B- Who is Ghassan Yammine?
GY- I am a pianist, composer, musicologist and general director of the Ghassan Yammine School of Arts, but above all, a man who is passionate about life and the beautiful things in life.




B- How did you get the idea of ​​opening schools of arts in Lebanon?
GY- After having pursued my higher musical studies in Paris and in other European musical conservatoires, I quickly realized that the musical and artistic education system in Lebanon suffers from several shortcomings. So I decided to go back and found the 1st branch of the School of Arts in my hometown: Beit Chabab. And the big surprise was that this branch became saturated after a few months and people came from Beirut, Jounieh, Jbeil and even from Zghorta, Tripoli and Saida. Then the other branches followed.




B- What do you teach at Ecole des Arts Ghassan Yammine?
GY- We have several departments! At the music department, we teach all western and oriental instruments, different styles of singing: opera, pop, rock, pop, jazz, blues, oriental, etc ..., the classical and modern composition, the "music production", the "DJying", and of course the music education classes for children from 2 to 6 years old.

The other departments cover painting, drawing and "3D drawing" classes, dance classes: classical ballet, jazz ballet, hip hop, break dance, tango, salsa, contemporary dance, oriental dance, drama classes. children and adults, and photo classes. A big novelty of which I am very proud is "the Creative handicrafts and recycling courses" for children and adults.




B- How many branches of the Ecole des Arts do you have?
GY- We have 5: Hamra, Sodeco, Jal El Dib, Kfarhbab, Beit Shabab and this week we launched the 6th branch in Hazmieh - Mar Takla.




B- Why did you choose Hazmieh and more precisely the Mar Takla neighborhood?
GY- When I choose a new location, it's always after doing a feasibility study. We had a large number of students coming from Hazmieh and constantly asking us: when are you going to open a branch there? I promised them I'll do it ... and now it's done!




B- What makes Ecole des Arts Ghassan Yammine different from other schools and institutions in Lebanon?
GY- The level of our teachers who are recruited according to international criterias. Then come the international affiliations with prestigious institutions in Europe and the United States. Least and not last, the quality of service that we hold despite the large number of students we have in all our branches.




B- Is age a big matter to learn music and arts?
GY- We personally accept children from the age of 2 until the age of 80. Knowing that we have 2 distinct programs: the academic program leading to a diploma and the amateur program which is intended for anyone wishing to study music or any kind of art as a hobby.



B- What international affiliations do you have with foreign universities and institutions and what are the benefits for your students and your teachers?
GY- Since the year 2000, I had the concern to offer to our students the best quality of education, and since then, we signed the 1st agreement with the National Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt in France: exchange of students and teachers, and joint diplomas. The following year, we signed a partnership with the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique de Paris: scholarships, workshops, juries in common. In 2005, the famous Carnegie Hall in New York chose Ecole des Arts Ghassan Yammine from all over the Middle East to become its only partner in the workshops that are given by the greatest musicians of the world at Carnegie Hall, so they offer each year a scholarship to one of our teachers to attend a workshop there. In 2011, we signed an affiliation agreement with the National Conservatory of Lyon in France which covers the departments of music, theater and dance: it includes exchanges of students and teachers, master classes and joint diplomas. In 2016, one of the most successful agreements was signed with the prestigious Birmingham University in England which is considered in the top 10 universities in arts education. And since 2 weeks, a new partnership has been signed with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire which offers each year, full scholarships to 2 students of my Ecole des Arts, each of about 35,000 Pounds !, as well as 2 internships of 4 months each with 2 other students, and finally 2 scholarships of one month each, to the teachers of EDAGY for a higher formation.



B- You are also a member of the 2 largest international networks.
GY- True! The School of Arts is the only member from the Middle East at the FFEA - French Federation of Artistic Education - with its 1200 French and European institutions, and of which I am since 2006, member of the board. And the second network is the AEC - European Association of Higher Conservatories - which is considered the reference of higher music education worldwide. So the big advantage is that our students have direct access to the biggest conservatories and universities in the world, thanks to our membership within these two organizations.

B-You are the music expert on MTV. Tell us about it.
GY- This week is the 6th anniversary of my "Musical" show on MTV. What a magnificent experience! At first, it was a big challenge, as there was no educational cultural musical show on Lebanese channels before. But after a few months, it became the reference for any singer, musician or composer. The concept of this show that I present live every Sunday morning around 11:30, is based on a specific topic that can relate to a composer, an musician, an instrument, a style of music, a major event, etc ... and it covers all imaginable styles, ranging from classical music, jazz, pop, rock, oriental, experimental, world music, etc ... And on the other hand, one of its major goals, it is to welcome great new talents from Ecole des Arts Ghassan Yammine, as a priority, as well as Lebanese musicians who live abroad and who are unknown in Lebanon. What's really great is that there are musicians, singers and composers who started a career through their appearance in "Musical" on MTV. So mission accomplished!