Where is Bali? Playing Gamelan!

Why Are You Waving Your Hands Like That?

An Analysis of Musical Meaning-Making and Participation Structures
in a Cross-Cultural Music Learning Environment

Alex Schweizer 17 & Brent C. Talbot, Ph.D

What is Gamelan? Purpose: Prior Research:

Classrooms and schools are complex social, intellectual, and physical environments where the average teacher makes more Barrett, 2011; Blommaert, 2005, 2013; Broadway, 2014; Charmaz, 2006;
than one thousand interactions a day with different levels and nuances of meaning (Clements and Klinger 2010). This Clements & Klinger, 2010; Cole, 1996; Dunbar-Hall, 2007; Gold, 2005;
research deconstructed the process of meaning-making in a cross-cultural music learning context in Bali in order to promote Tenzer, 2011; Jocuns, 2009; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Scollon & Scollon, 2003,
more equitable and inclusive spaces for music learning and teaching. 2004; Szego, 2002; and Talbot, 2011, 2013, 2016.

Research Questions: Conceptual Model:

Gamelan is the traditional music of Bali, and refers to an entire ensemble of How is meaning co-constructed among students and teachers in a cross-cultural music learning environment?
instruments and performers. The exact instrumentation varies by What are the various components of this meaning-making process?
community and style, but most ensembles consist of metallic barred
instruments of various pitches, gongs, drums, cymbals, bronze pots and
sometimes wooden flutes called Suling. Over 30 styles of Gamelan exist, but Results: Findings:
we primarily worked with Angklung and Gong Kebyar.

Method and Procedure:
Grounded Theory Method was used, adhering to guidelines outlined
by Charmaz (2006)
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants
Audio and video recordings of rehearsals and performances were
collected
Data from interviews and recordings were transcribed and coded for
themes
All participants interviewed were students, employees, or alumni of
Gettysburg College, or music teachers in Bali
Interview Questions:
Establishing Meaning
One notable video clip depicted a scenario in which a Semiotics (sign, symbols, gestures) are used during rehearsal
student was initially confused by a cue. This caused several to communicate meaning. For music transmission to occur,
students and teachers to intercede to help the student discursive meaning must be constructed by the social actors
interpret this cue. Each participant used the same indexical present in the environment. This construction can take many
phrase, slow part, to refer to a different section of the forms. Not establishing the meaning of discourses used in the
music; however, participants soon discovered that no one rehearsal process can lead to misinterpretation.
was referring to the same section.
When groups of people interpret the signals differently and
the entire ensemble doesnt quite do the same thing. Like
when were changing the tempos and its like, Does soft
mean slow? and so that is confusing.
Transmission systems are socially constituted and culturally specific (Szego

For Gamelan Students:

How has your experience in Bali affected your perception of Gamelan?
Do you think you play or learn it differently than you did in the United
States?
Can you describe one (or more) moment(s) where you felt like you really
understood what ____ (teacher) was trying to convey? Can you describe
a moment where you felt really frustrated and could not understand what
____ (teacher) was trying to convey?
What did you do in these situations?
Do you have a particular learning style that fits you better?
(How) has your perspective on music learning changed during this trip?
For Gamelan Teachers:
How do you teach other people Gamelan? Is this the same way you
learned how to play Gamelan? Is there any special strategy that you use
for certain situations? Do you use different techniques with foreigners
than with Balinese students?
When you are not playing Gamelan, what other parts of your life help you
learn or teach it?
How does the type of music you play reflect who you are as a person?
Why did you become a teacher/continue to teach Gamelan?
Forming Connections
Because obviously its very much not my culture, but I
identify with the music, enjoy the music, and feel a sense of
accomplishment when I succeed at the music.
Before going to Bali I never felt like I connected to
anything
Everyone Learns Differently!
I discovered that as a music educator I really need to be a
leader. If I dont know it, I now can really fully understand
that I cannot expect my students to know it.
Being a teacher you also learn a lot from your students.
Not everybody has the same way of learning, so you have
to adapt yourself to that.
In order for students to have meaningful musical experiences,
they must feel a sense of connection to the music they are
playing and to those around them. Students enjoy feeling
successful, and forming connections can help set up students
for success.
Every student learns differently. It is important for teachers
to cater to the needs of their students and to scaffold and
facilitate knowledge from which students can grow and learn.
2002). Components of the meaning making process include mediational
means, social actors, and the environment. In this study, these components
were circulated by Balinese discourses of transmission, American discourses
of transmission, and cross-cultural discourses of transmission.
Questions For Teachers:
How does your teaching environment (classroom) affect the learning
environment of your students?
What do you and your students bring to the learning environment, and
how can you foster their growth with the qualities they bring?
How can we create lifelong (music) learners?
Further Research:
There were many advantages to exploring the process of meaning making in
the cross-cultural context of Bali, Indonesia; however, one does not need to
leave the country to engage in this pedagogy. More research
could explore the discourses that circulate through ensemble settings within
the U.S.