Description
Wejdan Hajji, a 28-year-old employee at a firm selling medical supplies, says she once struggled to teach herself guitar by watching YouTube videos, lamenting that "if I made a mistake, there was no one to correct me". Now she pays 940 Saudi riyals (around $250) each month for classes with a teacher at the Yamaha Music Centre. "The one-hour session clears my mind... My personality has changed, and I'm calmer," she says. Such benefits could soon extend to many more young Saudis. Saudi Arabia's rulers have recently relaxed some social restrictions after decades of adhering to a rigid interpretation of Islam, enforced by the kingdom's religious police and placing severe limits on social activities including group musical lesson. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES