Music Day at Friends Girls School

  Ramallah, Palestinian Territory
Sunday, May 13, 2007

Music Day at Friends Girls School
 


It was a great for Ramallah Friends Girls School.  I was on the way with Joyce Ajlouny to the Ramallah Cultural Arts Center, a 4 year old, state-of-the-art performance center. Parking was scarce when we arrived so we parked behind the building, and as with all things in Ramallah it was uphill all the way to the entrance.
 


Sitting on top of a hill in a newer section (suburb?) of Ramallah, it was a grand site as we walked through the gates (past the soldiers on guard duty) and entered the foyer.  Donations had been found to rent the building for the annual FGS Music Day.  Normally, the performances were held in the very small staging area in the old FGS building.  But this seated 750 people and parents, relatives and friends of the students soon had the place packed, with crowds standing in the back and the aisles filled with people sitting there.
 



There was a Palestinian ballad about losing the land to the Israeli's sung by a 4th grader (I think-the program was in Arabic so I can't look back on it!).  He did a wonderful job as well as his back-up singers.




The 1st through 6th graders all had dances or songs they had spent many hours perfecting.  Of course, it was all in Arabic with many dances from Egypt, the Gulf (Saudi), Palestine as well as India and an Appalachian Mountain folk song in English. 
 
 
Special Needs students are mainstreamed in both Friends Schools.  Here are photos of two different grades that incorporate the special needs students without making any fuss!  And they are enjoying performing!
 




After 3 hours, the 6th graders sang the finale.  Even though only one song was in English, I was able to understand what was going on in the ballads or enjoy the dancing and music.  Music truly is the universal language. Thank you, FGS, for the great performance!