The Spoken and the Unspoken: A Pedagogical Perspective on Balinese Gamelan

This article considers the pedagogy of gamelan ensembles outside Indonesia, drawing on my experiences as both learner and teacher of Balinese gamelan as well as on the voices of my teachers, students, and colleagues across the transnational gamelan community. The article has two distinct halves, which are designed to complement and nuance one another but may also be read independently. Part I is more theoretical and big-picture, presenting some of the logistical and ethical decisions one might need to make when leading a gamelan ensemble outside Indonesia. I approach these questions through discussions of goal setting, repertoire choices, the concept of “tradition,” the potential value of student composition, and the possible role of notation in gamelan pedagogy. Part II is a practical discussion of pedagogical technique.