Furthermore, Dr William Heidcamp, dean of CAS, said: “If you look at any American university's liberal arts programme there is music and arts in the programme.''

The facilities

AUS and specifically CAS have made an effort to provide suitable facilities for the classes. The walls have been sound-proofed and a grand piano has been installed in the Physics 221 classroom, which is home to Dickerson's three courses. There are long-term plans to transform the room into a music studio.

Teaching tools

Regarding his methods of instruction, Dickerson said he uses a variety of tools including CDs, DVDs, and the piano. CDs are useful for students to hear the music while DVDs, which feature documentaries or live performances, are played. As soon as the piano arrived, Dickerson began to play it regularly in class since he believes it is an effective and more comprehensive way for students to understand the rhythms and sounds of the music being played.

Teaching these introductory music courses has given Dickerson an idea about the student talent available on campus. He said: “A vast majority of people I have met are guitar players and play rock and roll music.''

At the Student Centre, Dickerson said he has heard students playing on the piano. In addition, he has noticed how prevalent the oud is particularly in Arab culture. With this kind of musical talent latent in students, he said he believes there is great potential for the music programme to grow.

Plans ahead

He has noticed the absence of a student orchestra and the shortage of musical performances. “I have ideas to make music a valuable and vital element in AUS.'' For example, Dickerson plans to organise a piano club for student pianists.

Another idea, planned for the end of the semester, is a series of concerts with performances featuring varied types of music and musicians. Titled ‘Music, A Path to World Peace,' the concerts will raise money for the people of Lebanon, Darfur and Palestine. Dickerson already has a salsa band from Los Angeles and a piano drum trio with a lead vocalist scheduled to perform for the cause.

A jazz pianist, Dickerson even plans to perform weekly with fellow professional musicians at the Student Centre.
Cultural sensitivities

The university has given thought to the cultural sensitivities of launching such a programme. “You have to take into account the sensitivity of the culture so this must be done cautiously, conservatively and with sensitivity,'' said Heidcamp.
Thompson said: “One of the things about Dickerson that was appealing to this university is that he is familiar with this part of the world and the cultural considerations that we need to keep in mind,'' he said.

Dickerson said that although the hope is “to develop into a full-fledged music programme, currently we are only hoping to formulate a music foundation.''

The future

It is also likely that the university's new programme may some day collaborate with Culture Village in Dubai. Dickerson said: “We are interested in cultural assimilation and cultural issues. AUS is interested in community outreach … . There may be opportunities …''

Student perspectives

Junior accounting and finance student Fatima Salim said: “When I heard about the music courses being offered, I decided to take one because I wanted to improve my skills in music. I did not know anything about music before.''
The multimedia teaching platform of the courses is intriguing, she said.

Watching films on DVDs and listening to music — whether live or recorded — help to instill the information in memory, she said.

“I recommend this course especially for people who don't know much about music because it has helped me learn something new,'' Salim said.

Stephanie Mahmoud, a senior marketing and management student, said: “I thought it would be interesting to take a course in music because it has never been offered before.'' Stephanie has studied piano for three years.This course, she said, “is different from what people are accustomed to, especially in this part of the world. Also, young people are not accustomed to listening to classical music''.

She is optimistic about the possible development of a full music programme, especially with what she believes is sufficient student interest and a highly capable instructor. “We are lucky to have a musician like Dr Dickerson. He is an amazing musician and he set a very high standard to follow.''

How the programme works

Ola Shanata, Student writer

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