Lina Ejeilat works for a telecommunication company in Amman, and she's obsessed with music !! Lina says that - for too long - Jordan has been musically overshadowed by its neighbours such as Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

But now a new cultural identity is emerging in Jordan, largely inspired by the country's alternative musicians. In her report for BBC News Maker, Lina discovers how artists in her home city are creating a distinctive and truly "Ammani" sound.

Lina investigates Jordan's music scene

Lina's thoughts on the BBC NewsMaker experience:

"Learning how radio journalism works was a brilliant experience; trying to think in terms of what people hear, the different audio bits, the way it is all mixed, what lines to choose, how to link it all together - and how people hear more than we think they do.

My BBC producer, Rebecca, kept telling us "when you smile, people can hear it". She also insisted on how everything needs to be authentic and real. The insights into journalism ethics were very valuable.

My report is about Amman - my city; a city whose modern history goes back less than 90 years, a city whose youth looked to Cairo, Damascus, or Beirut for cultural productions; whether music, TV, literature, or cinema - a city that today, bringing together around 2.5 million people, is starting to create something of its own.

As a young person who has grown up in Amman, I was noticing the big changes in the musical scene in the city.

For so many years, I'd been on the lookout for concerts and music events, and I can tell you that at one point, not only were they rare and attracted small audiences, but you wouldn't find a Jordanian band doing original music - except for Rum Group, who probably played outside the country more than they did inside.

I absolutely loved roaming the city's music scene for a week like a "rock star". Lina

The last two or three years have been fascinating to me, with the scene growing quickly and bands striving to do something different and more importantly "Ammani".

I absolutely loved roaming the city's music scene for a week like a "rock star", talking to amazing young musicians about what it is they're trying to do, and not being able to hide my big grin when someone says the perfect line that I would register in my head for the editing choices to follow.

Talking to Sign of Thyme during their rehearsal, talking to Ruba Saqr on her balcony overlooking the hills of old Amman, and recording my introduction up on the Citadel with a vast panoramic view of the city gave me so much to ponder.

On the technical side, I learned to pay attention to details; the background noise, the ways people say their sentences and how that would work with editing, making sure the recorder is NOT ON PAUSE!

More importantly, I learned that it involves making a lot of tough choices. It's funny how you get attached to your material, and can't bear to discard any of the bits that sounded really good to you.

I must add that this experience made me love journalism even more, and made me appreciate radio in ways I didn't think I would. I felt so lucky though, to have met the amazing Sarah, the other BBC Newsmaker winner from Jordan, and seen her story in the making.

Amman and Jordan have so many stories waiting to be uncovered for the world!"