A Program of the 
Ninamarie Avedissian is participating in the 2024 CLS Arabic Program hosted by Arab American Language Institute in Meknes, Morocco. Ninamarie is an alumna of CLS Spark Arabic hosted virtually by the TAFL Center in Alexandria, Egypt. She graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Since she was 15 years old, Ninamarie has gravitated toward music, learning to write songs to accompany her piano playing. She performs at local open mic nights back home in Virginia, performing both covers and her own original work. Since embarking on her Arabic language learning journey, Ninamarie has added a new dimension to her music. She’s begun creating covers of popular Arabic songs including Tamally Maak by Egyptian singer Amr Diab, mashing up English lyrics with the Arabic ones.
"Music has played a large role in my language learning journey due to the overlap between language, music, and culture. Merging my different interests has made the learning process more personal and engaging," shared Nina.
Music has been a medium for self-expression, and has brought Nina joy and comfort, especially while studying abroad. She is currently taking piano lessons with a local pianist in Meknes, Ustaadh Said Al-Raki. They meet every Monday and engage in cultural exchange through music. Nina has taught her teacher a few of her favorites from pop and jazz genres, and he has taught her Moroccan-style music. The musical exchange has been fruitful because Ustaadh Said teaches her the songs she wants to play while adding his own interpretation from his different musical background and training. He also taught her Moroccan scales, and showed her how to apply them to her usual playing.
This musical exchange has also helped expand Nina’s language vocabulary—she has even picked up technical music theory terminology in Arabic. While she still finds the language barrier challenging as an intermediate speaker of Arabic, she manages to connect with her teacher through the music they plan together. She is learning songs with Arabic lyrics while also adopting different styles, chord progressions, and melodies. Through the CLS Arabic Program in Meknes, Morocco, Nina has not only deepened her connection to the Arabic language and culture but has also discovered new harmonies in her lifelong passion for music.