Young musicians bring tunes of diversity to Jordan musicscape

AMMAN — Youth music groups hope to form a key part of Jordan’s musicscape. Many youth musicians have begun using social media to showcase their talents and tunes amid the pandemic.

Youth for Music Association (YMA) aims to establish a platform that nurtures youth musicians and is dedicated to their long-term development, according to Ihssan Al Ma’ani, a member of the association.

Ma’ani told The Jordan Times that the association holds workshops and masterclasses led by music professionals, facilitates regular rehearsal and performance spaces and organises various ensembles and concerts.

“There are so many musical cultural identities in Jordan,” said Ma’ani. “We hope this project expands to include more cultural sounds in the future,” he added.

Majd Khnouf, also a member of the YMA, said that the initiative exposed young musicians to group experiences, essential for their growth as musicians. According to Khnouf, it is important to build bridges among young musicians and give them the tools to prepare for creative and professional participation in high-levelled group settings.

Ahmed Qatamesh, who helped form the musical ensemble Abnus, told The Jordan Times: “With a shared passion to play music and perform varieties of musical styles to different audiences, and as a group of friends and acquaintances, we decided to form the quartet to be able to do what we love.”

Taleen Shehranian, a member of the group, said that she reaches her local community by playing Arabic and folklore music. “This also allows foreigners and westerners, who know our instruments, to become exposed to our culture and music,” she told The Jordan Times.

Qatamesh said that a strong base for music is missing in Jordan today. “The classical scene is missing an official representation, while other types of music are lacking the presence of a label that can provide suitable services for that music scene,” he added.

He urged the local community to support the music scene by attending concerts and performances.

Mirna Nizar founded Abrez, a specialised music marketing boutique agency, in 2019. She has since helped provide promotion materials for different music projects and initiatives and career development services for artists, highlighting Jordan’s musicscape on social media platforms.

Nizar said that the pandemic has heightened the importance of comprehensive marketing and profiling on the Internet for independent musicians.

“At once, it became more important than ever for musicians to establish a professional, all-encompassing presence online, that makes them attractive and accessible to industry professionals and fellow musicians around the world,” Nizar told The Jordan Times.

She noted that there are diverse talents and music genres flourishing in the country.

“Over the past years, Jordan has become a prime exporter of independent Arabic music in the region,” she said.