"Balinese Gamelan is not just a set of musical instruments, but is a reflection of culture, historical complexity, religious element values, and local wisdom possessed by the Balinese people. So it's not just about studying the musical instruments, but also about these cultural values," said Prof. Thyrhaya.
HUMAS FIB USU - Wednesday, May 29th 2024, the Ethnomusicology Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Sumatra Utara (USU) carried out Balinese Gamelan Training activities by inviting resource persons who were Lecturers from the Musical Arts Study Program Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) Denpasar I Nyoman Kariasa, S.Sn., M.Sn.
The training began with remarks by the Chair of the FIB USU Ethnomusicology Study Program, Dra. Rithaony M.A. She said that the Ethnomusicology study program has had gamelan for 13 years. "Bali is one that has a great wealth of Indonesian traditional music. The founder of Ethnomusicology, Jaap Kunst, one of his researches is Balinese Gamelan music. The world has also recognized this. Almost every university and school has Gamelan, both Javanese Gamelan and Balinese Gamelan. And Gamelan is also used to establish cooperative relationships," said Dra. Rithaony.
FIB USU Dean Prof. Dr. Dra. T. Thyrhaya Zein, M.A. In her speech said that the Nusantara Music Practice course which discussed Balinese Gamelan could be linked to the RPS, coincidentally there were resource persons whose knowledge could be utilized so that the RPS could be mapped back.
This activity is a concrete manifestation of the study program's commitment to preserving and appreciating the cultural diversity of the archipelago, especially Bali. Dean hopes that this will be an important thing to prioritize teaching and training. "Balinese Gamelan is not just a set of musical instruments, but is a reflection of culture, historical complexity, religious element values, and local wisdom possessed by the Balinese people. So it's not just about studying the musical instruments, but also about these cultural values," said Prof. Thyrhaya.
This activity is also an Implementation Agreement (IA) between FIB USU and ISI Denpasar. Dean hopes that in 2024 there will be more activities that can be implemented, and the cooperation between the two parties can continue. "Hopefully this training will be a good start to explore and appreciate the rich culture of the archipelago, especially Bali. This is also an opportunity to broaden your horizons as material for thesis research or later become a research member for lecturers," continued Prof. Thyrhaya.
USU Rector Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin S.Sos., M.Si. also wants an annual program for the Ethnomusicology study program. So that USU's uniqueness and wealth can be better introduced both domestically and abroad. Rector also advised that each study program must have excellence or characteristics. These characteristics are turned into a product, namely an innovation that can be sold domestically and abroad by the University.