Cultural Collaboration: UMM Students and SMA Surya Buana Teachers Visit Humanities Faculty for Joint Gamelan Practice

HUMANIORA – (20/8/2024) The Faculty of Humanities at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang received a visit from students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) and teachers from SMA Surya Buana Malang on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. This event was part of the Field Work Practice (PKL) program conducted by English Literature students of the Faculty of Humanities at SMA Surya Buana, focusing on the preservation and learning of traditional Indonesian culture.

The visit aimed to deepen the understanding and appreciation of gamelan, one of Indonesia's cultural heritage treasures rich in philosophical and aesthetic values. In a warm and enthusiastic atmosphere, participants from UMM and SMA Surya Buana had the opportunity to practice gamelan together in the Humanities Faculty's gamelan room, located on the second floor of the faculty building.

The event was led by Drs. Sukri Pawira, who also served as the instructor during the practice session. With his experience in traditional arts, Drs. Sukri not only provided technical teaching on how to play the gamelan but also encouraged participants to understand the profound meaning behind each sound of the gamelan instruments.

After the joint practice, Drs. Sukri Pawira expressed his hope that this activity could be a step toward introducing gamelan to everyone who visits Surya Buana, while also preserving Indonesian culture so that the younger generation increasingly loves this cultural heritage, especially gamelan.

"I hope that through this joint gamelan practice, we can introduce the beauty and richness of Indonesian culture to anyone who visits Surya Buana. This is also an effort to preserve our cultural heritage so that the younger generation increasingly loves and appreciates gamelan as part of the nation's identity," he said.

Meanwhile, Mazroatul Islahiyah, M.Pd., the Field Supervisor (DPL) for the Humanities Faculty PKL students at SMA Surya Buana, expressed her pride in the visit by UMM and Surya Buana.

"This activity is not just about art practice, but also a tangible effort to preserve Indonesian culture. I hope that through this activity, we all can love our culture more and continue to develop it so that it stands the test of time," said Lia.

This joint gamelan practice became an important moment for the students and teachers, as through this activity, they not only learned new skills but also fostered a sense of togetherness and concern for the preservation of the nation's culture. This event also demonstrated strong synergy between educational institutions in developing cultural competence among the younger generation.

The series of events concluded with a light discussion on the importance of learning and teaching traditional arts in an academic environment. The participants then took a group photo as a memento of this productive collaboration. The Faculty of Humanities at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang hopes that similar activities will continue to be held to strengthen relationships between educational institutions and increase awareness of the importance of cultural preservation among the younger generation. [al]