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MusicWorks is a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa, and offers psycho-social support through music to young people growing up in marginalised communities. In South Africa three hundred years of colonialism paved the way for Apartheid which left a legacy of waste, nepotism, corruption and the oppression of the majority of our country’s citizens. Its impact is still visible today and the consequences of past and current political, social and economic challenges has led to perpetuated patterns of poverty, gangsterism[1], unemployment, and family violence that are endemic to communities such as Lavender Hill where this MusicWorks project is situated. Encouraging and strengthening the resilience of young people within this community can empower them to not only break this cycle but also be part of the solution as they become contributing members of their community and society at large. Ebersöhn’s (2012) generative theory of relationship resourced resilience proposes that when individuals use relationships as a way to access, link, and mobilise resources, an enabling ecology is shaped that can foster positive adjustment in a largely at-risk environment. Drawing on this social-ecological understanding of resilience, this paper outlines the MusicWorks project in Lavender Hill and discusses case vignettes of music work with young people and the broader school community. The aim of the project is to co-create musical spaces where young people and those around them can access resourced relationships. For the purpose of this paper the use of the term “gangsterism” is located firmly within the South African context, were terminology around “gangs” and “gangsterism” refers to a specific grouping of people who are involved in highly structured gangs whose criminal activity revolve mainly around illicit drug trade, with links to local and international organized crime networks ( Chetty, 2015; Goga, 2014; Shaw and Skywalker, 2016; Goga, 2014; Wegner et al., 2018). Several authors have linked the proliferation of gangs, specifically in Cape Town, to the forced removals of people during 1960 to 1980 as part of the Apartheid government’s Group Areas Act ( Chetty, 2015; Goga, 2014; Kinnes, 2017; Steinberg, 2004).

Kodály's concept about music education is worldwide adapted to different cultures. However, the significance of his theoretical framework is almost undiscovered by music therapy. The aim of the present paper is to shed light on the common elements of Commuity Music Therapy and the Kodály Approach by literature-based Research. Kodály was a pioneer establishing a multidisciplinary dialog between musicology, philosophy, sociology and education. The practice and theory he established was a powerful response to his time’s social needs and problems. As a musician an educator he devoted himself to the popularization community music, choral singing and thus building up a better society. As a researcher he studied the therapeutic effects of his method, especially transfer effect with intellectual and social skills. His overall goal to make music accessible to everyone highly resemble with Community Music Therapy. Many of his ideas such us choral singing for social connectedness or agency and empowerment through musical education are a part of the practice of Community Music Therapy. His concept is a fundamental part of music education but music therapy also could profit more from his ideas.

Young people recovering from mental illness may benefit from ongoing musical opportunities in the community following music therapy engagement in mental health services. In this paper I describe the second cycle of a Participatory research project investigating young people’s musical identities in their recovery from mental illness. This cycle explored the types of services needed for young people’s ongoing recovery and compared these against the reality of service provision in the local area. Findings revealed the need for a unique advocacy body to facilitate partnerships between institutions and community-based services and lead to the forming of a Youth Music Action Group to address this unmet need.