"One of the most heartbreaking moments was the loss of one of my students, Yusuf Salman, who was one of the most disciplined, polite and talented students.
He studied guitar with me … and was killed when a cafe was bombed," Abu Amsha said.
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A Shelter from Reality
In the largest tent, a dozen young people gather to sing, play, and listen. The sound of maqams – traditional Arab scales and melodies – filters out across the shelters.
Some are played on plastic hose flutes, others on salvaged instruments.
Yara Abu Amsha has been learning the violin since moving to al-Mawasi eight months ago.
"I chose the violin because I felt it is closest to my personality and most expressive of my feelings," she said.
Between classes, students share stories of displacement, clinging to the few hours of creative escape. "Music means a lot to me.
Before the war, I didn't think about it in this way but during the war I discovered that it has become a real refuge for us," Yara said.
Teachers face journeys of hours across rubble-filled roads to reach students like Mohammad Khader, a 17-year-old who began learning the oud at the conservatory 10 years ago.
Displaced from the north, he lives in a tent near Deir al-Balah.
"Whenever I feel stressed or upset, I turn to music because it calms my nerves and gives me a sense of peace," Khader said.
Demand for lessons is high, so he now instructs new students.
Osama Jahjouh, a flute teacher since 2012, lost all his instruments during the war. He made a flute from plastic tubing.
"It was difficult, as flute making requires precise measurements for tone holes and placement but I managed to produce a playable instrument," he said.
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The conservatory, named after Palestinian-US scholar Edward Said, has its headquarters in the occupied West Bank. Its Gaza branch was a prominent cultural feature before the war.
