Journey Into Middle Eastern Music

Journey Into Middle Eastern Music

Spice Route Ensemble

This residency commences with a joyous concert by the multi-national Spice Route Ensemble that places music and dance traditions from diverse cultures side-by-side. In the subsequent sequence of workshops, students travel as part of a Flying Caravan for a series of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern celebrations. The Spice Route Ensemble, whose members are of Egyptian, Lebanese, Greek and Jewish heritages, guide students through modern and ancient Middle East lands and cultures. Students learn traditional Egyptian and Greek rhythms, songs in Arabic and Hebrew and a traditional line dance—the Debke—from Lebanon. In the workshops, students have the chance to explore truly unfamiliar musical territory. For example, the musicians use traditional instruments to teach difficult rhythms such as, Beledy 8/8 and Youb 2/2 (Egyptian) and Optomiko 9/8 and Kalimatanos 7/8 (Greek) rhythms. Along the way, students learn about quarter-tones and monophonic music.

During the workshops, the members of the Spice Route Ensemble demystify the peoples of the Middle East with an eye toward the modern (Pizza Hut and shopping malls) and an ear toward the past (traditional songs and dances). Students become familiar with the geographic locations of Egypt, Greece, Lebanon and Israel and how the people of these countries are not necessary far away, but live in our neighborhoods and attend our schools. Bruce Kaminsky brings a quality of immediacy to his musical narrative by relating the sounds of the East to the sounds he hears when walking down 69th Street in his West Philadelphia neighborhood.

Students work together to learn new skills and understand the significance of cooperation across cultural boundaries, as well as the terrible dangers of national and cultural stereotyping. A final concert features students performing these unfamiliar rhythms, songs and dances together with the musicians of the Spice Route Ensemble.

The student goals for this residency fall into a range of areas. For example students will be familiar with: 1) the geography of the ancient Spice Route; 2) the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets and songs in both languages; and 3) how to recognize and play (or dance to) odd-meter rhythms.

This residency is appropriate for 3rd-12th grades and can be tailored to age or musical ability.

Bruce Kaminsky (bass) is joined by Adib Rafela (violin), Michelle Tayoun (percussions and voice), and Bill Koutsouros (oud and percussions). Joe Tayoun (percussions) substitutes regularly with the ensemble.

Request more information on this program

Back to Available Residencies