Three tents line a stretch of overcrowded, windswept sand in Gaza, their windows open to the Mediterranean waves.
From inside comes singing, guitar, violin, and flute.
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The tents are the new home of the Gaza branch of Palestine's national conservatory, dedicated to teaching classical, popular, and traditional music.
Founded in 1993, the institution once had well-equipped offices in Gaza City, three pianos, and storerooms full of instruments and scores.
That was before the war. Israeli airstrikes between October 2023 and October 2025 destroyed the classrooms, practice rooms, auditorium, instruments, and archives.
Ahmed Abu Amsha, a musician and teacher at the conservatory, is trying to rebuild its programs with a small group of former employees.
Originally from Beit Hanoun, he now oversees activities in central Gaza, teaching guitar and supervising choirs.
"Once, back before the war, music for many people was a means of entertainment and personal development … Now music has become an important tool for psychological relief.
We work with lots of children who suffer from trauma and psychological distress caused by the war," Abu Amsha said.
More than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed during the Israeli offensive. Another thousand have died in strikes since a ceasefire nine months ago.
The war was triggered by a Hamas raid into Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.
Almost all teachers and students were displaced, many multiple times. Some were injured or killed.
