I just returned from a month in Turkey- 2 weeks on scholarship/fellowship, 2 weeks fun in the Mediterranean.

My scholarship was given to me by a Turkish foundation seeking to promote turkey in the USA.

I now have the task of sorting through more than 6,000 photos and interviews to create really amazing i-movies/ computer slideshow movies that will be shown to over 1,000 students in classrooms here in Philadelphia.

I am in need of really, really cool and catchy pop music or traditional music with a sound and lyrics that will fit my movie on Turkey.

I did this with great success after returning from India last year- and so many of my students purchased the Bunty Aur Babli CD - from which I took the music.

I'm looking to make 2 movies in the next month. The first movie is a beautiful expose about Turkey- and needs slow, traditional music that is captivating- lots of nature, architecture, are the pics.

The second is much more uppeat and really needs a catchy pop song- (that will also be appealing to adults) an expose of the people, energy, vibrancy, and joy of life in Turkey.

I've been hunting for a turkish - English sites so I can listen to the music AND see the English translation. (I like to time the transitions and photos to the lyrics)

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

Cool project !!

Im sure there are people here who can help you

There is a wonderful song called Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım...It has been covered many times, there are versions by Tarkan, Yurtseven Kardeşler and others... I've heard many people singing it whilst in Turkiye who I know as well.

Here are the lyrics

Maybe that would be good for the slower,more traditional one, as it talks about the journey of life.
I'll look for a link for downloading it too.

I can help you on this project. I can find you the music and information you need and I can make translations of lyrics and I can help in any other aspect of your movies as well. For instance, looking at the contents I can make suggestions for you to choose from. But you must promise not to use any rubbish pop music in your movies such as Tarkan or anything at this low level.

We do have many great pop musicians and many great traditional musicians and there are countless songs that would appeal as much interesting and catching as any those market musicians. Because some wannabee teenagers listen to market musicaians those must not represent us. There is too mush meaningless and silly contents on Turkish market pop music which must be avoided at any cost. You have no idea about the level or corruption in our degenerated pop music. Even some of those artist likes being mentioned in any environment would cause many Turks to try to avoid that environment. I personally think there is nothing more that I hate more than degenerated Turkish Pop Music.

There is nothing wrong with arabesk. Arabesk has much less sickness and I can imagine an Orhan Gencebay song which would indeed represent the soul of the man on the street very well.

I'm a teacher of Turkish Language and Culture and I work for the Turkish Ministry of Education. I have worked and/or lived in many western, eastern and central cities in Turkia as part of my job as a teacher and I do know something about Turkish music and music preferences of our community. Currently I work and live in London.

There are also many historical periods of Turkish music and different types of Turkish music that was and is listened by certain social classes of the community. I can help on these issues as well.

I do like volunteerly helping on cultural issues. I work in this website as a volunteer as well. But you must not even mention names that must be avoided. I can not be in a an environment where degenereted Turkish Pop Music is admired. Anyway, if you are ready to avoid any name that I tell you to be avoided then I will be ready spending hours on your projects.

There are some traditional and touching songs which have modern cover versions. These could be indeed a good example to demonstrate the two faces, the traditional and modern sides of Turkia. In Ottoman days there were two different worlds of Turkish music. One was the palace environmemnt and the other was the folk music. They have different sounds and different instruments.

In todays Turkia music very very different for many different lifestyles. The biggest problem is that a huge part of contemporary Turkish music is a misunderstanding of Western sounds. I don2t hate any western Pop Musician but I do hate many of their wannabee counterparts in Turkai.

There are lots of things that could be included. I can find the songs you need in wav or high quality mp3 format and I can send them. I do have a good music archieve myself.

In Turkish music there are two main districtions. In one side there is normal Turkish Pop Music, Turkish Art Music, Turkish Rock Music, Turkish Folk Music and Normal Turkish Arabesk Music. On the other side there is degenerated Turkish Pop Music and Degenerated Turkish Arabesk Music. There are names that must be definately avoided. Those include the names mentioned one post above.

If you are not ready to avoid I can not help you in any way as a matter of principle. Of course others will do in their own ways.

Once again the lack of any serious Turkish Music source that avoids rubbish has become clear in this case as well. There are many big sources on Turkish Music but none is a good one. Many average Turkish music listeners can distinguish quality and rubbish Turkish Music in seconds but yet there is not a single source that does this dintinguishing.

Actually it is possible to understand modern Turkia and Turkish people just by looking to music in last 100 years.

Dear Erdinc,

Thank you for the very thorough reply. I am delighted for you help. I have no attachment to Turkish pop- I just need music teenagers (age15-18) will connect to , and lyrics that have some sense of meaning.

It should take me another few days to sorty through the photos, I would be delighted to listen to anything you suggest.

As an African Asian Studies teacher, the role that Turkey has played in my curriculum prior to this trip has been quite small. (Limited really to a political sketch of the Ottomon Empire, Seljuks, and a small peice on Islam in Turkey in a secular democracy. VERY limited.

I hope to develop my unit on Turkey, as it fits well into my "contemporary Islam" and "global feminism" curriculum topics.

I am delighted you can be such a wonderful resource.

I also believe this site provides some wonderful topics and resources for my students to read. I just wish there was a search engine that could navigate the archives by topic or keyword.

I will send you my email in a private message.

Thanks again,
Christine

Carla,

the lyrics are beautiful, I am eager to hear. Thank you so much!

Christine

Thats a very kind project, I can also help as much as I can... for the song, take a look at the videos in Ministry of Culture. The webpage is: www.kultur.gov.tr There are many other things you can use as well..
Anything you need for this project, please do not hesitate to contact.

thank you! My tour guide Kansav's wife also works for the Ministry of Culture in Ankara, and I may return to visit Ankara next summer!

The project is my own initiative- to fulfill the scholarship obligationa for the O.K.U.M.U.S. foundation, all we must do is teach something in our class about Turkey. My goals are much bigger.

I'd like to do two or three interactive powerpoints on Turkish culture, and will also do a pre- and post- assessment of 100 students to really illustrate HOW much a one week unit with a few interactive slideshows can COMPLETELY change the mind of American teenagers.

I was amazed, completely stunned, after my return from Ghana, West Africa two summers ago- after just teaching 3 lessons on Ghana showing my pictures and slideshows with really cool music and activities, students toatally changed their impression of West Africa. Two families actually went to Ghana the following summer, and had a marvelous time.

Not to inflate the power of teachers- but the teenage mind is a funny thing. they are so impressionable. It's a huge responsibility, but very rewarding. I also need to educate my colleagues. Unfortuately, the "american' perception of Turkey is not very positive. I find that sad. It also makes me angry when I think about the messages our media and government send about a place.

So - it's a fun project- a work in progress, but hopefully it will be a very positive experience!

Thanks again,
Chrisitine