Al-Madrasa is an interdisciplinary project that brings together students from all departments of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance to perform traditional North African music. This music is taught through an ancient method of transmission: oral learning and performance without written notation.

Practicing this tradition collectively fosters a sense of unity among the students, who come from vastly different backgrounds—composition and classical performance students, conductors and jazz musicians, as well as Jewish and Arab students from the Department of Eastern Music, among others.

The hands-on encounter with the rules and boundaries of a new musical style sheds light on the very concept of musical style, as well as on the process an artist must undergo in order to deeply understand and apply this essential idea across musical fields.

Founded in 2016, the project continues to grow each year.

In addition to the academic course, which is limited to 50 students per semester, a professional ensemble of alumni is active and performs at major venues and festivals across Israel, including the Jerusalem Oud Festival, the International Showcase, the Mekudeshet Festival, the Sounds of the Desert Festival, and many others.