Peter greeted us all and began to explain some of the important elements of this music, namely that it is not notated, it is often used ceremonially, and the fact that the Balinese do not attach great value to the composer as we would do so in western music.
An initial teaching strategy introduced by Peter was that of showing us a melody to play on the main higher instruments (Kantilan and/or Gangsa I believe!!). I volunteered to play it back, and after hesitating I managed to learn and play it back.
Peter also explained that in this music, it is taught to relax about making mistakes and simply keep going with the experience to eventually play it right. This main melody was revealed to be the “Lagu” for the piece called “Baris Tumbak”.
Click here to watch us playing “Baris Tumbak”. – links to a video
Peter brought up the teaching strategy of allowing students to learn from each other if they are confused. Second, the performance demonstrates the combination of the Lagu, the Pokok (simplified melody on lower instruments) and the Gongan pattern, as well as the Kempli played by Peter used to keep time and add percussive texture.
Adapting the music to Australian classroom use can be viewed here – links to a video – Peter teaching the “Kotekan” section on a keyboard, after we learnt to play it on our Gamelan instruments. The Kotekan is typically a second section which is led by two overlapping and repetitive melodies that when combined create a new melody.
Mitchell Davis Music Education Study Blog 2019-22 