Meet the little drummer boy from Gaza who made it big

GAZA CITY — When bombs were falling on Gaza last summer, Ramzi al-Far would play his tabla to try to block out the noise.

Two months later, he found himself on television, playing to millions on the Lebanon-based reality show ‘Arabs Got Talent.’

Israel’s latest offensive lasted for 51 days. It took the lives of 2,205 Palestinians — more than half of whom were civilians — 66 Israeli soldiers and six Israeli civilians. Entire neighborhoods of Gaza were destroyed in an intensive bombing campaign.

But during a brief ceasefire in the middle of the fighting, Ramzi and his five-person band, named Al-Takht al-Sharqi (The Arab Orchestra), found time to film an audition video for the Middle Eastern version of American Idol.

“I used to play in the house to drown out the sound of the shelling,” says 13-year-old Ramzi. “But it was no use, shelling is louder than music.”

Once they were accepted, getting to the first round filmed in Beirut presented a new obstacle.

For any Gazan citizen, leaving the Strip is a difficult task. The group tried three times to cross at the border with Egypt before finally being allowed through.

After an impressive showing, the band — all aged between 12 and 16 — lost out in the semi-final.

Beaming and relaxed in front of an audience of thousands, Ramzi says he wasn't intimated playing in front of a big crowd.

“I’m used to it from the first time, why would I be nervous?”

Ramzi and the others are students at the Edward Said Conservatory in Gaza — a music school where students learn both Middle Eastern and Western music.

Saleh al-Najjar, a director and founder of the school, teaches Ramzi and his friends.

“It gives them confidence in themselves, when they are well-taught and play well,” he says.

“Music is important in the life of any human, especially in Gaza. Our children’s lives are very hard, there’s no place to grow, no place to practice their hobbies.”