The Musical Activities of Syrian Refugee Children in Sweden

This chapter proposes a descriptive model for music programs seeking to meet the social and psychological needs and interests of refugee children. Drawing upon ethnomusicological fieldwork conducted at the kulturskola, or municipal music-and-arts school, in Simrishamn, Sweden, the study focuses on a young Syrian refugee and her engagement with Swedish and Arabic song repertoires at the school. Her experiences generate insights into the integrative and acculturative potentials of music-based programs, the challenges young refugees face when adapting to new environments, and the possibilities for music-and-arts institutions to respond to newly arrived and unaccompanied children. The latter part of the chapter proposes a post-migration transition sphere model for addressing such issues, which in turn generates reflexive questions pertaining to the efficacy of diversity-driven music programs, the lived experiences of refugee children in sites of transition from trauma and conflict, and the need for additional scholarly research in these areas.