Response to How Gamelan has influenced me as a Music Therapist

By Maeve Rigney, Music Therapy student at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland. Email: maeverigney@gmail.com

This article by Helen Loth was one of the first articles I read in Voices before commencing my journey as a student Music Therapist and it immediately struck a 'gong' with me! As a Gamelan player during my undergraduate degree at the Music Department in UCC, Ireland, I instantly fell in love with the Gamelan, and the power the music had over me.

I can recall my first time sitting on the ground in front of a Saron, with a mallet in my right hand and my left hand ready to dampen the sound of the key I was about to strike. I was unsure as to the sound I was going to hear. To my surprise and admittedly, confusion, the sound I heard as I begun Lancaran Eling Eling was unquestionably different to the western scale that my classical ear had been comfortable with up until this new experience. As I played on, I was over-come by this strange but beautiful melody, and the resonating sound of the wooden mallet striking the metal bars. Although I no longer have access to the Gamelan, the distinct sound still plays in my head when I think back on it.

I vividly remember the confusion that came upon me when we were encouraged to change instruments in our second group meeting. Having played the Saron in our previous lesson, I had gotten to grips with it and now I was being asked to play something else! I couldn't see the sense in it, but as the weeks, months and semesters passed and I played everything, from the beating of the gong once every 32 beats to the constant, elaborate, interlocking melody on the Bonang Panerus, I appreciated how much of a collective group effort playing the Gamelan is. The changing of instruments is important in Music Therapy as it offers new experiences and feelings to individuals and different instruments can take them to different places emotionally and also physically. In Gamelan music, the absence of a conductor leaves space for a greater awareness and appreciation for what your fellow Gamelan players are doing. In accordance with Loth, I see this as similar in the Music Therapy setting. All aspects of Gamelan Music that I was aware of during my three years performing it weekly at UCC, came back to life when I read Loth's personal reflection.

The main way I can see Indonesian Gamelan Music having an influence on me, is in the realm of improvisation, particularly during group work. The exhilarating feeling one gets when listening to, and being actively part of the music is amazing, and one cannot help but feeling as if one is a vital part of the musical experience. This is due to the constant increase in tempo, the variation in dynamics, the listening and responding, and the overall resonating sound that you are surrounded by. The idea of almost being in a musical capsule, becoming consumed by the music, being totally aware of your surroundings and knowing that what you are playing is so valuable to the group. This is something I feel I would like to incorporate into Music Therapy group work.

Another thing that brought me back to Gamelan Music recently was when I had my first music skills class and we began to improvise vocally using modes. The Phrygian mode, in particular, reminded me of vocalising in Gamelan Music. While singing above the balungan (played melody) for the first time, my voice was not use to singing such peculiar intervals but I quickly adjusted. This too was the case when I first attempted singing in modes. I believe when you hear something new for the first time that is unfamiliar to you, it has profound affect on you. Therefore, I am of the opinion that Gamelan Music, and its sound that is unlike any Western Classical music and something most people are not familiar with, can offer fresh and unique experiences. I feel that perhaps this could be incorporated to the therapeutic process when a therapist sees the scope to work with this, when dealing with a client.

Like Loth, I would like to see further research into clinical applications of Gamelan in the Music Therapy setting. The fact that studies have been conducted using Gamelan music with people with learning difficulties, (O'Donnell, MacDonald, Davies & Dillon, 1999; MacDonald, O'Donnell & Davies 1999; MacDonald & Miell, 2000; MacDonald & Miell, 2002), demonstrates the benefits of listening to, and playing, this genre of music on a cognitive and functional level. The problem with research on Gamelan Music in the music therapy setting is that Gamelans are few and far between, and UCC is the only home to a 'full' Gamelan in Ireland at present. ('full' referring to having all instrument in both pelog and slendro scales.) Another problem I could foresee when conducting research on the therapeutic affects of Gamelan music on a particular population, is that the Gamelan is difficult to transport given the amount of instruments in the ensemble and its delicate nature. Also, the music one plays on the Gamelan is complex on a structural level. I question whether it is the unique sound of the Gamelan that could be therapeutic, providing relaxation or stimulation for a client? Or, is it the playing of traditional pieces of music from Java that is therapeutic, improving listening responses and musical communication? If the latter were the case, a previous knowledge of this music would be necessary by the subjects participating in a study. This would rule out randomised selection of participants to test the therapeutic qualities of Gamelan Music. What I feel is important however, is the diversity that an interest in a foreign musical genre, like the Javanese Gamelan, can bring to both a student Music Therapist, in terms of constructing ideas, and also, to a practicing Music Therapist.

Having now commenced my studies on the MA in Music Therapy programme at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, my mind often takes me back to playing the Gamelan and its unique structures. As a student music therapist, I can only speculate at this point, but perhaps it may not always be useful, to consciously incorporate aspects of Gamelan performance into your clinical sessions. However, I can certainly see how on an unconscious level, being influenced by something like the Gamelan, can add different dimensions to your personal therapeutic processes.