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Rebirth in music

DUBAI - “Lady Gaga is not crazy! She’s amazing,” 14-year-old Bilkis Akter declared, defending her favourite pop idol from her friends’ playful banter during their weekly guitar lessons at Dubai’s not-for-profit music school, Centre for Musical Arts (CMA). From living in tin-roof sheds to performing Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ on stage, Bilkis and her friends realise that they have come a long way in the past year.

The CMA’s recent tie-up with Maria Cristina Foundation’s Dhaka Project has given the six children brought over from Bangladesh to Dubai a chance to develop their musical abilities in ways that may not have been possible in their old lives. “What has really made our dreams come true are these music lessons,” 13-year-old Sujon Nishaq said.

Bilkis, Sujon, Taslin Hossain and Shewly Akter were friends from their schooldays in Bangladesh where they used to dream about starting a band and touring the world. “Just holding this guitar and performing on stage makes me feel like we are closer to our dream that I ever imagined we would be,” 14-year-old aspiring guitarist Taslin said.

The four have been contemplating starting a Facebook fan page for themselves as they daydream about their next big performance. “We might get to perform this coming December,” starry-eyed Bilkis added, while her friends teased her about her growing Lady Gaga obsession.

“We have so much to offer children here who are very privileged. We’d like to share what we have with kids that are underprivileged, who can really benefit by incorporating music into their lives,” founder and director of the CMA Tala Badri told Khaleej Times.

What started out as a one-woman show back in 2005 now includes 18 studios, catering to more than 1,300 students in two locations — Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre, Mall of the Emirates, and at the Gold and Diamond Park along Shaikh Zayed Road.

“It’s a well-known fact that cultivating an interest in music from an early age can help shape children into well-rounded individuals. Music is such an important element making up the fabric of our society,” Tala said.

The CMA works closely with four primary and two secondary schools in Dubai, providing a structured music curriculum to them. Even though the centre lacks its own performance venue, CMA students — from kindergarten students to working adults — regularly perform at parks, malls and events, including this year’s Emirates Literature Festival.

“I’d say about 85 per cent of our students are children, because our focus is on making music a part of everyday life, and that’s a habit that is best set early on in life. We do have a community orchestra for adults (Dubai Symphonia) that embraces all musical members of the community. In fact, we even have a bank director who plays the horn in his free time,” Tala added.

With 20 out of her 28-person team being certified musical professionals with years of experience, the CMA has a wide-reaching contact base that allows the centre to hold Masterclasses and workshops featuring renowned musicians from the world over. “Financially, we are not in a position to bring in talent. If there’s an artist in town, someone inevitably knows someone else, since the music community in Dubai is a small and tight-knit group. We contact them and nine times out of 10, they are more than happy to give back to the community through workshops.”

For Tala, Dubai is the centre of her world. “I’m a Dubai girl, born and bred! Even though Abu Dhabi is the classical music capital of the country, and Dubai’s strengths lie in Jazz and visual arts, for me, this is home and I want to do what I can to encourage music as a part of our collective identity.”

praseeda@khaleejtimes.com