Van Toan on MSN

Playing an Arabic Song for the First Time

While playing piano in public, a girl challenged me to play an Arabic song — and I gave it a try. I had never played it ...
PBS

‘We’re just taking space.’ How Arabic music is breaking through to new audiences

Until recently, Arab music had been used by American and European studios and popular media in a way that “was very orientalist,” playing on racist tropes, according to writer and music journalist ...
Van Toan on MSN

She Asked Me to Play an Arabic Song on Piano

While I was playing piano in public, she came up and challenged me to play an Arabic song. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it ...