They say that “when words fail, music speaks”. Music is our daily go-to method; we rely on music when we’re happy, sad, or when we can’t express ourselves. Abbas Amhaz, a 19-year-old Lebanese male always had a passion for drums but never thought it was possible for him to learn how to play.
Abbas would always open YouTube to watch different videos on drumming, and after watching these videos, he would practice drumming on desks or tables, and would even use pens as drum sticks. YouTube was Abbas’ only way to learn, since every time he would research drumming classes and locations, he wouldn’t find any, or if he did find a class, it would be too far out of his reach. For this reason, Abass was held back from learning sooner.
Although Abbas had a hard time finding classes in the past, that didn’t stop him from continuing his search. He was determined to find a way to learn how to professionally play the drums, an instrument he is so passionate about. His luck had changed when one day his search for classes was over. As soon as he found out that the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) offered different music and arts classes through the “Message through Arts” program, in coordination with UNICEF, he quickly signed up for the drums classes held in LOST (Bedneyel) and began to attend. By the end of cycle one, roughly three months later, Abbas was playing beautifully enough to sound like a professional. After that, he trained a group of youth for a month, and now he is training a new group of youth between the ages of 15-22 years old.
Abbas’ story is a great example that shows that with a little passion and determination, anything is achievable and any dream come true. “I honestly could have never even imagined that something like this could really happen”, Abbas stated. If Abbas had stopped his search and let that get in his way, he would have never made his dream come true, learn to play the instrument he loves so much, meet people of different backgrounds and cultures, or teach other youth and his friends how to play the drums. Anything is possible when one sets their mind to it.
