Music Instruction

Arab Music Instruction and Appreciation Program

Al-Bustan’s music program began in 2004 with establishment of a percussion master/apprenticeship through funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, followed by support of the National Endowment for the Arts-Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth. Over six years, a group of elementary to high school students, known as the Al-Bustan Percussion Ensemble, studied with percussionists Joseph Tayoun and Hafez El Ali Kotain. During the school year they met for weekly rehearsals, learned about Arabic music traditions, developed their technical mastery while composing arrangements on the tabla, daf and riq, and performed at a variety of venues in Philadelphia.

Currently, Al-Bustan’s music program is led by Music Director Hanna Khoury with Master Percussionist Hafez El Ali Kotain and includes the community-based Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble, as well as school-based programs.

Over the years, Al-Bustan’s program has been held at and supported through in-kind contributions by University of Pennsylvania’s Greenfield Intercultural Center and St. Mary’s Church. We are most grateful for their continued support.