
it’s so everybody listens to music I can
guarantee you that every single one of
you has a favorite song or a favorite
piece I can guarantee you that so
already we have something in common why
not use it we’re really human we really
need to focus on our humanity if what
makes us who we are use what you know
use what you know that can connect you
to connect please don’t allow fear to
distract you
from the meaning of being alive and to
be someone who contributes to the
betterment of this world thank you ever
so much
[Applause]
so by way of applause how many of you
have been in a new situation and met
someone you knew tried to get to know
them and you said hey so what kind of
music do you listen to anyone and by way
of applause how many of you at a certain
point in time felt like you needed to
release an emotion like anger or sadness
drop of tear here and there or just go
out for a run and be rebellious how many
of you used music to do that so I’m
balanced it’s safe to say that this is a
kind of a daily occurrence to many of us
really we are completely unaware
sometimes but we speak in music every
single day of our lives we are
completely unaware that we have at hand
one of the most powerful tools in
existence not only to communicate to
create bridges between one another but
also to heal now you may argue this may
sound really cliche but allow me to
demonstrate I been living in the UK for
the past eight years
I’m originally from Baghdad I was born
and raised there despite being born to a
completely non musical family I
completely know musical I love music and
I’m completely passionate about playing
the piano so I my family allowed me to
join the music and ballet school in
Baghdad which was at the time one of the
best musical institutions in the Middle
East but sadly during the outbreak of
the 2003 war this school was mostly
destroyed and most of the teachers fled
the country I was 11
and so me amongst the other students at
the time you were left with a challenge
not only to survive the war but also to
try to sustain this school so what we
did is for those of us who are capable
we help the younger kids but we also
helped each other find whatever
resources we can find online to continue
learning music and perhaps
subconsciously to us
I mean consciously it wasn’t something
that we were thinking doing but
subconsciously it was an act of defiance
so to the sporadic explosion of bombs
outside and the shattering of windows we
created an Armour of music to us that
was our safe place
fast forward a few years later and we do
to the gift of social media I found out
that there are dotted communities around
the country which was if you don’t know
made of Arab and Kurdish population and
they have been in conflict for decades
so even language there is a language
barrier there but for those who are able
to communicate through social media I
found out that there are small
communities of young people who didn’t
have the means to learn music probably
found some cheap instruments but they
were still trying to find resources
online to play so 2006-2007 dates there
was the divide of the city and the
Shia’s and and who’s with what religion
and we’re all fighting and there was no
unity of the country but I found that I
had a lot in common with people I’ve
never met but because we were both
trying to survive through music so the
idea was why not create a National Youth
Orchestra of Iraq maybe I don’t know the
people maybe I’m 17 I have no idea how
to do it but let’s give it a go so I
can’t paint for it online I had to
borrow a conductor from Scotland and
we’ve auditioned over YouTube and then
fast forward six months later we got
together in northern Iraq and the idea
was you’re self-taught you don’t know
each other but you’re here you can’t
speak the same language granted but
you can learn music and you’ve flown in
tutors from the UK and the US and so I
knew there was going to be problems with
communicating but I didn’t know it’s
gonna be that bad
I mean the first day they were sad this
is a limit of the first day just look at
their facial expressions they look like
they really don’t wanna be there and
they played horribly as well so out of
tune so at that point I thought this was
the worst idea in the world and it’s
going to fail massively therefore I
tried to get them together we brought
cake and one side and asked them to get
to join in together maybe they’ll find
ways to talk they didn’t for five days
we were going nowhere with an orchestra
you have to play as in unit otherwise
it’s not an orchestra it’s a bunch of
people were trying to be the best at
playing but one day we were out of
rehearsals and it was really hot it was
in August and northern Iraq about 50
degrees and someone put some really loud
dancing music it was really really loud
and it was hot but he started dancing in
the middle of a bus and someone else
joined him and sewn the ours and the
Kurds were dancing together on the bus
and and the bus was jumping on this
street and it was a nightmare for me but
really at that moment the wall that was
dividing them it broke
magic started to happen they started
playing beautifully they started
communicating perhaps not in a language
that they both understand but they
communicated which what matters they
played a beautiful concert attended by
over a thousand people from all over the
country to three years laters while they
we continued the success they played and
born they came to the UK they saw that
South Bank Centre and it was amazing
they learned how to communicate with
each other
decades have divided but they use music
to do it they also allowed to
communicate with people in the UK in
France maybe I don’t speak French or
English but they landon used using music
to do it and so they did it but then
something happened the so-called Islamic
state broke out
and as a result a lot of these musicians
have been displaced lost their homes
thankfully still alive
but the orchestra had to go on hiatus
and for a lot of us including myself we
were floating but the images coming out
of these places that were affected by
Isis as always wanted my mind I mean we
all remember the image of the little kid
from Aleppo is stained in blood I mean
this is one image that made it to the
media what about the other kids what is
their future going to be like I looked
up online in the center for
post-traumatic stress disorder the
National Center says that in any given
refugee population there is up to 86% of
them would experience post-traumatic
stress disorder what kind of future are
we are we standing there looking at for
these kids so a lot of people say what
can we do what can we do I have often
wondered what can I do but I do music
and that’s what I did I booked a flight
went back to northern Iraq
but this time to the Syrian refugee
camps and I wanted to work with young
kids to help alleviate post-traumatic
stress disorder symptoms through music
so what the people say the camps there
are tents and barbed wires and I’ve
never really believed it but it’s true
what’s worse is that whilst I imagined
that their world would not be as rich as
someone who lives in London or anywhere
else but I didn’t think it would be that
small one of the first activities I’ve
done with the kids was just music and
based on traffic lights and I said yeah
you know the traffic lights it’s a red
green yellow said miss what is a traffic
lights and it didn’t occur to me that
this child who’s 7 was here but the
surrounding the camp maybe three four
years ago he hasn’t seen the outside
life so to some what ins whose world is
so small what can you do where can you
start so we started with simple
activities we danced we played and I
brought a friend
the flutes and so then they’ve never
seen an instrument live before so at
first we played but we use music we use
happy music we use sad music and then we
progressed we started learning rhythm
and then we also progressed we did
improv plays whether we’re we use in
music and then we I give them a scenario
and they have to actor to the music I’ll
give you the scenario the center is move
has 500 kids registered at least and to
control the amount of kids coming in
after school they have to use whistles
to control them so it’s very chaotic so
to get them to do that was in few weeks
with a feat but then we started
discussing more subjects so I try to use
a music therapy method which is called
guided imagery so you give them a topic
and then we use music we use yog Rafi to
say well this is the Czech Republic and
there is this composer for instance who
wrote about homeland what is your idea
of homeland and I play the music of that
expresses homeland and they draw their
idea of homeland and then we play a more
melancholic melody and they draw their
idea of homeland and we discuss it and
for these kids the staff has to contain
them most of the time at school they’re
taught to sit down they told tune you
know not be naughty they told not to
express themselves this was an
opportunity for them to be to just
simply be and so I’ll give you few
examples of the drawings this is it says
home is a night out with friends perhaps
doing barbecue this one is a Vidal who
is sad that she left her home as you can
see and her friend and this one is
wasn’t about home but this kid just
heard him like drew himself crying and
say I’m crying I’m pulling my hair I’m
really angry so they learned how to feel
and it was through the use of music I
mean the images are there but it’s an
expression of what was surrounding them
then we progressed onto medication and
now for kids aged 8 to 16 it’s a feat to
sit them down and say listen sign out
the end and meditate but they did it
because they wanted to and they started
coming to me said hey miss do you know
where I can find the music because I
want to sleep to it at night and so
after we did that they wanted to learn
more about music because they found an
interest in it and that that connected
them and it started I can see them
changing I can see their facial
expressions opening up a lot more with
that I think the last day has been the
most monumental because I walked in and
instead of using whistles like the first
time I just did this and they all came
around in a circle about 80 of them I
still get goosebumps thinking thinking
about it because I didn’t think it was
going to be possible they appreciated
that it is possible not only to
communicate and to heal but it’s also to
find something in common with another I
mean they always ask me so what is
London like is it better than here they
always ask me that question for some
reason but we found something in common
and this is very important during this
time where fear so prevalence everything
is happening around us in this world is
telling us but but look out but but be
afraid of this person but be suspicious
watch out you know protect yourself but
we are so much better than that we
really really are we have so many things
that bind us and one of them is music
it’s so everybody listens to music I can
guarantee you that every single one of
you has a favorite song or a favorite
piece I can guarantee you that so
already we have something in common why
not use it we’re really human we really
need to focus on our humanity if what
makes us who we are use what you know
use what you know that can connect you
to connect please don’t allow fear to
distract you
from the meaning of being alive and to
be someone who contributes to the
betterment of this world thank you ever
so much
[Applause]
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