LITERACY, EQUALITY & CREATIVITY THROUGH GAMELAN

Date:          Wednesdays, 18 May - 15 June 2005, 5 - 8pm

Location:    Queen’s University Belfast Campus.

This is a 5 week course that used tutor's experiences of learning to play gamelan to encourage and develop the use of variety of creative methodologies in their practice.

What is a gamelan?
A gamelan is an orchestra of percussion instruments from Indonesia that includes metallophones (glockenspiel-like instruments), gongs and drums. 

Who can play?
No musical experience or qualification is necessary. Anyone can play the gamelan regardless of age or ability.  Most players sit on the floor with their legs  crossed, but if this is not possible, most instruments can be moved or raised to an appropriate level.

As a literacy tutor, why learn to play gamelan?

• use your learning experience to explore and develop the supports needed to implement various creative methodologies in your practice.
• use your experiences of playing gamelan to examine issues of equality and diversity within adult literacy education
• try something different and have some fun!

Note
There are two gamelans in Belfast - one is housed wihtin the School of Anthropological Studies at QUB, the other is owned by Open Arts, a commubity-arts organisation based at the Crescent Arts Centre.  Various community groups use these gamelans for both one-off music workshop sessions and residency projects that last up to several weeks.  So it is possible to arrange for a group to experience gamelan session[s].