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YES Alumni Published

Samy and Mireille in the recording studio

Mireille and Samy recently made their debut in print and CD with the publication of Musical Arabic: Chants, Rhythms and Music for Learning Arabic at Any Age. The book was the brainchild of Ms. Daizovi, who also teaches English as a Second Language and Spanish at Manzano High School where Mireille and Samy studied. Ms. Daizovi, who has published several workbooks focused on foreign language learning, said that Mireille and Samy inspired her to publish the workbook when she observed them during the informal Arabic classes they taught at the high school's multi-cultural club. "Both Mireille and Samy were fantastic teachers. They motivated the class to enjoy learning Arabic by teaching through music," said Ms. Daizvoi.

Working together, the trio used both known and original tunes and rhythms. They translated and adapted the scripts from the original English to appropriate Arabic. "Arabic can seem very foreign to Americans, who are not used to reading Arabic script," explained Ms. Daizovi. "Musical Arabic was made to be more personable, to introduce Arabic in a manageable and less threatening way."

Mireille and Samy were integral to the production of Musical Arabic; besides helping to translate and adapt lyrics they also recorded all of the songs. They added touches of their own personality and culture to the project as they employed Modern Standard Arabic as well as dialects commonly used in their respective home countries. "Mireille and Samy emphasized that though nations in the Middle East share commonalities, there is also richness in diversity of culture, language and religion. It was exciting to incorporate that diversity in this project." Ms. Daizovi said. Samy remembers the sometimes heated discussions with Mireille over language and how it would be presented in the book: "'No, no this word is used only in Palestine'. Or 'No, no this is a Lebanese dialect word'. 'Should we put a girl with a head scarf or without on this page?'"

Ms. Daizovi said that she has received a "tremendous response" to Musical Arabic since its publication. Mireille isn't surprised by this. She recalls that as an exchange student, "American people showed a great interest in learning my Arabic language and getting to know more about my Lebanese background."

Mireille and Samy have found that along with the achievement of being published, there is pride in knowing they have made a long-term impact on cross-cultural understanding. Notes Mireille, "I am proud that I was able to transmit my culture and prove myself through different ways, and that made my experience an unforgettable lifetime adventure." Sami adds, "Languages are your passport to the world. If you want to spread your culture, if you want

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