Does anybody remember the last
time they listened to Turkish folk or art music?
I personally can hardly remember. Even if it wasn't a very long time ago, how often do we
listen to this type of music? I imagine everyone would agree if I said we're becoming more
and more distant from the music of our own culture every day. Let's put an end to this
trend! Here at Bilkent we have a club, the Turkish Folk Sciences Society, which is ready
to delight us with the rhythms and lyrics of Turkish music.
The founders of the club began their efforts to bring folk music back to life at Bilkent
in 2003. They soon realized that many individuals were willing to listen to and able to
produce such music, but were unknown to each other. This led them to organize the Folk
Music Society, open to everyone interested in folk music.
The folk music club then united with Bilkent's Turkish Folk Dances Society to form the
Turkish Folk Sciences Society. The combined organizations now have more than 200 members,
including both musicians and folk dancers. The Folk Sciences Society is not only for those
who already play instruments or have a folk dancing background, however. Its primary aim
is to provide education in Turkish music. For instance, the club offers Ba?lama courses
in conjunction with a Ba?lama teacher, who will be giving classes two hours per week for
those who are interested. The club is also open to any other ideas: those who would like
to learn how to play other instruments used in Turkish folk or art music are welcome to
ask the club to organize such activities.
The club hopes to bring renowned Turkish folk and art musicians and soloists to Bilkent
for discussions with students. Other plans include giving concerts and organizing music
festivals at Bilkent, and participating in festivals at other universities. The overall
aim of the Folk Sciences Society is to increase the interest of university students in
both Turkish folk and Turkish art music.
The Turkish Folk Dances Society meets for dance classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Main Campus Sports Hall. The Turkish Folk
Music Society meets every Thursday at 5:40 p.m. at the
Student Union. For instrument courses and further information, please call (533)
521-8781 or
e-mail eozcan@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
Pınar Yıldız (CS/III)
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