CC BY-NC-ND
0Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect PfOCSCl ¡0
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 93 (2013) 1000 - 1004
3rd World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership (WCLTA-2012)
Contextualizing the transmission of Malaysian traditional music
Shahanum Mohamad Shah*
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, 40200, Malaysia
Abstract
Imparting the necessary performance skills and knowledge in its appropriate cultural context for a more authentic representation of the music culture to the learner of traditional music is a main concern in the teaching and learning of traditional music. Using qualitative methods, this study suggests approaches that can be used to teach the Malay gamelan, which is a form of traditional music, whereby the learning and teaching of music are perceived as culturally contextualized and a range of pedagogic strategies are used to reflect the types of music being taught and the cultures from which the musics derive. © 2013TheAuthors.PublishedbyElsevierLtd.
Selection and peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Ferhan Odaba§i Keywords: Teaching; learning; traditional music; gamelan.
1. Introduction
Traditional music is, by nature, an oral tradition. Learning traditional music was by non-formal education, i.e., by listening, observing and playing. The transfer of skills and knowledge was carried out orally within the community of musicians. The Malay gamelan is one major genre of a traditional music ensemble in Malaysia that comprises a minimum of eight instruments. With the advent of formal music education in schools and universities, most of the music curricular includes this traditional music genre aimed at preserving local music traditions. However, it appears that what is preserved is more the music than the actual context of the music. For example, notation is being used in part to facilitate and expedite the learning process and issues related to the learning of traditional music orally are not emphasized. Implications concerning the authenticity of the tradition when designing the teaching of local music traditions may not be considered.
Establishing an accurate context for practical activities on the gamelan can not only provide a sound methodology but also allow for appropriate evaluation (Steptoe, 2005). Teaching gamelan using notation may not only be a misrepresentation of the authentic practice of this music but may also not give students the skills necessary in playing gamelan music as opposed to playing in western ensembles. According to Supanggah (2008), some of these differences include: 1. the emphasis on togetherness with no individual instrument dominating; 2. the importance of a high level of sensitivity and depth of feeling as opposed to personal virtuosity; 3. technique can be studied at the same time as studying the repertoire; 4. the importance of aural sensitivity in playing the gamelan where musical dialogue occurs through listening; and 5. musical changes are marked or led by the gendang (a
*Shahanum Mohamad Shah. Tel: +603-55227251 Email Address: shahanum@salam.uitm.edu.my
1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Ferhan Odaba§i
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.09.318
percussion instrument) through aural signals. In modern day compositions, the characteristics are still maintained and as such, teaching methods that develop these characteristics need to be adopted.
Dunbar-Hall (2009) proposes the concept of ethnopedagogy in which learning and teaching of music are perceived as culturally contextualized. To engage in ethnopedagogy is "to utilise and interpret a range of pedagogic strategies to reflect the types of music being taught and the cultures from which those musics derive" (p76). According to Dunbar-Hall, possible outcomes for music education include assisting in understanding music under consideration, deepening understanding of the culture surrounding a music, and broadening the methodological approaches of music educators.
Based on the researcher's own experience of learning the gamelan via the two methods (with and without notation) and examining teaching methodologies employed in Indonesia and Malaysia, it was felt that there may be a need to reconsider how the teaching of the Malay gamelan should be approached and experienced in order to teach the real character of traditional music. This study examined the approaches that can be used in teaching the Malay gamelan , based on the ethnopedagogy model proposed by Dunbar-Hall (2009). In this model, the learning and teaching of music are perceived as culturally contextualized and a range of pedagogic strategies are used to reflect the types of music being taught and the cultures from which the musics derive. This will impart the necessary performance skills and knowledge to the learner in the appropriate cultural context for a more authentic representation of the music culture while allowing the musician to operate in a contemporary musical context.
In developing a structured method of teaching the gamelan in the traditional approach and to ensure that students have a foundation of which to understand gamelan music, it is very important for students to know the characteristics which define the Malay gamelan, and learn traditional playing techniques and repertoire. The following body of conventions can be used to describe the Malay gamelan repertoire (Perlman, 2004; Hardjo, 2004; Mastusky, 2008):
1. Form-defining instruments, the instrument that acts as the punctuating instrument that marks the structure of a composition/demarcates the time cycles of the music and the instrument that defines the subunits;
2. Instruments that bear the melodic framework. The instruments play the same melody but in different octaves;
3. Elaborating parts, i.e., parts which are rhythmically more active;
4. The gendang (percussion instrument) which is the rhythmic instrument and controls the tempo. 2. Method
Using qualitative methods, data for this study was collected in two phrases. In the first phrase, data was collected via interviews with various practitioners from Malaysia and Indonesia, observation, audio/visual documentation and analysis of teaching practices and performances. Four Indonesian and five Malaysian gamelan instructors with teaching experience of more than five years were interviewed using the structured interview format. For the interview, questions posed to the respondents were on the issues related to the teaching of the gamelan as a traditional form of music, teaching approaches, the use of notation, and repertoire.
A method of teaching the gamelan was then tested using a different approach from the conventional method of teaching in order to gauge any perceived differences when learning the gamelan within the framework of traditional conventions. Ten Malaysian university students with experience learning the gamelan the way it is typically taught in schools and universities served as subjects for this part of the study. The new method avoided the use of notation to teach the gamelan. The researcher organized the lessons for each music piece in the steps listed below using the conventions as describe by Perlman (2004) and Hardjo (2004). As the students already know the playing technique of the instruments, this step was not included in the lesson plan. As there are eight instruments within the ensemble, students were required to try each instrument in turn to gain a complete perspective of the materials being studied. The students were taught two pieces of music that they had never previously learned. A total of eight sessions of two hours each was held over a period of four weeks.
3. Results and discussion
Responses provided by practitioners in Indonesia indicate that the appropriate method of teaching the gamelan is firstly through an understanding of the function of each instrument in the ensemble, followed by the playing technique and finally the applied phase whereby the music is then taught aurally without the use of notation. However, two of the respondents use notation to teach due to the time constraints of a class and the size of a class. Responses from the Malaysian gamelan instructors however, indicate that the issue of contextualizing traditional music does not directly appear to be a main consideration in the teaching of the gamelan. While the contents of the course generally constitute the components necessary for teaching the gamelan, i.e., history, instruments, playing technique, and repertoire, the approaches described do not indicate that the gamelan is necessarily taught according to the body of conventions. All the teachers used notation to teach for ease of understanding and playing. None of the instructors mentioned the need to teach gamelan orally to develop the sensitivities as described by Supanggah (2008). It is unclear whether the teachers are developing ensemble playing among the students in order to teach them how to learn to listen out for all parts which is an essential component of gamelan playing.
In the second phase of the data collection, the students were asked to reflect and write down their thoughts and experiences about learning the gamelan using the new approach at the conclusion of the four weeks of lessons. Their reflections were then analyzed for themes in their experiences. The feedback obtained from the students' reflection indicates that they did feel a difference between the two approaches as indicated by their responses in Table 1.
Table 1. Themes in students' responses
Comments related to No of Responses
Developing listening skills 8
Increase ensemble skills 7
Learn faster with notation but concentration is on individual parts 8
Understanding the structure and parts of the different instruments 6
Understand individual part in relation to other parts 4
Some element of freedom is felt 5
From the responses provided, it appears that among the key difference perceived by the students is the development of aural sensitivity. This is an important factor as listening is considered a main element of music education. When students have an understanding of what is heard as opposed to what is seen, it can develop sensibility to listening to music, understanding of the musical language, and sensitivity in playing while listening. Although it appears that students learned their individual parts more quickly with notes, achieving ensemble sensitivity was more challenging as it also meant that they were concentrating on their parts. Students knew their individual parts but not their relationship with other instruments. When they made mistakes, they did not know how to return to the ensemble. When learning without notation, students grasped the feeling of ensemble playing quickly. Even when concentrating upon their individual parts, students had ensemble awareness and were aware of others within the ensemble when playing without notation. This is important in gamelan playing as it emphasizes relationships, as musicians need to know how to interrelate with the other parts. As the parts all relate back to the melody of the music, the potential for developing a sense of ensemble and group identity is greatly enhanced (Steptoe, 2005).
Results of the study indicate that in order to instill the necessary skills of being a gamelan player, a strong understanding of the function and playing technique of each instrument is an important part of the teaching method. Based on observations of teaching practices, interview data provided by the teachers and data collected from the teaching session the following suggestions are posited as to how to contextualize the teaching of the Malay gamelan.
1. Students are first introduced to the melody line of the music. Students are made to feel the stress of the beats that fall on beats 2 and 4, and to listen to the question and answer nature of the melody. The melody is taught in phrases and repeated until it is mastered.
2. Once the melody is mastered, students are introduced to the structure of the music as determined by the gong cycle. The instruments that provide the underlying structural punctuation are focused on at this point. Students will learn to direct their attention to the structural markers and observe their relationship to the melody thereby allowing them to relate their own playing to those around them.
3. The instruments that have an improvisatory function are then introduced. Once the part is mastered, students are taught to improvise.
4. Students are introduced to the rhythmic pattern of the percussion instrument.
4. Conclusion
Given the nature of the art form and the semi-improvisatory style of the gamelan, it is suggested that the nonformal method of transmission actually be applied to teaching the gamelan as it will not only help students develop their listening and aural abilities as well as an awareness of playing in an ensemble, but also help them understand the cultural context of the gamelan. As Malay gamelan repertoire is more melodic in nature and not structurally complex, this may be possible even given the time constraints of lessons in schools and universities. Notation can be used as a working guide that provides the framework of a piece. An understanding of the function of each instrument will allow the musicians to elaborate the line according to the instrument played. In this way, students not only learn to do, but also learn to think the way traditional musicians do. It can also allow students to learn to be reactive and flexible and develop their listening skills and ensemble playing. The gamelan can also be used to encourage active participation in music making, emphasize musical knowing, foster intercultural acceptance and understanding that can help with the musical growth of students. In this way, students are directly involved in preserving and revitalizing their own music culture which is an important mission and vision of the music curriculum (Bramantyo, 2009).
When designing the syllabus, it is also worth considering that the gamelan can be used to develop a wide variety of musical skills such as elements of music (pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre), texture, structure, listening, performing and it is also a very useful tool to instill creativity, teach improvisation and composition, all of which are components of the music curriculum. Learning activities that are important include listening complemented by sharing, discussing, and analyzing activities by the students themselves. The gamelan can also be used to encourage active participation in music making, emphasize musical knowing, foster intercultural acceptance and understanding that can help with the musical growth of children. In this way, students are directly involved in preserving and revitalizing their own music culture which is an important mission and vision of the music curriculum (Bramantyo, 2009).
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia whose grant enabled this and related research to be carried out and to Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia for their support with the research activities.
References
Bramantyo, T. (2009, April). Intercultural musicology in music education: In search for philosophy of music education in Malaysia. Paper presented at the Colloquium for Music Research 2009, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Dunbar-Hall, P. (2009). Ethnopedagogy: Culturally contextualised learning and teaching as an agent of change. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 8(2), 60-78.
Hardjo, S. (2004). Enculturation and cross-cultural experiences in teaching Indonesian gamelan. Retrieved August 27, 2011 from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/asianstudies.publications/occassion/03Gamelan.pdf
Matusky, Patricia Y. (2008, August). Aspects of basic instrumentation and traditional form of repertoire of Malay Gamelan and the challenge of repertoire expansion. Paper presented at the World Gamelan Symposium and Festival 2008, Terengganu, Malaysia.
Perlman, M. (2004). Unplayed melodies: Javanese gamelan and the genesis of music theory. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Steptoe, S. (2005). Gamelan music in Britain. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from http://www.onlinepublications.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/documents/3SimonSteptoe.pdf
Supanggah, R. (2008, August). Pengalaman mengurus, memperlengkap dan memperluas kaedah pengajaran seni di Sekolah Tinggi Kesenian Indonesian pengkhususan seni muzik dan tari gamelan. Paper presented at the World Gamelan Symposium and Festival 2008, Terengganu, Malaysia.
