Welcome all to the World Routes Academy blog!

This year, BBC Radio 3 launches a new scheme which aims to support and inspire young world music artists by bringing them together with an internationally renowned artist in the same field. In the first year of the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy, the focus is upon two Iraqi musicians; the young, London based musician Khyam Allami is the first recipient of this scholarship and he will work with the celebrated Ilham al-Madfai, the guitarist, singer and composer who will take on the role of mentor.

Radio 3's weekly programme World Routes (Saturdays, 3pm) follows the partnership over the 9-months of the scheme featuring regular interviews, documentary material, recordings and performance. In addition to following Khyam and Ilham's progress the programme takes a wider look at Iraqi music and cultural traditions.

Throughout the year, Khyam will be blogging abouthis experiences - here's his first post.

Over the coming months, this little corner of the virtual world is where I will be sharing with you the myriad thoughts, experiences and events that are or will be happening in and around this new adventure. Sounds simple doesn't it? Hmm... Seems to me that the most difficult part will be deciding on what not to tell you because my brain is already smoking and we haven't even started. Luckily for me and my other self (the hyper-organised control freak), this project started in January and so we have a nice clean point of departure. Good luck trying to keep up!

So, aside from practising the 'U-d (or Oud - short necked Middle Eastern lute),studying a reasonable stack of books in Arabic and English about the history of the 'U-d, some of the Arab world's greatest musicians, the Dastga-hs of Persian Classical Music, Iraqi Maqa-ma-t, Turkish Makamlar, Ethnomusicology, Orientalism and Arabic music theory all punctuated by extracts of Borges and Marquez... I've actually been working for the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing the 'U-d with the ensemble that accompanied their production of Arabian Nights.

Did I mention that I'm half-way through a Masters and trying to study the Turkish language? Or that I fell in love with the films of Almodóvar and replaced learning Turkish with Spanish and then went back to Turkish again? Anyway...

Up until last November, the theatre was uncharted territory but fortunately for me, the warmth of the cast and crew made our cold winter in Stratford-Upon-Avon a relatively painless experience. I say relatively only because playing the same 98% composed music eight times a week for two months does grate a little after, well, a few days but... theatre, as an artistic medium and environment is truly amazing. Can't wait to be involved in it again, hopefully in a more creative role though! A big thank you to my Arabian Nights brothers and sisters, see you all soon.

Fortunately, being in Stratford-Upon-Avon and away from London's light-speed tempos gave me a chance to get my head down and work hard in preparation for the WRA (World Routes Academy) and all that revolves around it.