Music Therapy Program GRADUATION OF THE ELEVENTH GROUP OF SCHS
In collaboration with Iowa University in South Korea and the Korean Music Therapy Association in Korea, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services hosted a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, for the eleventh group of SCHS employees and the fourteenth group of specialists from Iowa University in South Korea. SCHS has been conducting the music therapy program since 2013. Certificates were given out and employees and specialists were praised.
Through planned musical behaviors and experiences, music therapy is a professional intervention that uses music to enhance non-musical performance. Clients can attain developmental objectives, such as physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, by following a methodical screening, planning, implementation, and evaluation process.
Congratulating SCHS staff and the University of Iowa specialists, Ms. Khadija Ahmed Bamkhrama, Planning and Follow-up Officer and General Supervisor of the SCHS's Music Therapy Program, gave a speech in which she emphasized the SCHS's dedication to educating and training technical and educational staff in order to use music therapy techniques and strategies to establish a supportive network of qualified professionals in the field.
Her Excellency Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, President of SCHS, has supported the Music Therapy Program since its inception, and the General Supervisor of the program expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation to her. By teaching SCHS staff these skills, the program hopes to achieve sustainability and ultimately serve the interests of students with disabilities.
Achievements that exceeded expectations
She said, “The Music Therapy Program has accomplished more than anticipated since its inception in 2013. Including, but not limited to, the graduation of eleven batches of fifteen SCHS teachers, specialists, and supervisors, as well as their certification in the program's methodologies; additionally, fourteen batches of forty female postgraduate students with a focus on music therapy from Iowa University in South Korea, who received training in the SCHS ”.
She added, “(1,459) male and female students of various disabilities and nationalities, enrolled in the SCHS’s schools, centers and branches, have benefited from (3,680) music therapy sessions since the program’s launch. Sessions have achieved purposeful results in terms of developing and raising the students’ abilities and skills in various social and psychological fields, Behavioral, cognitive, motor, cognitive, language and communication skills. In addition, six music therapy graduates obtained a certified music therapist certificate from the Korean Music Therapy Education Association and Iowa University in South Korea. They also participated in numerous conferences, seminars and forums inside and outside the country to showcase SCHS's experience in implementing the Music Therapy Program in cooperation with Iowa University.
Upgrading capabilities and skills
The program contributes to enhancing the physical, social, linguistic, and educational capabilities of students with disabilities. It also provides opportunities to improve their quality of life, participate in, and integrate into society. The SCHS places great importance on this through its organization and training of staff to master its techniques and tools under the supervision of the most skilled specialists.
Bamkhrama explained that Music therapy Program is used for all different levels and forms of musical experience and activities to suit the needs of the client, which include: from understanding and reception to expression, and from listening to playing and singing. It is also a supportive treatment for other medical conditions such as health promotion, stress management, pain relief, emotional expression, memory enhancement, improved communication, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and physical rehabilitation.
She added, "The SCHS is the first institution in the country concerned with the affairs of persons with disabilities to include a Music therapy program among its services, as music therapy is used for all different levels and forms of musical experience and activities to meet the needs of beneficiaries."
Leadership in the Arab region
For her part, Professor Hyun-Joo Chung of Iowa University congratulated the graduates who successfully completed the music therapy education and training course, saying:
"This is a remarkable achievement that was by no means easy. It requires true dedication and more time and effort to provide better learning opportunities and experiences for students. Your completion of this training course reflects your passion and commitment as educators."
She added, "In addition to your existing expertise, acquiring the practical skills to use music as an educational and therapeutic tool is no easy task. That's why it's important to recognize that we are musical beings by nature—and that music inherently stimulates an intrinsic motivation to learn the methodologies of applying musical instruments, so that students can acquire skills and develop their abilities through musical engagement."
Professor Jo concluded by urging graduates to enjoy being teachers and teaching through music, as this is the true reward for completing this program. She extended her sincere thanks and appreciation to the senior management of SCHS and to all participants in the Iowa-SCHS Cooperative Education Program. She stressed that this group is the leading group in the field of music therapy in the Arab region.
Graduation projects
Then, the training achievement program and graduation projects were presented. For the eleventh batch of the SCHS's cadres, training projects were also presented for the fourteenth batch of specialists from Iowa University. The graduates emphasized their commitment to continuing to achieve the desired goals and enhancing the program to remain a leader in the field of humanitarian services in Sharjah.
Developing the capabilities of students with disabilities
SCHS's teachers emphasized the importance of the program in providing them with new skills and strategies for teaching people with disabilities, as well as its role in developing the capabilities of students with disabilities in various fields and providing them with opportunities to improve their quality of life.
The graduates extended their sincere thanks and appreciation to Her Excellency Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, who has been and continues to be the primary supporter of all purposeful work that serves the interests of persons with disabilities.
They also expressed their gratitude to Ms. Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei, the SCHS's director general; Ms. Khadija Ahmed Bamkhrama, the SCHS's head of planning and follow-up and general supervisor of the music therapy program; and the University of Iowa staff for all of their training and instruction.