"We were a foreign body entering the Old City." An interview with the executive director of Al-Kamandjati

Celine Dagher, Executive Director of the al-Kamandjati, has been associated with the music school since 2005 when she moved to Ramallah. The wife of al-Kamandjati founder Ramzi Abuderwan, she is also a brand new mother; she gave birth to a boy, Hussein Abuderwan, last night.

Her duties at al-Kamandjati include the overall administration of the school, not limited to coordinating teachers, fundraising, public relations, contacts with other music assocations, and links abroad. Efficient coordination is essential given the breadth of the school's work, as it operates in three refugee camps- Al-Amari, Jalazoon, and Qalandia- as well as various villages and cities, such as Jenin, Tulkarem, and Deir Ghassaneh.



She first met Ramzi at a 2005 concert in France featuring his band. She read some information on the organization, which he founded in France in 2002, and joined with him as they made the move to Ramallah. "Seeing the truck arrive with two tons of instruments was the most exciting part," she says. "As well as seeing the center being built from empty walls to a music school."

The initial reception from the Palestinian community was very positive, she says. "Before we founded the school we spent a lot of time making workshops and concerts across the West Bank. It helped us build links with communities and existing institutions and let them get to know us better."

Dagher says the initial reaction to the opening of the school was curiosity and enthusiasm. "We were a foreign body entering the Old City of Ramallah, which is a very close place where everyone knows each other." But people quickly became used to it. "Children began to come to the school just because they were interested and wanted to see."

Attracting students was a very natural process and required very little additional advertising or campaigning. "At the beginning the children would enroll themselves because they were so interested." So many students were interested that there is now a waiting list of 600 children waiting to receive instruction at the school.

I asked her about the arson in the al-Kamandjati center in Jenin, which gutted the building and made international news. The center was quickly repainted and reopened. "It was disappointing. All of our students there are very motivated and dedicated, and it was hard to understand why it happened." But she says that they never believed that it was an expression of community disapproval. "We only think it was the work of individuals."

I asked her to briefly touch on the relationship with the school to Israel. "There seems to be a communication wall between what happens here and in Israel. I don't think so many people in Israel are aware of us, compared to those abroad."

I finally asked her about what she thinks about al-Kamandjati in the broader social context of Palestine. "I like to present al-Kamandjati as a music school, and it will bring what music will bring to any child. We are in the special context of occupation, and it might bring more to a child here than elsewhere. I think if you talk to the children here they might say that music gives them a lot of power, and it helps them to be proud of their identity and culture.

"We live next to our students and see them daily. It is very rewarding to see how they change and evolve."

What happens when your clarinet breaks in Mozambique?

http://historyviolins.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-happens-when-your-clarinet-breaks.html

For budding musicians in developing regions, acquiring an instrument only goes so far. Eventually its keys or valves will become stiff, strings will break and leaks will develop. This is in addition to the inevitable acciden

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ts that will occur in a child's hands. For many children around the world, this damage can be devastating if there are no replacement parts and qualified technicians in the vicinity to help with repairs. This is where people like Pierre Helou come in.

Helou is a native of France and is employed by The Music Fund, a Belgian non-governmental organization that provides instrument repair services and new instruments to children in partner schools located in the West Bank, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Helou at work on one of al-Kamandjati's oboes

After we discussed the condition of the oboes at al-Kamandjati, I was able to talk with him about the general nature of his work.

Helou has been in the employ of The Music Fund for the last year. During his vacation time he has travelled to Ramallah in the West Bank and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An instrumental technician for seven years with a speciality in wind instruments, he has seen the difficulties that music programs in developing regions face.

"At the school in Kinshasa they had no workshop for repairing wind instruments," he explained. "So we had to install and develop a new workshop there."

The biggest issue for repairing instruments in the areas that he works in is a lack of viable equipment. "Corks and pads wear easily over time and need to be replaced regularly. They can be difficult to find in places."

Helou noted the differences between working in Kinshasa and Ramallah. "With al-Kamandjati in Ramallah we have a running workshop so the work becomes much easier. The trick is making do with what you have in the place you are."

...denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach

http://historyviolins.blogspot.com/2009/06/denn-ihre-werke-folgen-ihnen-nach.html

The first major project of the summer for al-Kamandjati is the Summer Music Days Festival, in which they are putting on 100(!) concerts of classical all across the West Bank in 10(!) days. The Choir of London will be coming as guests to Ramallah, and they will combine with a group of Palestinians to sing Brahms's German Requiem. Quite a few of the vocalist students in al-Kamandjati are involved in this; as anyone who knows about classical music would realize the fact that any teenager can keep up with this piece is remarkable!



I was invited by the singing teacher at al-Kamandjati, Julia, to go to the rehearsal of the piece at Bethlehem University in Bethlehem. Instead of just standing there recording the rehearsal and taking pictures I decided to sing along with the bass part, which turned out to be fine because the rest of the choir was sight-reading as well. The priest leading the choir agreed to let me do an interview with him next week so I could get more details on his history with the choir.



I will also be performing the Vaughan Williams songs for oboe and soprano, and maybe other pieces. The last few days have also been spent reorganizing the library, and I found that it is amazingly extensive; all the major pieces of the solo repertoire for all instruments are present as well as a huge number of orchestra pieces. I'm continually impressed with the resources of al-Kamandjati and the way that they are able to operate.

I have a few interviews coming up in the next few days which I will post writeups of as they happen.

Adeste, fideles, Laeti triumphantes, Venite, venite in Bethlehem

http://historyviolins.blogspot.com/2009/06/adeste-fideles-laeti-triumphantes.html

While I would prefer that this blog avoid the more contentious political issues around the area, I think that it is important for people to get a general idea of the topography of the West Bank in order to better understand the specific topic of music within it. Yesterday I went from Ramallah to Bethlehem, and I think that the road connecting the two cities encapsulates a lot of characteristics of the West Bank.

Much of the West Bank, like Ramallah here, is covered in hills.




You might not be able to pick it out, but in the background is Jerusalem. Ramallah (and Bethlehem) are both in very close proximity to Jerusalem.




Qalandia, one of the main checkpoints outside Ramallah, with passage into Israel proper.



Like other traditionally nomadic peoples, the Bedouins have had difficulty assimilating into modern urban life; many like these live on the roadsides in what are basically metal boxes.





An Israeli checkpoint on the road.

Ma'ale Adumim, an Israeli settlement. The growth of the settlements are currently a hot topic in the news.



A common question that I've got is "what is the scariest part of being in the West Bank," because the impression is that it is much more dangerous than it actually is. If I had to answer, I would say this part of the road, the aptly named "Wadi Nar" or "Valley of Fire." Imagine an extremely steep road, with many curves, with a good deal of traffic from older cars that are bound to break down at any time. This is the Wadi Nar.



The view from the top, however, is very rewarding.




Bethlehem. I didn't get any pictures of the Church of the Nativity this time but I'm bound to go back so I'll get pictures there later.



Bethlehem University, a traditionally Christian school in the West Bank. There is some wonderful Christian artwork here as in all across Bethlehem.






(the last image was HDR processed). Hopefully not too many of these image-blast pictures in the future unless there is more interest in it. If anyone wants pictures of particular things let me know.

Yara Qwareeq

http://historyviolins.blogspot.com/2009/06/yara-qwareeq-al-kamandjati-music-school.html

Like other students at the al-Kamandjati music school in Ramallah, Yara Qwareeq arrives for her weekly lesson and recieves a regimen of instruction in scales, finger technique, and other piano essentials. However, Yara is unique in a very particular way: she is completely blind.

Yara (center), teacher Grassi (left), mother Samahir (right)

Yara is one of 300 music students across the West Bank receiving instruction from the al-Kamandjati music school, one of the few serving Palestinian students. Giacomo Grassi, her teacher of eight months, said that the initial challenge was to orient Yara to the sound of the keyboard. "At the beginning it was especially important to get her to hear the sound of octaves, fourths and fifths." Then came work with rhythmic imitation, and differentiating between black and white keys.

A typical lesson for Yara involves a great deal of imitation, as Grassi plays out rhythmic patterns or scales and she follows. To learn technique she places her hand on top of Grassi's in order to conceptualize its shape. She is also allowed to improvise melodies over harmonies played by Grassi; an exercise that she particularly enjoys.

From a young age she developed a proclivity towards music, says her mother, Samahir. "From the time she was a baby she used to sing along with famous songs in Arabic and English. I hope that I can develop her power to sing through the piano."