Back to School
I had been on sabbatical long enough to have almost forgotten what life in a formal institution of learning was like. My visit with Dr. Supardjian to the School of the Performing Arts in Yogya was a happy reminder of the life I had left behind in Massachusetts.
In the Kraton and also at other major sites in Central Java like the temples of Prambanan and Borobudur, it was interesting to observe that, unlike Bali where most tourists were international, the majority of the tourists were Indonesians. The few that I met revealed a passionate interest in Indonesia’s historic and cultural legacy. This was evident in the classes I observed, as well. Especially in the music classes where I watched students rehearsing on a wide variety of percussion instruments (gamelan, xylophones, drums, gongs, etc.), it was evident that there was a mature commitment and seriousness and a sense that their studies were in some way preserving their national patrimony. As an article published in the New York Times at the same time I was on Java reported, some of these traditional performing arts in Indonesia are beginning to die out for lack of interest. It takes the perseverance and commitment of these teachers and students to keep them alive.
