In this workshop vocalist Lamiae Naki and oud player Nat Hulskamp use the sounds and structures of traditional Arabic music to teach compositional concepts such as development, intention, progression, tension, and resolution. With instruments from the Middle East and North Africa, participants will work with both teaching artists to learn basic tones of Arabic percussion and how to produce them on frame drums. Going far beyond using Western music's major and minor scales to express mood, Arabic music has over 50 maqamat scales/modes that can be used to express specific feelings (ex: cheerful, sad, tense). Students will be introduced to examples of maqamat on the oud (the Arabic precursor to the lute and guitar) and will use their new vocabulary to create their original rhythms and compose a story song through a progression of maqamat. Through the session, students will also become familiar with the Arabic alphabet and learn some Arabic words.