Youth Gamelan Ensemble Classes Start - Center for the Arts

Wesleyan Youth Gamelan Ensemble Classes Start

Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 10:00am
World Music Hall

$30 for a semester

Saturday morning classes are held from 10am to 11am in World Music Hall, and run from Saturday, September 10 through Saturday, December 3, 2016.

Cost: $30 for a semester of classes plus a final performance.

Open to all children ages 7 to 14, no prior experience necessary. Come for the first class free--if your child likes it, sign them up!

The Youth Gamelan Ensemble at Wesleyan was founded in 2002 by Artist in Residence I.M. Harjito, who guides the group along with University Professor of Music Sumarsam and Director Joseph Getter. Students learn traditional music from Java, Indonesia on Wesleyan's gamelan instruments. Classes conclude with a performance with the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 7pm.

Did you know? Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, made up of predominantly percussive instruments, most commonly including metallophones played by mallets, and a set of hand-played drums called kendhang which register the beat. Other instruments include xylophones, bamboo flutes, and a bowed instrument called a rebab. In Indonesian culture, the gamelan is an essential accompaniment to puppet shows, dances, feasts, and ceremonies.

Did you know? Wesleyan owns one of the finest, most beautiful gamelans in the world, a set of mostly gong and metallophone instruments made of bronze.