To Whom It May Concern In Jordan’s Music Sector
The other day I read a post written by our friend Hind Sabanekh about her need to buy a new Trumpet. After exchanging some comments, I was shocked to realize the fact that music students in Jordan are required to buy instruments (professional ones) and are expected to simply get these instruments no matter how much they cost!
Another shocking fact is that many kinds of professional music instruments are not available in the Jordanian market, so the students MUST find a way to get these instruments from abroad, again, regardless of the high price.
I couldn’t actually know all this and keep my mouth shut, I had to do anything, even if I don’t succeed in solving the problem right away. But I know that one day things will be different, in a positive way, if we all want them to change.
I’m writing this post to address all responsible people in the music sector in Jordan, let them be teachers, music store owners, music instrument manufacturers, trade marks’ dealers, and most important of all, music students.
Music industry and education have grown a big deal in Jordan within the past few years, but we can’t expect talents to rise, and music to bloom more and more when the basic elements are not available, and when students and institutions are lacking support.
We have qualified people who can manufacture musical instruments locally, and therefore offer instruments for lower prices. But even if we claim Jordan lacks skilled people to manufacture instruments, why don’t we send some promising people for courses and invest in their skills to come back to Jordan ready to produce best quality of instruments! Or why don’t we hire a foreign supervisor to train them!
If there are complications I’m not aware of to locally manufacture instruments, then why don’t music institutions and universities make some kind of purchasing agreements with music stores, asking them to provide ALL the needed music instruments for some percent off specially for students, or if low prices will create problems for the sellers –although they shouldn’t coz they’ll sell more and increase their revenue- then why not facilitate the purchase by giving the students the chance to pay small amounts per month for example!!
I really hope some responsible would read this and consider helping in any way, but hoping is never enough, so I ask all music students to write an official request to their teachers and suggest the above points or any other way they think of to help them get the required instruments for affordable prices.
Just give it a try, you have nothing to lose! If nothing works, then at least the ones asking you to get extremely expensive professional instruments will stop nagging on you and will finally leave you in peace!
Actually the music instrument supplies problem is also present in other forms, like the lack of good affordable educational books, but at least in this case, photocopying a book may cut the expenses, but in the case of the instruments I guess a big step should be taken if we want the Jordanian youth to go for their music passions with no fears, we don’t want them to give up their dreams for financial problems, do we!
