IOM Bulgaria organised a special musical activity for the unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors accommodated at IOM’s Safety Zones at the Registration and Reception Center (RRC) Sofia. The children were introduced to the world of experimental music and got acquainted with musical instruments characteristic of different parts of the world.

Тhe tutor for the workshop was Boyan Avramov - an experimental artist working in the field of drone, noise and electro-acoustic music and performance. He started making music in 1994, influenced by the underground metal scene. Over the years, he moved through various electronic genres until he found his calling in continuous experimentation with sound. Composing is based on improvisations focused in the here and now, based on a preliminary idea. Over the years he has taken part in a number of projects covering a wide range of stylistic orientation.

As one would expect, most of the unaccompanied minors have been exposed to various forms of stress and traumatic experiences. Apart from providing individual psychological consultations at IOM Bulgaria we organise various activities that benefit the children’s psychological wellbeing. Music therapy has proven to be one of the most successful ones.

Music is perhaps the most ancient and intuitive art form. It provides an irrational pathway, a direct connection between a person’s inner world and the sonic expression. Music is a means for children to channel their feelings, all the suppressed fear, anger. Boyan’s method, which focuses on intuitive and organic approach to various music instruments, gave the children the chance to really “play” with the instruments, to explore the various sounds they produce. Most importantly music serves as a non-verbal outlet for trauma-related emotions that are difficult to express verbally. The children therefore can let go of all the accumulated anxiety, stress and negative emotions in a non-destructive way.

The unaccompanied minors assembled an improvised chamber orchestra where all could play and explore the instruments without any academic constraints and rules. They were together, communicating through sound. All children who took part in the event openly expressed their  satisfaction and enthusiasm. Most importantly, they are all eagerly anticipating the next such musical session.

These activities were realised within the framework of the project “Support for unaccompanied minors, seeking international protection” funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2020 under the Programme “Home Affairs”.