Children discover how music builds soul of cinema at SIBF

How sound shapes storytelling

Through engaging demonstrations and side-by-side audio comparisons, children learned how composers use melody, harmony, rhythm and tone colour to build tension, express emotion and elevate cinematic storytelling.

Emotional architecture of film music

“Music is not just background; it’s emotional architecture,” explained Jawad Smouneh, who led the session. “Film music sets the tone, reveals emotion and guides how audiences experience a story.”

Learning through live demonstrations

Using a bass guitar, Smouneh demonstrated how each note carries emotional meaning. “Intervals are the emotional DNA of music,” he told the audience, showing how a major second interval expresses joy, while a minor second evokes sadness. Children listened attentively, correctly identifying the emotions as he transitioned between tones.

From notes to emotional worlds

He further illustrated how chords, rhythm and harmony transform single notes into emotional soundscapes. “Playing more than one note together creates chords,” he said, “and changing the progression completely changes what we feel.” With clips from beloved films such as Coco, Frozen and Up, he showed how music mirrors character emotions or defines the mood of an entire scene.

Understanding the power of sound

“The goal was to help children understand the power of sound,” Smouneh said. “Because music is always in the background, people often don’t realise how deeply it affects what we feel. Remove the music from any scene, and you lose half its emotion and pulse.”

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme ‘Between You and a Book’, SIBF 2025 runs for 12 days at Expo Centre Sharjah, welcoming authors, publishers and readers from 118 countries, with more than 2,350 exhibitors and 1,200 activities celebrating creativity in all its forms.