Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, over 1 million Ukrainians have resettled in Poland. Outside of Kraków, there is a community of Ukrainian refugee women, elderly individuals, and children who are adjusting to life in a shelter called Palace Paszkówka. This year, I was privileged to facilitate arts- and music-based group therapy sessions with the women at Paszkówka, alongside other artists from Ukraine and USA. In this short presentation, I will share about that experience, introduce the culturally responsive and trauma-informed strategies that we utilized, and discuss the challenges of arts-based group work with participants experiencing the ongoing effects of war. As bassoonists, we will inevitably be called participate in some type of community engagement during our careers. When we enter community engagement situations, it is crucial that we utilize culturally responsive and trauma-informed strategies for the sake of the individuals and groups we create with. It is my goal that this workshop will offer some examples of culturally responsive and trauma-informed strategies that bassoonists might use, while demonstrating how our bassoon playing can enable us to make meaningful connections with communities whose life experiences are different than our own.