To mark European Music Therapy Day on 15 November, SRH University is looking back at its project work to date – and at how making music together fosters connections, builds self-confidence and promotes social inclusion.
Cooperations
Where music builds bridges: ‘Bridges’ supports young refugees in Heidelberg
How can we create spaces for young refugees to come together through music and build relationships? This question formed the starting point for the ‘Bridges’ project, which has been promoting integration, social interaction and creative potential in refugee accommodation in Heidelberg since 2025 through music therapy and music education programmes.
To mark European Music Therapy Day – which has been held annually on 15 November since 2014 to highlight how music therapy can be used in a community context – Prof. Dr Alexander F. Wormit from SRH University offers insights into the Heidelberg-based ‘Bridges’ project.
From group sessions to one-to-one lessons and band workshops
The music-based activities are being implemented in four communal accommodation centres for refugee families with the support of the City of Heidelberg and in collaboration with Caritasverband Heidelberg e.V., Asylarbeitskreis Heidelberg e.V. and the Verein für Interkulturelle Musik Metropolregion e.V.
Prof. Dr Alexander F. Wormit, project leader and programme director of the Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy at SRH University, explains: “In the weekly ‘Spielraum Musik’ sessions, we invite children, teenagers and young adults aged between 5 and 28 to sing and make music together. This not only strengthens a sense of community and social interaction, but also promotes mental wellbeing. Music can also help to build the participants’ resilience in dealing with challenging situations.”
In addition, around 50 young refugees receive one-to-one tuition. “Learning to play a musical instrument boosts self-esteem and fosters a love of musical expression,” adds Prof. Wormit. Band projects are also a regular feature of the programme. This allows those taking instrumental lessons, in particular, to come together and work towards a shared goal – such as writing their own song.
Intercultural concerts as annual highlights
Four concerts are also held each year – three of them as part of the summer festivals at the shared accommodation centres and one in cooperation with Karlstorbahnhof e.V. Most recently, in September 2026, the children and young people taking part performed pop and hip-hop songs by well-known Western artists in front of an audience of just under 200 people.
“Our intercultural concerts bring together young refugees, professional musicians and the local community to promote integration, understanding and joy,” said Prof. Wormit.
All this is made possible by a project team – now comprising 12 members – of musicians, music therapists and music educators, coordinated by Samuel Gracida. Like all the music therapists in the team, the project coordinator graduated from SRH University in Heidelberg.
The Bridges project is co-funded by the European Union. The project will run until December 2027.
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