Musical Minds
How important is the inclusion of music and the arts in general, to a child’s development. We think vital.
Created and operated by The Jaffa Institute, Musical Minds is a well-established program that introduces underprivileged, at-risk children in Israel, to the arts.
This program aims at providing assistance and encouragement to disadvantaged youth. The participants come from diverse backgrounds and are living in some of the most impoverished neighbourhoods in Israel.
Well designed, the program helps participants develop social skills, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency. The objective is to provide the stepping stones necessary for them reach their full potential. Nutritional support is an important part of each program.
Musical Minds, a recreational program, is offered through The Jaffa Institute’s After-School Educational Enrichment Centres for at-risk youth in Jaffa, South Tel-Aviv, and Bat Yam. In addition, this arts program is provided in one public school in Bat Yam, a vulnerable area.
Musical Minds is aimed at children aged three-12 and encourages them to immerse themselves two times a week in one of a wide range of arts subjects.
The children can choose from an exciting and extensive menu – music, drawing, sculpture, arts and crafts, as well as photography, video animation, drama and movement. Instruction is by trained professionals.
Finely tuned, the music offering includes lessons on a wide range of musical instruments- keyboard, flute, guitar, and drums. There is also training in vocals.
To ensure that each child receives individualized attention, the instructors provide lessons to only three to four children at a time. The other children in the program are given academic assistance, until it is their turn to participate in Musical Minds.
The lessons for Musical Minds are from one to four hours in length, determined by each After-School Education Enrichment Centre’s schedule and the children’s needs.
In context, this recreational program complements many of the other important programs that we support for at-risk youth.