A Music Workshop in Lattakia

The Directorate of Conservatories and Ballet with cooperation of Culture Ministry has recently held a music workshop in Mahmoud al-Ajan Music Institute in Lattakia.

Participants in the workshop focused on the strategy pursued by the Directorate of Conservatories and Ballet  in developing and standardizing curriculum in its affiliated institutes all over the governorates so as to get the best results through  the constant training programs.

How to identify music in general, the implications of music , the types and pitches of sounds as well as the quartet and quintet  musical categories and the musical scales, which are composed of these categories, are among  the most important topics  discussed during the 3-day workshop.

Mrs. Kauther Harmallani, Director of Mahmoud al-Ajan Music Institute in Lattakia, said that the aim of holding the workshop, regarding oriental singing, is but to find an approach to the Arabic Singing Department that increases its effectiveness due to the large number  of the beautiful voices in the institute.

Participants will also be acquainted with lute and mandolin instruments and their role in the Arabic  music.

Mrs. Harmallani stressed that the institute’s management seeks to improve the trained skills by  getting  away from the routine in teaching music.

Miss. Enass Lattof, teacher of oriental singing at Solhi Al-Wadi Institute in Damascus, said : ” I am happy to participate in such an important workshop as a trainer to the Eastern singing and I’d like to thank the Directorate of Conservatories and Ballet and the Ministry of Culture for adopting this workshop that will play great role in reactivating the Oriental Singing section in Lattakia. So the goal of my participation is to activate and revive the Eastern section of the institute regarding instruments and singing.

We hope that the directorate will continue to organize such sessions throughout the year in order to develop the curriculum and exchange expertise among the provinces”.  

Musician Rami Hajj Hassan, teacher of mandolin in Solhi al-Wadi Institute, said: “we have presented a number of  compositions and tunes. Our real work was to explain how these compositions will be studied as well as the basis, theories and terms of the musical keys. We have meet the teachers of the institute and discussed with them the ways of reactivating and developing the teaching techniques in the institute so as to reach the best results in the shortest possible time. We have also discussed the possibility of creating  an oriental orchestra in the institute.”

It is worth mentioning that Mahmoud al-Ajan Music Institute in Lattakia was founded in 2013. It is affiliated to the Directorate of Conservatories and Ballet. It aims at promoting music and to prepare musicians  and specialists able to play on various musical instruments as well as teaching the methods of individual and mass singing.

It accepts children from the age of seven.

Amal Farhat- Homs  the Syria Times correspondent