The DrumPower-Project with Unaccompanied Refugee Minors
living with Condrobs e.V.

by David Westphäling

Bodypercussion, powerful drum-rhythms, racy games of concentration, reaction and betting, free improvisations and gentle sounds of guitar and chimes are just a few impressive examples of what generated the DrumPower-Project with young refugees living in homes of the youth-welfare associacion Condrobs e.V.. With the beginning of the first unit humor, mutual apreciation and a lot of released creativity have been perceptible. Games and exercises of the repertoire of musictherapeutical methods and the DrumPower-concept led to a stabilization in structure and confidence with the sequences and encouraged the cohesion and identity of the group.

In a great, light and central conference room belonging to Condrobs e.V. the project could take place thanks to the financiation of Lions Club Karl Valentin and the organization and supervision made by the Freies Musikzentrum München. The project team consisted of two musictherapists and two volunteers and met between april and may 2015 once a week for 1 ½ hours with the adolescents. Both educators and young people required the continuation of the project according to answers in an interview afterwards. Their reflection as well as our impression attest that the following emphases and aims got fulfilled with the realisation of the project:

• memory and reflection of the home country and the integration of new experiences in a new country
  
• beeing welcome in a musical-creative way
  
• experience a non-violence ambience
  
• regulation of affects
  
• import own ressources an abilities