Making Music (Happen) in AZC's

Research project

2023_MIC_Musiceren in de tussentijd_Foto door Kevlard , TWWLI workshop, 02-06-2022.jpg

Arts and Culture
Behaviour and Society
Research Centre Art & Society

Start date 01 December 2023

In the project Making Music (Happen) in Asylum Seeker Centres (AZC's), the study explores how music activities are initiated in Dutch asylum reception settings. The research focuses on the motivations and approaches behind these initiatives, as well as the challenges musicians encounter when working in this context.

Photo: Kevlard, The World We Live In workshop, 02-06-2022

Making music together can have a positive impact on participants’ well-being – especially in times of stress, uncertainty and boredom. In reception settings, such as asylum seeker centres, music-making can help. Group activities may, for example, support emotion regulation and help people navigate difficulties related to living together in such an environment.

Studies have shown that these activities are more effective when offered regularly and over a longer period. In practice, however, providing music activities consistently and long-term in asylum reception settings can be challenging due to systemic and contextual factors. Based on conversations with experienced musicians in the first phase of this project, key barriers to initiating and sustaining activities over time include unclear or inconsistently communicated coordination and access arrangements, practical limitations (space, time, transport), frequent changes within reception locations, and the challenge of maintaining continuity beyond short-term support.

The goal of this research project is to look for ways to make these activities more accessible by making them easier to organise and sustain in the long-term. This is expected to benefit both the musicians and the communities they work with. This study focuses on how music practitioners and NGOs navigate these challenges in practice, and what can be learned from their experiences to share with others entering or working in the field.

Want to know more about the first findings of this research project?

Read the publication Making Music (Happen) in AZC's. Practical Insights from and for Musicians in the Netherlands

How, where and why are music activities initiated and managed in Dutch asylum reception settings?
What shared challenges are experienced by musicians and NGOs in the field, and how do these affect the availability or sustainability of these initiatives?
What kinds of changes (e.g., structural, organisational, social, financial or methodological) could support the implementation and continuation of these initiatives?
What strategies and forms of support help musicians and NGOs sustain participatory music activities in asylum reception settings over time, despite recurring challenges – and how do practitioners navigate constraints in practice?

This exploratory study aims to understand how musicians develop and carry out music activities in various Dutch asylum reception centre settings. It examines motivations and approaches behind these initiatives, alongside the challenges musicians face when working in this context. Particular attention is paid to how practitioners and organisations navigate constraints in practice – including support needs and working strategies that enable longer-term continuation – as well as the dynamics of trust-building and power relations within reception centre settings.

Better insight into music activities within asylum reception centre settings can contribute to improving the support structures around music-making in this context, making activities easier, more effective, and more sustainable for both musicians and reception organisations. It is expected this will positively affect the availability and accessibility of music projects for residents, and thereby contribute to well-being in these settings. The results may also support practice development for musicians who want to work in these contexts.

Outcomes are already emerging and will continue to be developed. Current outputs offer an exploratory picture of the field, highlighting key practices, recurring challenges and enabling factors as reported by interviewed musicians and other stakeholders. These practice-relevant insights also shape the next phases of the research, including a follow-up study focusing more closely on how professionals and NGOs sustain their activities over time, and what support structures, collaborations, and working strategies help make that possible.

Rosie Taekema-Torfi, MA

Lecturer-researcher Research Group Music in Conctext
- +3150 595 4834
- [email protected]
- Rosie Taekema
- Meeuwerderweg 1, 9724 EM Groningen