Music of the Mountains

"To play the music of the mountains, you must feel the rhythm, feel the beat of your people."

Roohi's most treasured time of the day is when she gets to listen to her grandfather play the rabab, the traditional stringed instrument of the Pashtun people. All she wants, more than anything in the world, is to be able to play songs full of rhythm like him. But even with lessons everyday, she sounds nothing like Neeka Baba's clap-de-clap-clap rhythm and beautiful melodies.

With Eid celebrations coming up, Roohi is supposed to play the rabab at a school concert, but Neeka Baba has fallen ill, and she must perform without his help. He tells her, "Play with the courage of those who came before you." Can Roohi draw on her ancestors' strength and share the melody in her heart at the Eid concert?

• Explores the connections made possible by music and the transformative power of learning to play a traditional instrument.
• Set in a contemporary Pashtun village in rural Pakistan.
• End notes include more information about the rabab, Pakistani music, Pashtun culture, and Eid.