MuST:
How old were you when you started singing or playing music? What are some of your earliest memories?

Sarine:
I was 17 when I first started taking voice lessons. I had no formal training prior that. I always had the desire to sing and perform. Really, since I can remember, it has always been "in" me. I was the kid who locked herself in a room, turned the radio on, and performed for an imaginary audience. And I must say, I was fabulous! I started drumming in college, when I was studying voice.  I never imagine that I would play any type of percussion instrument, rhythm was actually a weakness.But I was so drawn to the drum and it looked like so much fun that after meeting Mary Ellen I fell in love with rhythm.

MuST:
Was music education offered in your schools, and did you study outside of school as well?

Sarine:
No, I had no formal musical education growing up. I remember we had one class, a one day event, maybe in the 4th grade, that someone tried to teach a small group of us what "do" does. But that was it. In high school in the States I was involved with choir and theater as it was the only opportunity I could find to perform.

MuST:
Who have been your greatest inspirations or mentors along the way?

Sarine:
My dad is definitely my first and probably most inspirational person in my life, musically speaking.  It was never his intention, I think, to be such an influence but he is. I grew up watching him sing in the choir every Sunday, and his passion for music came through when he would blast classical music in the house. 
As an adult my teachers became my strongest influences/inspiration.  Hafez Modirzadeh was/is a significant person in my musical and artistic growth.  Mary Ellen inspired me to play the doumbek and Sandy Cressman continues to inspire and challenge me to grow as a vocalist.

MuST:
What kind of percussion instruments do you play?

Sarine:
I play the finger cymbals, doumbek and as of recently the Arabic tambourine.

MuST:
What similarities, if any, have you found between your two genres of choice, jazz and world music?

Sarine:
I never gave much thought to the similarities between jazz and world music. I know that they're important to me for different reasons. They feed different aspects of my personality and background.  The freedom in improvisation in both genres is attractive to me, also the function of the three genres I perform are similar.  They are all rooted, historically, in the human condition and they tell the stories of the people.  The traditional Armenian songs are the songs mostly sang by the common people and were often improvised.  Jazz is also rooted in a similar class of a culture. Musically these genres work together almost naturally because of their tonality as well.

MuST:
What do you like most and least about performing as a vocalist and performing as a percussionist?

Sarine: What I like most about performing as a vocalist is the vessel to express myself emotionally and spiritually. The physical reaction to sining is like nothing else.  In addition, singing in my native language brings me closer to feeling at home.  Singing jazz brings out another side of my personality.

Performing on the drum is just plain fun, to begin with. Banging on things with my hands, that physical aspect gratifies too. I also feel connected to my childhood while playing the rhythms on doumbek. I grew up hearing those songs and rhythms in Lebanon and playing them myself just puts me there again.
If there is anything I don't enjoy about performing with either instrument, I am not aware of it.

MuST:
Do you have any good tips for preparing for live performances?

Sarine:
It's important to have the material prepared as much as possible. That always alleviates nervousness to some extent. It's also important to not review details of the material the day of the performance. It's too late by then. It helps to approach a performance as a positive, fulfilling and fun experience that can be enjoyed by everyone involved. After all, if a good performance is what you have been working toward why not enjoy it while you can?

MuST:
Could you tell us about your involvement with the Middle Eastern theatre group, Golden Thread Productions?

Sarine:
I became involved with Golden Thread productions immediately after graduating from SFSU.  My first project was to consult on Armenian music for 9 Armenians.  I gathered songs and Armenian artists and worked with the director in placing them in the play. I performed as a vocalist in Abaga, as part of the cast. I also performed in Tamam, as a vocalist and percussionist during their ReOrient Festival 2002.  The two actors, the direct and myself work collaboratively in developing the short play into a performance piece. I performed Palestinian rhythms and celebration songs throughout the piece.

MuST:
What is your favorite student story, as a music educator? Any students stand out in your mind?

Sarine:
I was once teaching keyboard to a 5th grade class, as part of a general classroom music curriculum.  Most of the students had no background in music. The mother of one of my students made it a point to tell me that her son (5th grade) and her daughter (2nd grade) who were both my students, had recently become very interested in the piano in their house.  Apparently, they had always ignored it and had no interest in learning how to play it until they were introduced to music in school. 

MuST:
What is your best advice to your students?

Sarine:
Relax.