Angklung group unites students
Published on: Friday, December 02, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: The melody of the angklung version of Tan Sri P.Ramlee's song 'Yang Mana Satu' was certainly pleasing to the ear thatnight. The rendition, by 50 students from the Sutrawarna (Simfoni Tunas Warisan Angklung) angklung group at the Citra Bakti Appreciation Night in conjunction with the Local Agenda 21 Kuala Lumpur's (LA21KL) 10th anniversary left guests awed.
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The group is only a year old but they appeared more like professional musicians with plenty of experience. That night they won the High Potential Project award, a recognition for their talent and ability. It was certainly a proud moment for the nation's capital city. As part of the community development project under the LA21KL arts and culture programme, Sutrawarna gathers 105 Form 2 students from 12 schools around Kuala Lumpur.
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Experienced music lecturer Ustaz Mohamad Isa Rawan from Institut Pendidikan Islam Bangi, Selangor, provides them guidance as well as songs and music arrangement. Selecting the angklung, a bamboo instrument that can be played solo or in a group, is in line with the concept of teamwork that the programme hoped to instil among the students.
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The angklung is a musical instrument made out of two bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame and they provide a resonant pitch when struck. Regardless of the schools they are from, they must practice and perform as one group. The idea was adopted from the Knowledge Exploration trip to Jakarta-Bandung in 2012 and since then appeared regularly at the LA21KL under the theme Bandaraya Sejahtera (Cheerful City), according to programme director Raja Abd Rahman Raja Omar. Twenty-four schools participated during the early stage but only 12 schools remained until the end. They include Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Aminuddin Baki, SMK Taman Maluri, SMK Bintang Selatan, SMK Sri Rampai, SMK Taman Desa, SMK Sri Sentosa, SMK Wangsa Melawati, SMK Bandar Baru Sentul, SMK Chung Hwa and SMK Cochrane. "Each school is encouraged to form their own angklung group and practices are conducted by music teachers at the respective schools. "When there is a performance they all come together for a training camp," he said, adding that students are selected when they are in Form 1. These students will remain in Sutrawarna until Form 4. When they are in Form 5 they can decide whether to continue or not or focus in their studies for their upcoming Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examinations. Bringing together 105 students from different schools for a programme is not an easy feat. There were many challenges and obstacles during the early stages, he said. Sutrawarna's members come from different socio-economic groups. Some live in flats while some live in terrace homes. "Since it was formed last year, we have organised three team building camps to foster teamwork and mental transformation. "They are taught not only the spirit of teamwork, but also discipline, taking care of the angklung, ethics and appearance as performers," he continued.So far, the students have embraced teamwork and begun to identify themselves as the Sutrawarna Angklung Group. Ustaz Isa hopes to bring the angklung group to a higher level, with dreams to tour Malaysia one day. To date there have had seven big performances including that for Federal Territory Day last year, Kenduri Satu Wilayah (One Territory Feast) and Earth Hour). According to participant Sean Oh, 14, the musical instrument made of bamboo has united and raised their spirits as a team. Although they did not know about the angklung at first, their love for the instrument grew after trying it with guidance from their teachers at school. "It was a bit awkward at first...but then it became fun to play the angklung together. Especially with cooperation from schoolmates," said the SMK Wangsa Melawati student. Sean, who could also play modern musical instruments like the piano and guitar, said the angklung is unique. Made from a natural material, it is light and easy to maintain, added Sean who could play the songs Taubat Maksiat, Yale-Yale, Yang Mana Satu and Widuri. Meanwhile, Ustaz Isa's experience as a music lecturer helped the students in learning how to read music. "By this way they can master the rhythm and beat well and play the angklung well too," he added. Though not all the students are able to read notes currently, he targets for them to master note reading in two years. With a degree and master's degree in music from Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris, Ustaz Isa has kept a collection of almost 300 songs of various genres such as Hindustan, Dangdut, rock and more. Songs are selected based on the type of performance and usually a new arrangement will be done according to suitability. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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