Our Curriculum

Second Year
Semesters 3 and 4 

Being able to look at a written musical work and imagine how the music sounds is a great ability, giving the musician the opportunity to learn and understand the music in other layers. Furthermore, from a musician in the Maqam world, and in the music world in general, the ability to sing written sounds relative to a particular tone is required, with a full understanding of the relativity. In this course students will acquire the ability to read and sing notes, from basic intervals to simple tonal musical works.
Course goals: Reading and singing tone and rhythm on complex Turkish maqamat. In the course, students will learn to read and sing notes that are written at a variable tempo, across maqamat consisting of several musical flavors and spread over a wide range.
Course objectives:
1. Improving interval singing within the octave
2. Learning to sing rhythmic templates with tonality.
3. Learning advanced flavors of the maqam in singing, including micro-tonal intervals.
4. Solfege of maqam compositions in with advanced micro-tonality

The Turkish macam tradition is made up of many musical flavours. In order to know the maqam in depth, we need to know its components well, and the best way to do this is thrugh hearing and listening. This course is designed to enable students to learn how to recognize the basic flavors that make up the Turkish maqam by hearing the flavors (geens) and singing them.
Course goals/objectives:
1. Learning how to recognize the basic flavors (geens) of Turkish maqam through hearing recordings of traditional musical instruments.
2. Learning sinsing of the basic flavors (geens) of the Turkish maqam.
3. Identify parts of the Maqam and basic intervals.
4. Dictations of basic musical phrases.

Persian Dastgah (B) - Eitan Refua

Persian music, of the world's oldest traditions, consists of a complex system of about 400 rhythmic / melodious sections called corners (Gushe). The corners are pieces of the puzzle that make up the scales in Persian music. The whole system, called Radif) is divided into 12 scales called Dastgah / Avvaz. In order to succeed and understand the big picture and the complex relationship between scales, we will study the Dastgah tree system, with which you can see the role of Persian music corners, and corner by corner we can learn the Persians maqamat and the links between scales. The Radif teaches us methods of improvisation and movement in music and gives tools to the composer.
course objectives:
1. Focusing on the main branches (Gushe) in each Destega and Avvaz (Shaube).
2. Getting to know the parallel branches and the parallel corner paths.
3. Referring to common corners between the different Destegas.

Persian Ensemble (B) - Eitan Refua

Persian music is rich in emotion and therefore, along with delving into the theory and the structure of the radif, is of great importance to the nature of the performance. In this course, we will study diverse works from folklore and the Persian classical repertoire, with an emphasis on correct expression and decoration. The study of classical works sharpen and strengthen the expression of emotion, and thus through repetition of sentences and movements from the Radif, the unique character of Persian music is created.

Foundations of Composition & The Art of Performance - Yair Dalal (2 academic hours)

The course will focus on composing oriental, ethnic and world music. Composing songs, composing according to defined musical forms (samai, longa, etc.) and free composing. In the course the students will learn different ways of composing and relating to styles, meters and rhythms. Emphasis will be placed on the difference between improvisation and composition. Students will perform their works in class, accompanied by the other students.

• Specifics of curriculum, course content and hours are subject to change.
• Academic hour - 45 minutes.

Third Year Courses:
Semesters 5+6

Beit Midrash for Piyut - Yagel Harush (2 academic hours)

During the sessions we will look at texts from a variety of traditions - Bible, Midrash, philosophy and Kabbalah - about the conception of music in the Jewish world, and in the eastern world - its role in spiritual life, its mental and medical influences, and its place in the religious world . In the second part of each session we will learn a Piyyut from the Jewish-Oriental tradition that echoes and deepens the texts we have learned.

Course goals:
a. Get to know the philosophical environment in which the maqam has developed, and with that enriching the playing experience itself.
b. Get to know other models for perceptions about music - in which music did not function as entertainment.
c. To enrich the repertoire, and to reveal the close links between the maqam and the world of Jewish poetry and prayer.

The Arabic Maqam - Dr. Wassim Odeh (1 Academic hour)

This course will provide information on the modem system of Arabic music scale (maqam) and combine the theoretical aspect with the practical aspect. The goal is to understand this scale system in depth, to know the behavior of the maqamat in improvisation and composition and to identify them through hearing. The course will include theoretical explanation, guided listening, solfege singing (chords, scales, exercises and compositions), articles, auditory recognition exams and maqam analysis of works from the Arab repertoire.

Arabic Ensemble (C) - Dr. Wassim Odeh (2 Academic hours)

Performing body with a variety of instrumental and vocal music from the classical Arabic culture. The course will focus on the principles of Arabic performance from the style point of view - such as the ,maqamat behavior, the reference to rhythms in melodic performance, instrumental and vocal genres and various aspects of improvisation.
Prerequisites:
Basic knowledge of theory and note reading, and ability to perform in instrument or voice.
Course aims:
Learning basic musical works in Arabic music, both instrumental and vocal; Studying the performance style of Arabic music in the different genres; Further internalize the maqamat taught in the course "The Arabic Maqam"; Develop the ability to play within the ensemble together with deeper listening to each player for himself, the other players and the whole ensemble.

Maqam Harmonizing - Yaniv Taichman (2 academic hours)

One of the main features of traditional maqam theory is its melodic richness. The works, scales and rhythms constitute the power and aesthetic of the maqam, when in fact harmony does not exist there at all. Over the years, and especially from the 20th century, quite a few harmonic elements were added to the works and also to the taksim (improvisation), which greatly enriches the maqam language and the form of expression in it. Today, in the real world, a musician playing a traditional oriental instrument must understand harmony and know how to use it to express itself more richly and to integrate into musical settings that are not necessarily traditional (there are more and more today). In this course, the only one of its kind, we will deepen and open the intersection of the two worlds. The melodic Maqam world and the world of Western and modal harmony.
Course goals and objectives:
1. Get to know the basic Western harmony and understand the different chords (triangles, squares, tension notes, etc.)
2. Learn to analyze and understand harmonious and modalic construction of a wide variety of maqamat
3. Harmonize musical pieces and taksim (improvisation) in maqam, with direct reference to the various characteristics (melody and rhythm) with the tools learned.
4. Thinking outside the box and developing creativity in the field of maqam.

The Andalusian Maqam - Elad Levi (1 academic hour)

In the introductory course, which was held in the second year, the fundamental principles and processes of North African Andalusian music, in particular, were studied, emphasizing the Andalusian Moroccan tradition. After laying the foundation of the structural assumptions of the Andalusian tradition, among them, the background and historical development of this style, the weights on which it is based and the structure of the Andalusian-Morrocan musical work, the time has come to explore in depth the melodic world from which this style is built. During the course we will explore and study the nature of Andalusian modes or their professional name "Tubua". We will apply the basic assumptions for each mode, based on the unique rules for each, emphasizing the study of the unique melodic flavors of this style in a manner most true to the tradition of performance as is customary today in the countries of origin in North Africa. We will also dive into the depths of the Algerian and Tunisian Andalusian work and characterize the Jewish connection, among other things, of these traditions.

Andalusian Ensemble (B) - Elad Levi (2 academic hours)

As part of the ensemble lessons, we will learn to perform old and modern Andalusian works, with an emphasis on making it as close to original as possible.

The Turkish Maqam (C) - Harel Shachal (1 academic hour)

In previous years, we first learned the basic maqamat that make up Turkish music. After studying different maqamat during the second year and were exposed to the different shades of maqam, in the third year we enter the world of the more complex maqamat. On the one hand, ancient and mysterious Ottomans maqamat, and on the other, modern maqamat, that consist of several maqamat and those whose magic is hidden inside a simple secret. In the third year the course reveals to the students the nature of the music they must continue to practice as a professional musician. Some of the maqamat that are taught in the third year are: Panjga, Esfahan, Musta’ar, Evjara, Suznak and Basit Suznak, Muhayer kurdi, kurdili hichajazkar, Shevkefza and Shevk-u Tarab, Duga.

Turkish Ensemble (C) - Harel Shachal (2 academic hours)

In this course we will learn musical works from the complex Turkish maqam, from the classical as well as modern Turkish music repertoire, through the traditional method of learning through experiential playing.
Course goals & objectives: 1. Learning the repertoire and performance. 2. Providing tools to the student on how to decorate in Turkish music style. 3. Experiment with improvisation exercises in the classic and modern style.

The Art of Taksim & Modal Improvisation (1 academic hour)

In this course the students learn 13 key elements in maqam improvising. The students also acquire various tools and approaches for practical training for improvisation. During the course, students will be asked to practice and apply both Eastern style improvisation and improvisational features from modern Western music (on one scale). The grade in the course will be based on the students' participation in composing and playing assignments and a test at the end of the semester.

Composition & Preparation for Personal Recital - Yair Dalal (2 academic hours)

The course will focus on composing oriental, ethnic and world music. Composing songs, composing according to defined musical forms (samai, longa, etc.) and free composing. In the course the students will learn different ways of composing and relating to styles, meters and rhythms. Emphasis will be placed on the difference between improvisation and composition. Students will perform their works in class, accompanied by the other students.
Also, the students will prepare for their personal recital (which will be performed at the end of the year) that will include works of their own. In preparation for the recital, students will prepare a solo music performance which will be presented in class, in front of their friends, and get feedback from both the teacher and the fellow students.

Sound, Recording & Editing in the Home Studio - Shachar Kaufman (1 academic hour)

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge and skills in working with recording and editing software in the home studio, acoustics, familiarity with studio and stage equipment, and instructions for building a home recording studio.

• Specifics of curriculum, course content and hours are subject to change.