Inspiration: Bobby McFerrin and Arabic Maqams

On Saturday I stood at a booth in the hot fall sun (what is going on Maastricht weather?...) on the grounds of the asielzoekerscentrum, our local refugee center. We were hoping to spread the good word of our nonprofit organization Not Just a Number -NJAN for short- and our project "International Friends Play". We put together an information sheet with all our details and goals for the initiative in five different languages: Farsi, Arabic, Dutch, Russian, and English. I was amazed to discover that, unfortunately, this didn't even cover the vast array of languages spoken by the residents so our message was still lost on some. 

How can we reach everyone? How can I help to form a bridge between such extremely different cultures?... 

A seemingly impossible task, but one I'd like to try. I have to think of my own life as I have no other experience to form an opinion. An educated guess. One thing that has brought differences to a close in my family (at least for a small time) is dinner. Food. 

via GIPHY

At the Refugee Center Open Day, the most popular booth was - without a doubt - the food table. A refugee family from Afghanistan made local dishes like samboosak and vegetable fritters as well as pizza and french fries to please the locals. I went back... repeatedly. I lingered at the food table, and I noticed I wasn't the only one. The older woman spoke English fluently and the whole family was very warm to the hungry crowd, conversing freely about the ingredients and where each dish was traditionally cooked (not all the recipes were from Afghanistan). It was beautiful to see so many different cultures coming together over this simple joy. But I'll have to tackle that project another day, I suppose. 

The other thing that I've noticed brings people together (and can even initiate stimulating conversation, or at the very least communication in gestures like smiling, nodding or head-bobbing) is MUSIC! Which is where my research will begin.

I'll be starting back with the playgroups on Tuesday, October 5th. Setup starts at 10am where I'll bring down large carpets for our "base", a toy collection which includes donated blocks, books, costumes and cars, and my favorite - the "jam" collection. We were lucky enough to have been given a generous monetary donation that will cover a whole NEW set of carefully chosen instruments! During this first playgroup, I plan to introduce myself to all the new families and get reacquainted with familiar faces. We'll start our Funikijam season with three weeks of "Elephant Moon African Safari". We'll introduce animals and rhythms native to Africa as well as a Swahili lullaby.

How will this segue into my personal research?

Well, here's the idea. At the end of my class (after a thunderous applause and LOTS of happy dancing kids... we can only hope, right?) I will ask one of the translators to help me make an announcement. I will carefully and gently introduce myself as a musician and researcher. I will briefly explain what I'm hoping to accomplish with this research and then present them with Informed Consent Forms that will be translated into Arabic and Dutch. They must fill out these forms to be legally protected and able to participate in my research which I hope will include some videos, photos and most definitely audio recordings. Of course, I'm sure many of the women will politely refuse my request, but hopefully not all of them. Only time will tell. 

In the meantime, I'm brushing up on my Circle Singing (made popular by Bobby McFerrin) and trying to learn a thing or two about Maqams. As fate would have it, there is a 5-hour workshop on Arabic singing with Mike Massy tomorrow at my Conservatory. Thank you universe! Perfect timing. 

My research will begin when I get a group of ladies that agree to my project. I would like to include just the moms of the playgroup, letting the children play with less adult supervision (though still sufficient). I want to include ALL the moms in this: refugees, expats and locals. Then what I plan to make a circle. 

Eye contact. Listening. 

I'll be the "leader" in the middle of the circle and will direct them in creating a soundscape. For our first session we'll concentrate on just making sounds as this will probably be a group of mostly "non-singers"... they don't know my stance that EVERYONE is a singer! :) Maybe we'll start with an "ohhh" or "oooo" on a designated note. Then I'll divide the room into two groups. One may do an "ooo" and the other an "ohhh". Once people get comfortable using their voices (most likely after a couple sessions) we'll graduate to a little improvisation and soloing. I'll start by incorporating a maqam, perhaps, and then see what develops. 

This will be exciting to say the least. My hope is that - although these women come from different cultural backgrounds with their own stories of sadness and joy - they will be able to look each other in the eye. Maybe smile and nod at each other with the shared experience of making music together: one of our most ancient communication tools. 

"Music is a companion to the dispossessed in their struggle to achieve their rights. Music can console, heal and educate. It can unite people, lift them above their suffering, provide a refuge for the refugee and temper the forces of violence." - Derek Beckvold, teacher for Musicians Without Borders. 

Read his full article HERE.