AL-BUSTAN SEEDS OF CULTURE & OUTREACH

Al-Bustan Percussion Ensemble: An Arabic Percussion Master/Apprenticeship Program

Through funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts 2004, 2005 and 2006 Apprenticeships in Traditional Arts, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture established an apprenticeship with master Arab-American percussionist Joseph Tayoun.

Mr. Tayoun who has been playing the tabla hand drum since eight years of age, is a renowned percussionist throughout the Philadelphia region and has collaborated with various local and international musicians, incorporating a wide range of styles and techniques representative of the diverse ethnicities in the Middle East. He is also a music teacher, teaching at Philadelphia and New Jersey secondary schools and Al-Bustan Camp, and leading drumming workshops at various cultural organizations.

Now in its fourth year, the apprenticeship has included eight students, ages 10 to 15 years, all of whom had some initial experience drumming with Mr. Tayoun, either at Al-Bustan Camp or elsewhere. Through weekly one-on-one and group instruction the apprentices learn about Arabic music traditions and develop their technical mastery while learning various rhythms and composing arrangements on the tabla, daf and riq. As the apprentices are of varied backgrounds, from Arab and non-Arab, to Muslim, Christian and Jewish, Al-Bustan provides a way for those children of Arab heritage to connect with and affirm their cultural identity, while providing a forum for non-Arab children to appreciate Arab culture through the study of music.

a sample of “Awwal - First”

a sample of “Zaman - Time”

a sample of “Sada - Echo”

The group, which has taken on the name of ³Al-Bustan Percussion Ensemble,² has performed at the following venues: American Friends Services Committee Meeting House; The Philadelphia Cathedral; Konak Turkish Restaurant in Philadelphia; Philadelphia Palestine Film Festival as an opening to the film Frontiers of Dreams and Fears; Gershman Y and WHYY studios as part of Intercultural Journey¹s concerts; a multicultural student event hosted by GIC at University of Pennsylvania; Interfaith Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at University of Pennsylvania hosted by the University President and Chaplain; and Al-Bustan's End-of-Year Celebrations in December 2005 and 2006.

In May 2006, the Ensemble had a special opportunity in two studio sessions to record three tracks for their first CD, First Harvest, which was released in June 2006. This was made possible through the generous in-kind contribution of Daoud Shaw, musician and owner of Radio Active Productions. If you would like a copy of this demo-CD please contact us at info@albustanseeds.org

Over the past year, Ensemble members have learned to accompany adult musicians playing melody, notably with violin/oud player Adeeb Refela and oud player Roger Mgrdichian. Together they have performed various Arabic classical compositions such as Alf Layla Wa Layla, Layali Al-Jaza¹ir and Bint El-Chalabiya. As the Ensemble expands its all-percussion repertoire to include more arrangements with adult musicians we hope to record a full-track CD in 2007.

The Ensemble has collaborated since Fall 2006 with a group of college students and graduates, Maseera Debkeh Troupe. They created an original all-percussion arrangement and choreographed folk dance, and performed Ala Jisr Al-Hadeed, a traditional Palestinian folk song and dance, at Al-Bustan's Celebration in December 2006.

In Spring 2007, the apprentices and their families are collaborating with Temple students to share their stories in a "Migrations and Hyphenations" project. Led by Dr. Billy Yalowitz of Tyler School of Art, Temple students are developing visual and performative artworks based on each of the Ensemble family's localization of its cultural heritage. Given the diversity in backgrounds of the families that have come together over the past three years as a result of their children's immersion in Arabic music, this artistic collaboration with Temple students and Dr. Yalowitz seeks to explore the development of current communities and identities in America.

This master/apprenticeship program has been held at and supported through in-kind contributions by University of Pennsylvania's Greenfield Intercultural Center and St. Mary's Church. We are most grateful for their continued support!