Jordan Journal of the Arts

Duets in Jordanian Singing: Siham Al-Safadi as a Case Study

2026-04-05T04:17:38+03:00

Objective: This study addresses vocal duets in Jordanian singing through a study of the duets performed by Siham Al-Safadi. The study primarily focuses on the impact of duets on Jordanian song and explores the significance of musical collaboration in enriching the archive of Jordanian singing, as demonstrated through a selection of duets performed by Al-Safadi.

Methodology: The study relied on both the historical and descriptive-analytical approaches, analyzing the characteristics of these duets in terms of their poetic and musical structure, artistic style, and their influence on the Jordanian musical scene.

Results: The songs of Seham Al-Safadi are distinguished by authentic artistic features that reflect the identity of Jordanian culture through their poetic and musical content. These songs also demonstrate a diversity of musical styles, ranging from traditional Jordanian folk music to a folklore blended with modern techniques. The duets examined in this study represent a model for the diversity of vocal duet styles presented by Seham Al-Safadi, reflecting the techniques of melodic construction and the variety of Jordanian singing styles, in terms of both performance style and melodic structure.

Conclusions: The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of duets in enriching and diversifying Jordanian singing as well as contributing to the popularization of Jordanian songs. The findings also highlight Siham Al-Safadi's role as a distinguished Jordanian female figure and her influence presenting a number of duets with prominent Jordanian singers.

Symbolism in Contemporary Palestinian Visual Art: Aesthetic Significations between Identity and Resistance

2026-04-15T07:02:12+03:00

This study aims to examine the symbols and significations embedded in the works of contemporary Palestinian visual artists through an analysis of the compositional and aesthetic dimensions embodied within artistic formations. Symbols are not merely visual elements, but rather constitute a resistant visual language in themselves, expressing the artist’s consciousness, culture, and human experience. Through color, line, form, and spatial construction, these symbols convey the artist’s intellectual vision while preserving cultural heritage. The significance of this research lies in its attempt to deconstruct and analyze visual symbols in order to uncover their underlying meanings and their resistant and militant functions. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach through the analysis of selected artworks distinguished by visual and semantic diversity, reflecting the role of symbolism in expressing identity and belonging, as well as embodying the humanitarian, social, and political issues experienced by the artist. The research presents an analytical framework that combines formal and semantic dimensions and contributes to enriching artistic and critical studies within both Palestinian and Arab contexts. It also serves as a reference for artists and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of symbolism, its functions, and its significance in shaping visual meaning in the visual arts. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the artist’s ability to transform suffering into a flexible visual aesthetic that documents collective memory, preserves national consciousness, and affirms that the Palestinian cause, although political in essence, extends toward broader humanitarian and aesthetic horizons. Palestinian art thus becomes a mirror of identity, a voice of resistance, and a living record of the ongoing struggle for freedom and return. Palestinian artists have portrayed the reality of resistance, documenting chapters of the Palestinian struggle and epics of heroism through colors and symbols.

The Effectiveness of School Activity Classes in Music Education for Seventh-Grade Students

2026-01-08T19:28:38+03:00

The research problem stems from the limited and ineffective use of the school activity periods for teaching musical elements to seventh-grade students, despite the well-documented, multifaceted benefits of music education on students’ development. This gap prompted the researcher to investigate the issue. This study aimed to teach a selection of musical elements using a custom-designed training program tailored for seventh graders during school activity periods, and to examine statistically significant differences between pre- and post-test scores in music education. The researcher used the statistical analysis of Cronbach’s alpha, means, standard deviations, and paired t-tests. To achieve the study’s objectives, the researcher adopted an analytical and quasi-experimental methodology. A pre-/post-test instrument was developed and validated, consisting of three main sections: musical theory (10 items), musical instruments (5 items), and general musical culture (5 items), using a multiple-choice format. The sample comprised 60 seventh-grade students selected via simple random sampling.

The findings revealed that the proposed training program significantly enhanced music education outcomes among seventh-grade students, as demonstrated by the contrast between pre- and post-test scores. Specifically, the overall pre-test mean was 8.33 (SD = 2.64), which increased substantially in the post-test to a mean of 17.30 (SD = 1.71), reflecting a high level of achievement.

Integrating Entrepreneurial Elements into the Visual Arts Curriculum Using Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) in the Context of Oman Vision 2040

2026-04-22T09:42:57+03:00

This study aims to examine the extent to which entrepreneurship elements are integrated into the objectives, activities, and concepts of the Grade 10 visual arts curriculum. The researchers identify a gap in the educational role of visual arts courses: while these curricula successfully foster aesthetic taste values, and student creativity, they often fail to leverage these outcomes to build the entrepreneurial skills needed for the labor market. To achieve the study’s obejctives, the researchers adopted a descriptive-analytical approach. The researchers developed a content analysis instrument to measure the integration of entrepreneurship across seven core dimensions: vision, innovation, decision-making, thinking, risk-taking, marketing capability, and interpersonal communication. This instrument comprised 17 sub-dimensions and 37 indicators. The results revealed that the most frequently integrated concepts were innovation, followed sequentially by vision, decision-making, communication, risk-taking, and organization. Conversely, marketing was the least frequently represented element. Based on these findings, the study recommends a sustained curriculum focus on underrepresented entrepreneurial elements, such as marketing capability, organization, and risk-taking, by leveraging the cognitive approaches of Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE).

Proposed Program for Teaching the Transposition of Selected Arabic Maqamat Using Mental Arithmetic Strategy

2026-06-03T13:42:00+03:00

The research paper addresses the transposition of certain Arabic music maqams (musical scales) using a mental arithmetic strategy. The primary objectives of the study are to introduce a proposed program for teaching the transposition of these maqams and to measure its effectiveness on students. This evaluation aims to verify the research hypothesis, which posits the existence of statistically significant differences between pre-test and post-test scores in favor of the post-test. The methodology involved calculating the means and standard deviations of the students’ scores of both tests and clarify the level of significance. The results demonstrate that the differences between the mean scores of the experimental group in the pre-and post-tests are statistically significant at a 95% confidence level and a margin of doubt of 0.5, in favor of the post-test. This indicates a marked improvement in the students’ performance in the post-test compared to the pre-test, thereby confirming the validity of the research hypothesis. The researcher recommends the integration of modern educational strategies into the teaching of music curricula, emphasizing the need for innovative approaches in teaching Arabic music subjects.

Art and the Environment in the Era of Sustainability Culture

2026-05-11T16:08:25+03:00

This study aims to structure the relationship between the individual and the environment through a philosophical system of visual messages within a contemporary, multimedia, and multidisciplinary artistic framework. It seeks to guide human behavior toward environmental partnership rather than resource depletion, elevating marginalized elements to the forefront. This is achieved through a creative vision that adapts these elements and explores the profound evolutionary interconnectedness between art and nature. Using a descriptive-analytical methodology, the study deepens the comprehensive artistic vision regarding the ecosystem's significance to human existence. It examines the variations in artistic creativity in activating environmental elements to express visual and critical perceptions, while also condemning the use of environmental pollutants for economic gain at the expense of quality. The study consists of three sections. The first section introduces the research problem, posing the question: How is the relationship between contemporary art and the environment represented in fostering a culture of sustainability? It also highlights the importance of this relationship in raising public awareness of environmental issues and disseminating a culture of sustainability through an aesthetic visual discourse. The objective scope of the research includes visual artworks that present the environment from diverse creative perspectives. The temporal scope spans from 2008 to 2024, while the spatial scope includes Italy, Canada, and Ireland. The second section addresses the concept of development, shallow and deep ecology, and the ecological roots in art from the Renaissance to Postmodernism, alongside the paradigms of contemporary environmental arts

The Aesthetics of Traditional Door Ornamentation in the Najd Region of Saudi Arabia and Its Application in Enriching Contemporary Digital Print Designs

2026-05-14T10:13:17+03:00

This research paper aims to study the aesthetics of folk door ornamentation in the Najd region, analyze their formal and aesthetic characteristics, and explore the potential of utilizing them to enrich contemporary digital print designs. The study uses a descriptive-analytical methodology by analyzing selected samples of folk door decorations, with a specific focus on geometric patterns, ornamental compositions, color relationships, and the symbolic connotations associated with the local cultural environment. The results demonstrates that folk door ornaments in the Najd region exhibit formal diversity and visual richness, reflecting a distinct cultural identity. Furthermore, their aesthetic elements contribute to the creation of contemporary digital print designs that retain a local character. The study also reveals that integrating these heritage elements into digital design enhances the continuity of folk heritage and contributes to re-presenting it in a modern visual format that aligns with the requirements of the digital age. The findings confirm that employing folk ornament aesthetics is not limited merely to the formal aspects but extends to include cultural and symbolic dimensions. This, in turn, enhances cultural identity and raises awareness of the value of traditional heritage. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of encouraging designers and artists to draw inspiration from traditional heritage elements in contemporary design practices. Doing so achieves a balance between authenticity and modernity and contributes to the development of a sustainable visual language within the field of digital printing.

Visual Identity in Maqamat al-Hariri: Between Foreign Influences and the Islamic Spirit

2026-03-05T22:40:06+03:00

This study investigates the defining characteristics of the Arab school of painting as manifested in the miniatures of Al-Hariri's Maqamat, examining the dialectical relationship between an authentic visual identity and incoming external influences. The study is predicated on the hypothesis that artistic identity is a holistic structure and a prevailing spirit, rather than a mere accumulation of fragmented elements; it manifests in the aesthetic response of the recipient within their specific cultural milieu. Al-Hariri’s Maqamat was specifically selected because it represents the pinnacle of interdisciplinary fusion between the literary and visual arts, yielding a visual richness that far surpasses that of contemporary scientific manuscripts.

Adopting an analytical approach, the study examines a selected corpus of miniatures dating from 1222 to 1334 CE (618–734 AH) to trace and analyze foreign cultural influences. It illustrates how these elements were synthesized into the cohesive visual unity of the Arab school, which relies on analogy and flattening as deliberate aesthetic choices. This integration preserved an authentic Islamic character, resisting cultural alienation or total assimilation into imported paradigms. The study concludes that the manuscript relies on a conscious duality between analogy and flattening, maintaining its distinctive identity despite the incorporation of foreign elements.