first day of Music Fund in Ramallah

Aurele Hardy and Gert Schrijvers, the two instrument experts of Music Fund, arrived in the middle of the night at Tel Aviv airport. I went to pick them up and brought them with a taxi to Ramallah. We were amazed about how easy things went at the Tel Aviv border and at the Qallandia checkpoint. This was surely related to the fact that we informed the authorities of our arrival via the Embassy of Israel in Belgium and am thankful for their intervention and support. We arrived in Ramallah around 5 o-clock this morning and were welcomed in the appartement of Ramzi Abu-Radwan, viola-player and founder and artistic director of the music school Al Kamandjati, where Aurele and Gert will be giving their instrument repair workshops this coming week. Ramzi explained to us the need for the education of local instrument builders, so that music instruments can be checked and repaired by local people, so that the school is not continually dependent on outside help, as it is now. The West Bank gets regular visits from European instrument builders who spend some time repairing what needs to be repaired, but it would be so much better to have local people with such skills. There are a few, but not enough. I hope that Music Fund will be able to help with this the coming years. He showed us the impressive amount of string instuments which the school received from different donations, but which are in need of being repaired. I was very happy to hear him congratulate Music Fund for having given Al Kamandjati instruments in perfect condition, because this is exactly what we wish to place at the centre of our activity: to give music instruments in perfect condition, ready to be played. Being here in Ramallah, everything reminds me of my friend Pol De Winter and our last trip with the truck of Music Fund to the West Bank. Pol is not with us now, but he is here a little bit anyway through the presence of Aurele Hardy who is one of his collaborators. It is thanks to the intervention of Pol’s company Pianomobil that Aurele could be sent to Ramallah for this workshop. Thanks Pol and Pianomobil! Today is Aurele's birthday. She feels happy to be in Ramallah for her birthday. © Gert Schrijvers teaching one of his pupil © After some hours sleep to recuperate from a very short night, this afternoon we went to the music school Al Kamandjati where we looked at all the pianos and string instruments which are in need of repair. Then, before starting the first worksessions at Al Kamandjati, we made some phone calls and decided to visit the Friends School in Ramallah where the Barenboim-Said Foundation is working with its youth orchestra as well as the Ramallah branch of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music to check whether they need help in repairing some of their instruments. It was appreciated and our two experts will surely also be able during this week to work on some of the instruments at these two schools. © Aurele Hardy teaching piano repair to two of her students ©