by Author Lottie Brook

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Northern Gamelan Network

The Northern Gamelan Network – led by the National Centre for Early Music’s Music4U programme, supported by Youth Music and Cape UK –  is a collection of partners from across the North of England, who are committed to developing their use of Indonesian bronze percussion (known as gamelan) for the benefit of the young people with whom they work. Gamelan is known to be an excellent art form for developing musical, social and personal skills.

 

The purpose of the Northern Gamelan Network is to:

  1. Provide a wider support network for individuals/organisations using gamelan in their education and outreach work;
  2. Facilitate the sharing of knowledge and good practice and providing a forum for ‘troubleshooting’;
  3. Pool resources (finances, personnel, venues, equipment) to enable appropriate CPD for strategic partners, music teachers and practitioners;
  4. Identify and, as appropriate, pursue opportunities for collaborative working across partners in the network.

 

Since February 2016, we have held three main network meetings, bringing together members from Music Hubs, universities, local authorities, regional and national arts organisations, and freelance practitioners from across York, Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and Manchester.  Through these gatherings so far, we have:

  • Drawn together an overview of ‘known gamelans’ in our region and the surrounding areas – what instruments are available, what condition are they in, how they are used.
  • Collaboratively identified barriers to gamelan provision across the region (e.g. a lack of local facilitators in some areas, lack of funding for high calibre training, external changes in the education system, individual capacity to promote the gamelan, issues of storage for instruments) and begun to collectively seek solutions (e.g. sharing knowledge, establishing a shared programme of training activities, identifying opportunities for collaborative practical projects that pool resources and provide momentum, working together to create promotional resources for the gamelan).
  • Established an online communication network, with partners sharing emails and contributing to a Northern Gamelan Network Facebook group.
  • Shared information about the gamelan projects being run by each partner, drawing on the collective skills and resources within the network to make more ambitious plans possible.
  • Developed plans to raise awareness about the impact of gamelan for young people, particularly looking to develop a short advocacy film outlining what gamelan is, how it links to the curriculum, what it does for social cohesion/cultural awareness/musical development, and how it is particularly suitable for work with young people living in challenging circumstances.
  • Identified potential partnership projects, creating a deeper impact through collaborative work between network partners, including opportunities coming up in Hull linked to City of Culture 2017.

 

We have also run two CPD days: one with Laurence Rugg (a Hull-based gamelan facilitator, whose work has included school and community settings, and who pioneered the use of gamelan in prisons) and one with John Pawson (a highly experienced, London-based gamelan musician who has worked internationally in the field of gamelan education). These sessions have covered aspects of traditional gamelan, as well as more improvisatory uses of the instruments – looking at a variety of exercises/approaches to teaching, as well as troubleshooting problems members have encountered in the past. Network members have given very positive feedback from these sessions:

  • “I have learnt an enormous amount! Before I wouldn’t have known where to start but now I feel I’ve a surprising amount under my belt”
  • “This experience has helped me to know what I’m talking about and prioritising when I programme in these sessions for our young people. I think you have to do it yourself to fully understand the impact.”
  • “No matter how much you think you already know as a leader and a gamelan player, there is always more to delve into and learn. Seeing someone else’s approaches – especially when they are so different to my own – has been refreshing and given me a whole new world to explore with my classes and workshops!”
  • “The spirit of discussion in these sessions has been great. To openly talk about challenges and find not one but many possible solutions from others’ experience – I’ve valued that a lot.”

 

The impact of the network so far has been significant. A key benefit for all members, host included, has been “the opportunity to draw together a wider array of perspectives and experiences, helping make sure we are not ‘reinventing the wheel’ but positively building on what has been learnt already”. Network partners have cited the following benefits as being key successes of the network so far:

  • “The chance to come together and talk about ideas in a field that I’m normally something of a ‘lone wolf’ in. It’s hard when you’re the only person in your organisation with a responsibility for the gamelan as you miss bouncing ideas around.”
  • “This has helped me feel more confident in promoting and using the instruments. I understand them better and know who they will work for and why.”
  • “Being part of the network has given me professional opportunities, like leading sessions and travelling to meet others, that I’ve just not had before while being a student. I’m excited for what’s next.”
  • “Somewhere to share what you’ve learnt, build up collective knowledge and learn from others too.”
  • “Building my skills and my experience, getting better and more linked in to what others are doing in a similar area.”
  • “A sense of momentum and the resources we share – we couldn’t do any of this individually I don’t think. Having someone co-ordinate this and sharing between us what needs doing – very helpful.”

 

The next Northern Gamelan Network meeting will take place on 26 & 27 November 2016 at the University of York, where partners will join together for a CPD Weekend, focusing on ‘enhanced gamelan’ – bringing together the traditional Indonesian instruments with other, more familiar art forms such as group singing and music technology (including accessible technology).

 

For more information and to join the Northern Gamelan Network, please get in touch with Emily Crossland (NCEM Education Development Manager) on emily.crossland@ncem.co.uk or 01904 632220.