AMED - Registration has opened for the Ma Music Center. Evin Dulek, an instructor at the Ma Music Center, said their aim is to promote Kurdish music and keep it alive.

 

It was announced that the Ma Music Center, a local conservatory and arts center that brings together traditional and contemporary music education and offers music training in the mother tongue with a universal approach, will resume its activities. Applications will be accepted from August 20 to September 20. The center will offer two programs, one for children and one for adults.

 

Evin Dulek, one of the instructors at the Ma Music Center, spoke about the academy and its work.

 

Evin Dulek said the Ma Music Center was established in 2017 and initially operated under the Aram Tigran City Conservatory. She added that, from 2017 onwards, it continued its work as part of the Music Department of the Ma Music Center for Culture and Arts. Evin Dulek said the academy offers training in various musical disciplines, with the aim of promoting Kurdish music within society and keeping it alive.

 

MA MUSIC CENTER OFFERS TRAINING IN SEVEN DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS

 

Evin Dulek said the music academy has two programs, one for children and one for adults. The children’s program is for ages 7–12 and lasts seven years, while the adult program is aimed at young people aged 17–28 and generally lasts three years. Dulek said at least 150 students apply to the children’s program each year, adding that graduates can go on to become music teachers or pursue music professionally. The adult program offers training in more than seven instruments, including the santur, violin, percussion, bağlama and piano, alongside courses in solfège, music theory and rhythm. 

 

‘THE ACADEMY OPERATES ON A VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNAL BASIS’

 

Evin Dulek said the academy has operated on a voluntary basis and in a communal spirit since 2017, while noting that its running costs require a balance between funding and expenses. She said: “There is no single, fixed fee for every student at the academy. Payments are based on the financial circumstances of families and students, and we provide flexibility for those who cannot afford the full amount. We do not charge students from low-income families or those who work while studying. Our basic approach is to ensure that no student or child is deprived of music education due to financial difficulties. Families who are better off cover their own children’s expenses while also contributing more to support other children who cannot afford the fees. In this way, families create a solidarity fund and collectively cover the academy’s shared expenses.”

 

‘THE ACADEMY IS OPEN TO EVERYONE’

 

Evin Dulek stressed that the academy is open to anyone interested in music and the arts and added: “For nine years, our academy has worked to show that every culture, art form and language is rooted in its own history and literature. That is why we welcome everyone.”