1. The co-creation of an appreciative learning environment at the interface of music and language acquisition for educationally disadvantaged learners; 2. Strengthening learning skills and memory strategies for learners in different areas of adult education, especially basic education and second language acquisition. A wide range of music and methods was presented to transmit strategies that help memorise language structures; 3. Promoting social skills and the ability to articulate feelings, opinions and attitudes. The methods used aimed to improve learners' ability to analyse information in a social context; 4. Promoting resilience by supporting participants in recognising and building upon their resources and skills, such as multilingualism. That includes fostering creativity which plays an important role in developing and maintaining resilience, as it involves the ability to develop alternative scenarios; 5. Building transcultural and social dialogue through the use of a variety of different linguistic and cultural elements beyond the clichés and stereotypes sometimes associated with music; 6. Strengthening the competences of adult educators by expanding their repertoire through music-based activities and tools.
Our project idea started with the desire to develop suggestions for the implementation of music-pedagogical activities in basic education and (second) language learning. The Ham'avaaz partnership was formed by institutions that offer various programs for adults and/or trainers, including language classes and basic education for learners facing multiple forms of discrimination. On a small scale, music had been integrated in our routine; with this project however, we wanted to take an in-depth look at the benefits of music for resource-orientated, critical and emancipatory educational work. The advantages of music for the mental health and cognitive development of children and adolescents are widely recognised. In recent years, research has also focused on the needs of adult learners. Although links have been established between language learning and music education in this regard, in our opinion there is a lack of didactic material tailored to the needs of educationally disadvantaged learners. Intending to close this gap, Ham'avaaz aimed to create an inclusive learning atmosphere in which diverse groups of learners work together on songs, lyrics, melodies and rhythms from diverse (sub-) cultural contexts.