American Orchestra Shares Arabic Music, Culture
2023-07-01
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1Michael Ibrahim is busy building bridges.
2But his bridges are not made of steel.
3And they do not cross rivers. Instead, they are made of music and cross cultures.
4Ibrahim is the founder and director of the National Arab Orchestra (NAO).
5The group is based in the state of Michigan.
6It aims to preserve and share Arabic music and culture in the United States through its performances and education programs.
7"We want to be an organization that is sort of the cultural representative of the Arab-American community," Ibrahim said.
8At an NAO concert, the orchestra quickly makes connections with its listeners.
9As the musicians begin to play, Ibrahim moves his body up and down like a dancer.
10Soon, audience members start moving to the music's rhythm.
11Suddenly, Ibrahim turns around and faces the audience.
12He urges them to clap their hands to the beat of the music.
13And he urges them to sing along with parts of a well-known song from Egypt or Lebanon.
14With each song, the bridge between the audience and the orchestra grows.
15Ibrahim spoke about the need to help people know more about the culture of Arab-Americans:
16"The Arab-American community had to face a lot of discrimination, just because they're different, like any other minority community in this country. And that was magnified, you know, after the events of September 11."
17He added that after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, there was a lot of false information.
18He said, "There is a huge debate on the meaning of the word, 'Arab', and what is Arab culture"
19"So we're doing this to bring awareness about the culture, build these bridges so that people can have a chance to engage with each other, and then that in turn makes the world just a much better and easier place to live in because people are less afraid. . ."
20He added, "I really love to share who I am, and I feel like the best way for me to do that is for me to share my culture. . .but I also am born here. And what is American culture if not just this giant melting pot of constant immigration into this country that makes it what it is?"
21Ibrahim was born into a Syrian immigrant family in Michigan.
22He said he was able to connect to his family's culture through music and the arts. When he was 10, he spent a year living in Syria with his family.
23Back in the U.S., he learned to play the oud, a stringed instrument his father played.
24He then studied both Western and Arabic music.
25The NAO started in 2009 as a student musical group at the University of Michigan under Ibrahim's direction.
26Soon it doubled in size and became the Michigan Arab Orchestra in 2010. It changed its name and began playing as the NAO in 2014.
27In the 2022-2023 season, the orchestra played together at 12 events, including a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
28Ibrahim noted that the group tries to represent all the countries of the Arab world today.
29But he said much of the music they play comes from Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.
30The musicians in the orchestra are diverse.
31Some were born in the Middle East and moved to the United States.
32Others are Arab-Americans born in the U.S.
33And some are from the U.S. but have no family connection to Arab countries.
34The tonal and rhythmic patterns central to Arabic music are different from Western music.
35So are some of the instruments the musicians play.
36Throughout almost every song, Arabic orchestras have musicians playing different kinds of hand drums and tambourines.
37This gives the music a strong rhythmic feel.
38Two kinds of lutes, the oud and the buzuq, are among the instruments that help give the music its special sound.
39Another important instrument is the qanun.
40Ibrahim arranges the music that the orchestra plays.
41That means he writes down what each instrument will play.
42Depending on the piece, this can take him anywhere from two weeks to two months to finish.
43One of the big goals of Ibrahim and its executive director, Sherri Richards, is to create a year-round school of Arabic music in the U.S.
44"We're keeping this culture alive and we're building on it and letting it grow in its own unique way in this part of the world," Ibrahim said.
45"You have to share it with everybody; you can't just keep if for yourself. So that's the cross-cultural work," he added.
46Along with concerts, another way the NAO shares its culture is with its Building Bridges Through Music program.
47This includes an after-school program teaching Arabic music in the public schools of Detroit, Michigan.
48In January, the NAO concert in Washington, D.C. sold out in less than three hours.
49About 1,100 people attended the concert.
50Richards, the executive director of the NAO, said, "We have over 400,000 followers on YouTube, which is more than any other orchestra in the world..."
51"That," she added "really speaks to the reach and the popularity of the music and the orchestra."
52Ibrahim explained that the arts bring people together in special ways.
53"I guess there's a case to be made for the place of the arts in spreading democracy.With the arts you have the ability to bring people from a variety and diverse geographical makeup. . . It works. We've shown that for the last 15 years we've been doing it."
54Ibrahim shared a central reason for supporting the arts.
55"I think it's really important that people support the arts," he said, "because that's where the soul of humanity resides."
56I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith.
1Michael Ibrahim is busy building bridges. But his bridges are not made of steel. And they do not cross rivers. Instead, they are made of music and cross cultures. 2Ibrahim is the founder and director of the National Arab Orchestra (NAO). The group is based in the state of Michigan. It aims to preserve and share Arabic music and culture in the United States through its performances and education programs. 3"We want to be an organization that is sort of the cultural representative of the Arab-American community," Ibrahim said. 4At an NAO concert, the orchestra quickly makes connections with its listeners. As the musicians begin to play, Ibrahim moves his body up and down like a dancer. Soon, audience members start moving to the music's rhythm. 5Suddenly, Ibrahim turns around and faces the audience. He urges them to clap their hands to the beat of the music. And he urges them to sing along with parts of a well-known song from Egypt or Lebanon. 6With each song, the bridge between the audience and the orchestra grows. 7Decreasing fear and increasing awareness 8Ibrahim spoke about the need to help people know more about the culture of Arab-Americans: 9"The Arab-American community had to face a lot of discrimination, just because they're different, like any other minority community in this country. And that was magnified, you know, after the events of September 11." 10He added that after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, there was a lot of false information. He said, "There is a huge debate on the meaning of the word, 'Arab', and what is Arab culture" 11"So we're doing this to bring awareness about the culture, build these bridges so that people can have a chance to engage with each other, and then that in turn makes the world just a much better and easier place to live in because people are less afraid. . ." 12He added, "I really love to share who I am, and I feel like the best way for me to do that is for me to share my culture. . .but I also am born here. And what is American culture if not just this giant melting pot of constant immigration into this country that makes it what it is?" 13Beginnings 14Ibrahim was born into a Syrian immigrant family in Michigan. He said he was able to connect to his family's culture through music and the arts. When he was 10, he spent a year living in Syria with his family. 15Back in the U.S., he learned to play the oud, a stringed instrument his father played. He then studied both Western and Arabic music. 16The NAO started in 2009 as a student musical group at the University of Michigan under Ibrahim's direction. Soon it doubled in size and became the Michigan Arab Orchestra in 2010. It changed its name and began playing as the NAO in 2014. In the 2022-2023 season, the orchestra played together at 12 events, including a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. 17Ibrahim noted that the group tries to represent all the countries of the Arab world today. But he said much of the music they play comes from Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. 18Musical elements 19The musicians in the orchestra are diverse. Some were born in the Middle East and moved to the United States. Others are Arab-Americans born in the U.S. And some are from the U.S. but have no family connection to Arab countries. 20The tonal and rhythmic patterns central to Arabic music are different from Western music. So are some of the instruments the musicians play. 21Throughout almost every song, Arabic orchestras have musicians playing different kinds of hand drums and tambourines. This gives the music a strong rhythmic feel. Two kinds of lutes, the oud and the buzuq, are among the instruments that help give the music its special sound. Another important instrument is the qanun. 22Ibrahim arranges the music that the orchestra plays. That means he writes down what each instrument will play. Depending on the piece, this can take him anywhere from two weeks to two months to finish. 23One of the big goals of Ibrahim and its executive director, Sherri Richards, is to create a year-round school of Arabic music in the U.S. 24"We're keeping this culture alive and we're building on it and letting it grow in its own unique way in this part of the world," Ibrahim said. "You have to share it with everybody; you can't just keep if for yourself. So that's the cross-cultural work," he added. 25Along with concerts, another way the NAO shares its culture is with its Building Bridges Through Music program. This includes an after-school program teaching Arabic music in the public schools of Detroit, Michigan. 26Supporting the arts 27In January, the NAO concert in Washington, D.C. sold out in less than three hours. About 1,100 people attended the concert. 28Richards, the executive director of the NAO, said, "We have over 400,000 followers on YouTube, which is more than any other orchestra in the world..." 29"That," she added "really speaks to the reach and the popularity of the music and the orchestra." 30Ibrahim explained that the arts bring people together in special ways. 31"I guess there's a case to be made for the place of the arts in spreading democracy. With the arts you have the ability to bring people from a variety and diverse geographical makeup. . . It works. We've shown that for the last 15 years we've been doing it." 32Ibrahim shared a central reason for supporting the arts. "I think it's really important that people support the arts," he said, "because that's where the soul of humanity resides." 33I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith. 34Andrew Smith wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 35__________________________________________________________________ 36Words in This Story 37preserve -v. to maintain or keep something safe and protected over a long period of time 38concert -n. a performance of music in front of an audience 39orchestra -n. a large group of musicians playing a variety of musical instruments, especially those used for classical music 40audience -n. people attending a public performance such as a concert, play, or speech 41rhythm -n. how a piece of music is organized in time 42clap -v. to hit the palms of the hands together, usually to express approval 43magnify -v. to make something seem larger or more important than normal 44engage with -v. to interact with 45diverse -adj. having variety or many types 46soul -n. the innermost part of a person's mind and spirit 47reside -v. to live or exist in a certain place 48_________________________________________________________________ 49We want to hear from you. 50We have a new comment system. 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