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Abstract

Refugee children are a significant part of contemporary Canadian classrooms. Children who have fled their homes as refugees have experienced trauma and bear the effects of it socially, emotionally and academically. My study identifies trauma-sensitive strategies that music educators in Ontario are using to support refugee students from kindergarten to Grade 8. Through three semi-structured interviews with K–8 music educators, I identified four main themes to trauma-sensitive music instruction. Trauma-sensitive music education (a) provides holistic care for refugee students; (b) supports refugee students in feeling empowered; (c) provides a space in which refugee students can cultivate their sense of personal and collective awareness; and (d) enables refugee students to feel a sense of belonging. The implications of these findings provide music educators with practical tools and strategies to facilitate a learning environment in which refugee students can experience hope and healing.

Keywords

Childhood trauma elementary music education refugee trauma-informed care trauma-sensitive

Refugee children are a growing and important part of Canadian classrooms. Over 100,000 resettled refugees between the years 2015 and 2023 were children under the age of 17 years (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2023). Children who have fled their homes as refugees have experienced trauma and bear the effects of it socially, emotionally and academically (Stewart, 2012). Educators working with these children have the potential to meet the specific needs of refugee-background learners through trauma-sensitive practices.

The term trauma-sensitive describes actions and approaches that can be implemented without formal training in therapy or counselling, while trauma-informed describes the work of behavioural health professionals (Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, n.d.). The existing literature examines trauma-informed frameworks (Kinniburgh et al., 2005), interventions (Jaycox et al., 2009) and practices (Thomas et al., 2019) in education. Personal narratives contextualize the role of music education in the lives of trauma survivors (Griffin & Niknafs, 2023) and in displaced communities (Vũ & de Quadros, 2020). However, there is a lack of empirical research on the intersection of trauma-sensitive practices and their use in music education, specifically, to support refugee students (Agopian, 2018).

Music education has been found to support refugee students’ social connectedness and adjustment to their host country (Crawford, 2017). Music therapy, a healthcare service facilitated by a counselor, has been used to decrease refugee students’ externalizing behaviours caused by trauma (Baker & Jones, 2006). The purpose of my study is to identify trauma-sensitive strategies that music educators in Ontario are using to support kindergarten to Grade 8 refugee students in elementary school (ages 3–14 years).

I investigate the following: (a) how elementary music educators in Ontario are using music to support refugee students’ processing of trauma; (b) music educators’ observations of the impacts of trauma-sensitive music education on refugee students; and (c) practices music educators can incorporate to support the well-being of refugee students in the classroom.

Refugee students, trauma and music education

Trauma and adverse childhood experiences have long-term impacts on students if not addressed appropriately (Blodgett et al., 2018; Felitti et al., 1998). In the learning environment, unaddressed trauma can appear in overt or subtle ways. Survivors of trauma may appear anxious, depressed, defensive, disruptive and reluctant to learn (Hess, 2022). The Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency (ARC) framework was developed to tackle the effects of trauma on children (Kinniburgh et al., 2005). This framework aims to support trauma-affected children in developing healthy relationships with their caregivers, connecting children with their emotions and experiences, and building their self-efficacy through developmental achievements (Kinniburgh et al., 2005). Results from the implementation of ARC in Canada underscore the potential of trauma-sensitive practices in equipping students from refugee backgrounds with a strong start to their education (Tweedie et al., 2017).

The trauma of fleeing war and living as a refugee brings unique challenges for students. A study of African refugee students in Manitoba found that those who have fled war-torn countries continue to vividly experience the effects of the traumas from their pre-migration (Kanu, 2008). Triggers and flashbacks affect students’ learning and their engagement at school. A fire drill or the sight and sound of a helicopter can cause adverse emotional, physical and psychological reactions (Tweedie et al., 2017).

Refugee students also bear the weight of adjusting to a new country and school system. Those who have experienced interruptions to their schooling may have gaps in their literacy and academic development, requiring differentiated levels of support (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008). In many cases, refugee students in Canada also experience discrimination from both teachers and non-refugee peers (Stewart, 2012). These negative encounters can deter students’ desire to participate and succeed in school. Further exacerbating disinterest in school involvement is economic hardship and the challenges to security and belonging that such privation entails (Kanu, 2008).

Knowing the impacts of trauma and strategies for providing care enables educators to promote students’ well-being and resilience in the midst of their varied challenges (Stokes & Brunzell, 2019). Interventions, even those provided in informal settings by non-specialists, including music educators, can have a great impact on the mental health of children from refugee backgrounds (Bürgin et al., 2022).

Supporting refugee students’ adjustment to their host country has been a focus in music education research and practice (Danielson, 2023; Marsh & Dieckmann, 2017). Music education enables refugee students to gain confidence from acquiring new musical skills; learn new languages through singing; and develop friendships through the sharing of their own cultural songs and dances. Music-making fosters well-being, promotes inclusion and enhances students’ participation in their learning (Crawford, 2017). Playground singing games, in particular, provide space for refugee students to connect and interact with their peers despite language and cultural barriers. The use of kinesthetic components, formulaic patterns and mnemonic devices offer routine and familiarity to support students’ participation (Marsh & Dieckmann, 2017).

Trauma-sensitive interventions in music education can play an important role in supporting refugee students affected by trauma (Crawford, 2017). When students engage in music-making within a safe environment, they gain a sense of security, connectedness and control over their lives. Missing in the literature is empirical research on strategies implemented by practicing music educators in non-clinical settings to address the impacts of trauma that refugee students experience.

Methodology

I conducted separate semi-structured interviews, each lasting approximately 60 min, with four music educators from Ontario. Each participant was interviewed once. Semi-structured interviews enabled participants to develop their thoughts and allowed for greater flexibility for the direction of each conversation (Denscombe, 2010). Given the COVID-19 pandemic, I conducted the interviews remotely through video conferencing in adherence to provincial health and safety guidelines. This research was situated within pre-existing approvals of procedural ethics that applied to all students within the Master of Teaching programme at the University of Toronto. Participants signed a consent form agreeing to participate in the study, for the interviews to be recorded and subsequently transcribed and for the contents to be anonymized and disseminated via conference presentations and/or through publication. To guide my interviews, I wrote and utilized a data collection protocol to maintain consistency.

To categorize information offered by the participants, I used In Vivo Coding to capture participants’ original language and the feelings, contexts and experiences associated with their words (Saldaña, 2014). I analysed and constructed meaning from the codes through the process of thematic networks analysis. By utilizing thematic networks to analyse the codes into a web of three main levels, I was able to interpret participants’ ideas and understand them in connection to ‘a cohesive story’ (Attride-Stirling, 2001, p. 396) of how participants were supporting trauma-affected refugee students through music education.

Participant selection and criteria

I recruited participants by utilizing the snowball sampling method (Noy, 2008). To ensure that participants had the technical skills and language to connect music theory to their teaching practice, they were required to have had professional training in music (i.e. music degree, certification from a music conservatory, music teaching qualification). Participants must also have had at least 2 years experience in providing group music instruction to K–8 refugee students. As participants were asked about the perceived efficacy of their strategies, the minimum 2 years experience accounts for the time they may have taken to reflect on and revise their teaching practice. Participants must have also indicated that they were aware of some ways in which trauma manifests in their students’ lives, and have had experience implementing strategies in group music-making to address refugee students’ trauma.

The participants

I have assigned each participant a pseudonym and have excluded any identifying information to maintain their anonymity.

Gina is a music educator in southwestern Ontario. She ran a music programme for those newly arrived in Canada and spent a year-and-a-half working with refugee students. Gina also has experience working with displaced peoples in South America.

Charlotte is a professional musician and certified music teacher licensed under the Ontario College of Teachers. This was her fifth year teaching music at two elementary schools in southwestern Ontario, both of which have high refugee populations.

Haya and Kadeem are both professional musicians and refugees to Canada. They made music with children in multiple refugee camps for 5 years. Upon arriving in Canada, they founded a community arts organization where they continue to lead music workshops with refugees in southern Ontario.

Other considerations

Refugee children are in a minoritized position in Canada, susceptible to experiences of social, institutional and historical oppression (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017). In the classroom, they are often seen as Other, merely victims of trauma, rather than respected for their adaptiveness and resiliency (Ocádiz Velázquez, 2020). My research aims to value the strengths that students bring into the music-making environment and move towards an increasingly empowering and comprehensive understanding of support for refugee students. Music education that avoids complex issues like trauma contributes to ‘superficial knowledge and stereotypical perceptions’ of the Other (Bradley, 2020, p. 15). As a result, I have strived to create ‘conditions for dialogue’ (Alcoff, 1991, p. 128) to shift existing discourses in music education beyond stereotypes of refugee students, towards ‘deep cultural understanding’ (Bradley, 2020, p. 15).

Findings

In the following section, I share the themes that I generated from participants’ responses and experiences, and outline four strategies for supporting refugee students through trauma-sensitive music education.

Holistic care

All four participants spoke about the importance of caring for the whole student in the music-making environment – ensuring that refugee students feel safe in the space; being aware of, and responsive to, students’ emotional needs; and connecting relationally with students.

Safety

In Charlotte’s classroom, there is a regular influx of students new to Canada. When I asked about the manifestations of trauma that she has observed in her students from refugee backgrounds, she recalled that those who have fled war-torn countries often ‘look terrified’ when they hear sudden sounds that they associate with physical danger. All four participants observed that when refugee students feel afraid, they show physical signs of distress. Charlotte, for example, often notices signs of fear in students’ eyes. In response, she aims to provide students with predictable structures in the classroom, such as warnings prior to a fire drill or the annual air show that takes place in the city. She tells students that certain sounds are to be expected and reiterates that they are safe in the classroom.

Gina noticed that the musical instruments, themselves, could serve as environmental triggers for students. One student in particular ‘did this thing with his eyes’ whenever loud sounds triggered him. In response, Gina instilled a responsibility for all students in her music programme to be responsive to the needs of their peers and to promptly reduce sounds that caused harm to a classmate. She encouraged students to communicate with each other whenever they felt the music was too loud, with the expectation that others would lower their volume in response to their peers’ needs. Gina’s goal was to ensure that all students understood their role and contribution to each other’s safety by establishing a strong sense of community responsibility.

Responsiveness and trusting relationships

Students, regardless of their experience, often communicate their needs to others through their behaviours. For refugee students, externalizing behaviours can be a response to trauma triggers or threats to safety. They can also be responses to emotional needs. It is crucial for educators to observe students’ actions and reactions, and to take the time to address the root cause. Gina recalled one experience with a student in her programme who always appeared to be angry and frequently did the opposite of what Gina asked. In response to this behaviour, Gina had a conversation with the student, seeking to address the source of the student’s actions by asking questions about what they were feeling and why they were responding in that manner.

Responding to refugee students’ externalizing behaviours in a trauma-sensitive manner requires music educators to establish trusting relationships with their students. All participants expressed that a requirement to establishing these strong connections with students is vulnerability from the educator. In some cases, refugee students may demonstrate aggression towards musical instruments. Rather than responding with control, Haya and Kadeem understand that students are communicating their emotional needs. As a result, they seek to respond to these students by ‘understand[ing] their needs’ and ‘giving them respect enough to just hear them out’. During one workshop, Haya and Kadeem noticed a student who banged angrily on the drums. Instead of stopping the student’s behaviour, they transformed the student’s need for emotional expression into an opportunity for leadership, highlighting the manner in which the student was playing the drums and asking other participants to follow. As a result of their willingness to share the inherent power they possess as teachers – letting go of strict control in the music-making environment, and fostering a more democratic space – students were able to take leadership.

Student empowerment

When music educators invite students to take the lead in their learning, they begin to feel empowered. A key theme in all participants’ responses was the need to put students at the centre of the music-making experience, utilizing a strength-based approach in which all learners can feel successful and valued.

Each participant emphasized the importance of understanding students beyond their trauma and avoiding viewing refugee students with pity. Both Gina and Haya used the same language to urge music educators not to see refugee students as ‘you poor thing’. Kadeem explained that refugee students hear many expressions of sympathy and receive questions about their refugee experience, all of which can trigger discomforting emotions. As refugees themselves, Haya and Kadeem, noted that asking refugee students too many questions about their background also perpetuates a feeling of being othered in the host country; therefore, ‘acting normal’ is sometimes what is most helpful. Haya believes that providing a feeling of normalcy for refugee students allows them to feel free and safe to ‘speak their minds . . . and be themselves’.

To support refugee students in feeling a sense of belonging and agency, participants expressed the importance of student-choice in music education. When I asked Charlotte about the manifestations of refugee trauma in her classroom, she said, ‘I feel just like students are sad’. She stated that some students appeared to be closed off – some with their heads on their desks, lacking interest to participate in activities, others missing school completely. In response, Charlotte starts each of her music classes by connecting with each student and providing opportunities for them to share an individualized response. When taking attendance, for example, Charlotte invites students to respond with a greeting of their choice, such as an elbow bump or a salutation in their home language. Charlotte also strives to answer each student with their choice of greeting. As a result of beginning her class with a choice-based activity, Charlotte has noticed that refugee students who appeared sad upon entering class demonstrated a positive change in their mood as they saw themselves represented in the classroom.

All participants spoke to the value of using composition and improvisation in their programmes. When asked about musical strategies that Gina finds impactful in supporting students’ processing of trauma, she said that she frequently integrates improvisation during programming as well as in performances. The refugee students in Gina’s programme spoke about the difficulties making connections in Canada, however, she has found that improvisational activities where students have the opportunity to both lead and follow, have helped them gain a sense of trust in each other and have supported their ‘social connections’. Charlotte explains that through composition, students see themselves reflected in the classroom and feel a sense of pride in their work. She has given her younger students the task of composing ‘sol-mi’ melodies and has noticed that students from refugee backgrounds are often eager to share their compositions, feeling ‘successful’ and ‘included’ in the process. Haya and Kadeem likewise incorporate composition projects in the programme, and find that it is a way for students to ‘release energy’ and ‘release their trauma’. They observed that the students in their programme not only felt more comfortable participating in the music-making environment after collaborating on a composition, but also gained a sense of confidence, becoming ‘stronger’ as they gained the respect of their peers through the process.

Awareness of self and environment

All four participants also implemented musical strategies which enabled students to use music as a tool to process their emotions and grow their self-concept (Hattie, 2014). Gina noticed when she began her music programme, the girls, in particular, appeared timid and hesitant to make music. Despite the fact some of them expressed interest in playing the drums, they lacked confidence on the instrument. However, as Gina had already developed trust with the students, she challenged the girls to take ownership of their musical experience and their identity as female drummers. Gina noticed that by providing female refugee students with the opportunity to allow their musical interests to direct their experiences, they began to hold and play the instruments with greater confidence. Through music education, refugee students grew their awareness of self and were able to define their own identities through music-making.

When I asked Haya and Kadeem about the impacts of their strategies on the initial manifestations of trauma that they observed in students, they said that learners began to feel comfortable in the workshop; Kadeem stated that ‘feeling [at] home is one of our impacts’. They noticed that some refugee students in their workshops who appeared to be shy or sad were actually lacking understanding of the instructions due to the language barrier. Other students did not want to participate because they were still processing the shock of arriving in a new country. Due to a disconnect between their identity and their surroundings, some refugee students seemed disengaged. To support their connection to others, Haya and Kadeem frequently incorporate movement in their workshops so that all students can participate, regardless of differences in language and musical experience. Similarly, Charlotte strives to provide opportunities for all students to be successful by accompanying physical motions with the teaching and learning of musical concepts, especially during group activities. She says that using movement gives students multiple points of entry into the lesson, so that though they may not be able to count rhythms out loud, for example, they can still ‘feel included’ in the group by following along with the actions.

All four participants also addressed the importance of providing students with opportunities to share their culture and strengths in the music-making environment. In this way, students grew in their awareness of themselves and others. Music educators do well to recognize the prior musical and artistic experiences that refugee students bring into their host country. Haya and Kadeem, for example, have provided opportunities in their workshops for participants to share and perform works that were meaningful to them. They discovered that these performances supported students in feeling proud of their cultural identity, while also fostering a sense of respect among the group. Similarly, Charlotte led a unit on instruments from around the world, which enabled students to explore and present on a musical instrument of their choice. As a result of Charlotte encouraging her students to bring their lived experiences into the classroom, she cultivated an environment in which they were curious and excited to learn from, and about, one another.

Belonging

Community and social inclusion

A recurring theme throughout the interviews is that trauma-sensitive music education supports refugee students in feeling a sense of belonging. All four participants shared that when students are able to establish social connections, initial manifestations of trauma decreases. For example, at the start of a workshop that Haya and Kadeem facilitated with refugee children, they observed that a pair of siblings sat off to the side of the room. The rest of the children noticed and responded with compassion by moving their chairs to sit near the siblings. This happened without Haya’s or Kadeem’s prompting. Following this powerful gesture of kindness, the siblings began to participate in the group music activities. As Kadeem explained, ‘The two kids . . . they start to feel normal’. This act of social inclusion enabled the siblings to experience a sense of belonging, and as a result, helped to address their initial feelings of hesitancy in participating. By the end of the workshop, Haya noted that the siblings demonstrated a change from their initial behaviour and ‘were extremely happy’ to participate.

Student engagement

Finally, all four participants noted that a crucial component to their trauma-sensitive practices is providing students with opportunities for laughter. Trauma-sensitive music education should be fun and engaging. When students are happy, enjoying their time making music, they demonstrate a decrease in visible manifestations of trauma. Haya found that when working with refugee children, one of the main effects of trauma is that students appear ‘shut off,’ reluctant to participate. However, as soon as she students begin having fun, through the use of games, for instance, ‘they forget that they didn’t want to be there’.

One of the students in Gina’s music programme initially sat apart from all the other participants, avoiding eye contact with them. Gina also observed that this student appeared distant, neither connecting with her nor the other participants. However, on the day that Gina brought a rubber chicken to the programme, the student burst into laughter, which led to the other students laughing as well. Gina noticed that this experience connected the student with his peers, as well as with her. As she continued bringing the chicken to each session, the student grew in his confidence. By the end of the programme, he became a leader and the main singer of a song that the group performed. Providing him with the opportunity to laugh and experience joy led to considerable change in his behaviours and ultimately supported his sense of connectedness within the community.

Limitations

The limitations of this study should be acknowledged. One such limitation is the small sample size for interviews, which was influenced by the procedural ethics governing all students in my graduate programme. Additionally, students’ experiences were only represented through the perspectives of their teachers, whose accounts are shaped by their own standpoints. As a result, the study lacks direct input from the students themselves, which may have provided a more nuanced understanding.

Discussion

Refugee students are a growing and important part of the Canadian population. In this study, I identified trauma-sensitive strategies that music educators are using to support children forcibly displaced from their country. Four main themes to trauma-sensitive music education emerged: it (a) provides holistic care for refugee students; (b) supports refugee students in feeling empowered; (c) provides a space in which refugee students can cultivate their sense of personal and collective awareness; and (d) supports refugee students in feeling a sense of belonging.

In providing holistic care for students, all four participants emphasized the need to ensure a sense of safety when supporting refugee students in the music-making environment. This finding is in line with existing research on interventions for trauma-affected populations (Hobfoll et al., 2007). Stewart (2012) found that the traumatic events experienced by war-affected youth impacted their psychological well-being and sense of security in the host country. As a result, it is important for educators to be alert to stressors that threaten students’ feelings of safety (Shanker, 2017). Some stressors that refugee students experience in music education settings may include instruments being played too loudly; inaccessible instructions for activities leading to confusion; and external factors, like fire alarms. Consistent with existing trauma-informed frameworks, it is vital that music educators remove factors which may be triggering to students, while seeking to establish a sense of routine and warning students of sudden interruptions to the educational setting (Blaustein, 2012).

Participants also shared that establishing trusting relationships with their refugee learners was a critical component of providing trauma-sensitive, holistic care (Hendricks et al., 2024). For example, when Haya and Kadeem notice a learner demonstrating aggression towards musical instruments, rather than seeing the behaviour as disruptive and needing to be stifled, they view the child’s action as a need for expression. Similarly, Charlotte often begins her music classes with informal check-ins with her students, which is aligned with the attachment domain of the ARC intervention framework, where ‘nurturing and consistent caregiving promotes skill development and a safety net for [children] coping with difficult experiences’ (Kinniburgh et al., 2005, p. 246).

Another notable theme among all participants is the importance of supporting the empowerment of their refugee learners. The educators I interviewed all avoided viewing students with pity, which reflects existing literature that advises against deficit views of refugee students, and instead, promotes a focus on their resiliency (Ocádiz Velázquez, 2020; Yaylaci, 2018). Participants supported refugee learners through a strength-based approach and provided student-choice in their music education, such as through self-directed projects. As trauma can cause children to become disconnected from their emotions, forms of expression in music education provide a means for students to practice self-regulation, the second domain of the ARC framework. Developing self-regulation skills supports trauma-affected learners in cultivating an awareness and ownership of their emotions and their experiences (Blaustein, 2012).

All participants incorporated regular use of music creation through composition and improvisation. Gina observed that frequent opportunities for improvisation in group settings helped her students feel more comfortable connecting and making music with others in her programme. This is consistent with research on the use of improvisation and its ability to help musicians better understand themselves, their relationships and the world in which they live (Campbell, 2009). As a result of participating in collaborative improvisation, students are provided an appropriate balance between structure and freedom, while also developing a sense of ownership over the music they are making (Coss, 2019).

Participants also observed that opportunities for composition help refugee students feel pride in their work and gain confidence in themselves; students who appeared closed off initially or reluctant to participate became more engaged. Composition used in music education has been linked to increasing students’ self-concept as they demonstrate agency in the process of music creation (Albert, 2017; Hogenes et al., 2016). Composing can serve as a particularly hopeful experience for students from refugee backgrounds as their knowledge and ideas are validated in their host country (Howell, 2011).

Participants felt that when they were able to support students’ sense of awareness of themselves and others, there was a decrease in students’ externalizing manifestations of trauma. Those who entered the music-making environment appearing distant or aloof became more engaged in the experience when they had opportunities to explore their personal interests. Examples include students sharing songs from their culture and learning an instrument of their choice. With connections to ARC’s competency domain (Blaustein, 2012), trauma-sensitive music education provides refugee students with opportunities to set individual goals, understand themselves better and develop their identity (Hess, 2022).

By offering thoughtful opportunities for refugee students to make sense of their personal and collective identities, educators provide the conditions in which refugee students can feel a sense of belonging (Hobfoll et al., 2007). A key component to trauma-sensitive care is facilitating opportunities for refugee students to make social connections. Participants noticed that as students began to find community in the music-making environment, their apprehension in participating decreased. Studies in music education have found that inclusive practices support refugee students’ feelings of social connectedness (Crawford, 2017; Marsh & Dieckmann, 2017). This finding can be extended by recognizing that social inclusion plays a significant role in supporting students’ processing of trauma. In other words, it is through strong social connections that trauma-affected refugee students cope with trauma. Existing research in trauma studies underscore the significant role of social support in decreasing negative impacts of trauma (Grasso, 2014).

Finally, participants spoke about the significance of fun and laughter in trauma-sensitive care. All participants shared that instilling joy and making children happy is a crucial component in supporting students’ processing of trauma and their sense of belonging in the music environment. Research in trauma studies has provided the foundation to champion humour as an effective coping method (Erickson & Feldstein, 2007). Integrating intentional opportunities for joy and laughter engages students and helps them to foster relationships with others (Hendricks et al., 2024).

My study sought to identify trauma-sensitive strategies that music educators can implement to support refugee learners. The findings from my research can guide music educators, as well as educators across disciplines, in understanding how to support refugee students in their processing of trauma. Learning about trauma as part of pre-service teacher education programmes would allow educators to have a more fulsome understanding of how students’ experiences affect their engagement in the learning environment. Acknowledging students’ complex past and present is a crucial component in their ability to learn and move forward (Hess & Bradley, 2020). By caring for the emotional, physical and social needs of their learners, educators can play a pivotal role in creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for trauma-affected students.

The findings in my study contribute to a growing discussion on the role of music education in supporting refugee learners and trauma survivors. Further research on the intersections of trauma-sensitive practices, music education and the refugee student population will be of value by bringing increasingly diverse perspectives into conversation. In particular, studies drawing from the student perspective would provide a more nuanced understanding of the role of trauma in the music education setting.

Footnotes

Author note

Kelly Lin is an elementary music teacher with the Toronto District School Board.

Author contribution

Kelly Lin: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This article draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

ORCID iD

Kelly Lin

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Trauma-sensitive teaching: Supporting refugee students through music education

Abstract

Keywords

Refugee students, trauma and music education

Methodology

Participant selection and criteria

The participants

Other considerations

Findings

Holistic care

Safety

Responsiveness and trusting relationships

Student empowerment

Awareness of self and environment

Belonging

Community and social inclusion

Student engagement

Limitations

Discussion

Footnotes

Author note

Author contribution

Funding

ORCID iD

References