Music at International Academy Amman and the American Language Center

(Post by Max Bessessen, Oberlin Conservatory jazz saxophone major) When we first stepped into the performance hall at International Academy Amman (IAA) I confess that I couldn't believe it. The strobe lights, miniature Rock n’ Roll drum set, and-most important of all-the smoke machine-it all reminded me more of a music video than a school auditorium.

Oberlin jazz students on stage at International Academy Amman

While the music program at this school is only about three months old, the students were already playing at a very high level and performing with a level of professionalism far beyond their age. The students performed a wide variety of styles including original compositions, popular music, and a Lebanese folk song. Students performed on piano, guitar, and drum set but they also played oud, an Arabic instrument similar to the guitar, and qanun, something like a cross between a lap steel guitar and a harp. Not only were the performers exceptional, the audience was very well behaved. When my peers performed Paganini they sat quietly and applauded enthusiastically. When we performed our set the students clapped, sang along, and a couple even got up and danced!

Oberlin Conservatory flute student Ellyn Butler works with a qanun student at IAA

 For me this was the most enjoyable performance yet. The energy in the room, the exceptional performance of my peers and the IAA students all made for a really exciting afternoon of music.

After our performance we were treated to lunch with the band directors and several class representatives. These students were kind, intelligent, and very talented. One young man told us that he speaks French, Arabic, English, and some Spanish. Another young woman is one of twelve high school girls selected for the Jordanian National volleyball team.

These students took us on a jaw-dropping tour of the school. They have everything: A basketball court, a soccer field, a pool, a basketball court, a library, and not one but two playgrounds. From the soccer field you can see not only the biggest mosque in Amman but also the King’s living quarters.

Oberlin Conservatory violin major Camille Backman with IAA violin students

After seeing this amazing campus, meeting some amazing class representatives, and working with some amazing saxophone students I began to reconsider my first impression of the auditorium. It seems to me that having a professional-quality venue is likely to make students behave like professionals. I bet that having a beautiful volleyball court is likely to make a great volleyball player. This made me reflect on my own upbringing. My past is littered with professional quality instruments, educational materials, and facilities. A professor of mine at Oberlin once said to the class “most of you have been very coddled to get here. Someone had to drive you to soccer practice and buy you the books and help you through it all, otherwise you wouldn’t be so prepared.”

            As we left the school I couldn’t help but feel a little disquiet; an emotion that I have felt all too often on this trip. The sad truth is that the schools we have visited (the ones with high-quality music programs) represent a small fraction of the school population here in Jordan.

This is not to say that we have not made an impact: one of the saxophone students I taught showed up at our concert and the American Language Center that evening. But I also wonder how much school-age audiences without a music education would be interested in our music. (Ed note - our appearances in Amman were mostly at schools with already-existing music programs; future appearances may target schools at which music is not a curricular option or has less emphasis.)

IAA and Oberlin students post-workshop