Members of IPG TAR’s Semester 5 music majors taking part in the first-ever ‘Gemersik Dendangan Asli’ held in the Kota Samarahan campus.
Participants performing the very animated ‘Dikir Gemersik’.
Instrumentalists showcasing their talents during the ‘Sound of Forest’ segment.
The trainees cleverly combining elements of ‘caklempong’ and ‘gamelan’ during the The Ding and Clang’ segment.
KOTA SAMARAHAN: The Teachers Training Institute Tun Abdul Razak Campus (IPG TAR) here recently hosted a cultural night, aimed at celebrating the diversity and uniqueness of traditional Malaysian music.
Twenty-six Semester 5 students from the Music Education Faculty performed during the first-ever ‘Gemersik Dendangan Asli’, which came under the prerequisite ‘Malaysian Music’ subject of their syllabus to be assessed by lecturer Abdul Latif Poli.
The showcase comprised three segments, namely ‘Dikir Gemersik’, ‘Sound of Forest’ and ‘The Ding and Clang’.
“I was so impressed by the performances, proving that the trainees are indeed very committed when it comes to showcasing their talents. I hope that after this, they would be able to teach their peers and later, the future generation all about traditional music,” said Abdul Latif.
The ‘Dikir Gemersik’ was a combination of rhythms and melodies of the country’s folk songs including the ‘Lenggang Kangkung’, ‘Dikir Puteri’ and ‘Wau Bulan’.
The ‘Sound of Forest’, on the other hand, was inspired by the rainforests of Borneo. It came in a seamless culmination that derived from the festive melodies of the Kadazandusun tribe and the serenity of traditional Kenyah tunes.
Finally, ‘The Ding and Clang’ could be described as a delightful ‘gongs galore’, combining the ethnic rhythms of Malaysia’s ‘caklempong’ and Indonesia’s ‘gamelan’ ensembles.
Head of programme Alva Samjun said the cultural extravaganza presented the opportunity for both participants and guests, especially the youths, to gain more knowledge about traditional music and its array of instruments.
“Traditional music has seen better days. It seems that it is being gradually forgotten by the younger generation, primarily due to the rising popularity of modern musical genres.
“We hope that we would be able to bring back the knowledge (about traditional music) and expose it to people from all walks of life, so that they can learn to appreciate it as well,” he said, adding that the IPG students took one month to prepare for the inaugural event.