Music and Language

One of the highlights of GPS

Being not just a music student but a music junkie, I love listening to all sorts of music, especially music from other cultures, both modern and traditional. What really struck a chord in my heart during this GPS was the musical interaction between us and the locals. The Indonesians that we met are an incredibly musical bunch (perhaps it really is an islander characteristic, to whip out a guitar or ukulele and start singing - and with spontaneous harmony). In a sense I feel that the people we met in Indonesia like Febo, Ramses, Mala, the UPG patrol rangers at Aras Napal, even the van driver who blasted music through the van speakers, are more musical than a lot of music students in Singapore who, from my own observations, have the technical skills and theoretically knowledge, but when asked to jam on the spot, give you an uncomfortable face and genuinely look confused. It was very inspirational, how natural it is (and how natural it should be) to hold spontaneous jamming sessions, with a guitarlele, a harmonica, voices, a fanta aluminium can and Clorets mints as a substitute for maracas, and an empty water dispenser bottle as makeshift bongos. 

Apart from the spontaneity of music making during GPS, I loved the very act of making music together, because I have always believed that when you make music with someone, the type of relationship you form is of a very different nature than when you hold a conversation. I especially loved how there was an exchange of music going on, switching between the English songs and Indonesian songs (both modern and traditional). Learning another culture's music is also a good way to learn a little bit more about their culture and their language, like the traditional songs of Apuse, The Pisang and Kueh song as well as its Banjarese version 'Ampar Ampar Pisang', and the Bataknese Sik Sik Sibatumannikam. And is there is any bahasa our group learned, it would be the 4 lines of the chorus of "Ya Sudahlah", which was our Indonesian theme song throughout GPS. 

While talking to Ari during our stay at Cabin 2, we saw Rio running, being chased by someone else - both of them in the late 20s and acting like 10 year olds. Ari then brought up how important it is not to be so serious even when you're doing hard work like a reforestation project, and that letting your inner child to play is very important. We talked a lot about music and trees and how perhaps one of the reasons why the trees at Cabin 2 grow so well is because of the music always surrounding  and the "hati kita yang senang" (our happy hearts) when we plant, as Ari suggested. Going slightly off point here a bit, we were also talking about how many people especially in the city think that trees are like stones or statues. Ari believes that trees can hear and communicate, and he says that when he sees his tree, 

"The trees tell me, I need more water Ari, you must understand, 

because this is real life"

What I also liked about the musical journey in GPS was being able to talk to the locals about music and their experiences with it. Febo talked about how when he was young, he used to have a bad temper and get angry easily, but after picking up the guitar, playing music would calm him down and help him relax. Just as how being in nature has therapeutic and heal qualities, so does music. When I found out that Ramses is in a band (Terabetya) as the lead vocalist and keyboardist, I talked to him about songwriting and his experiences with music. He stressed a lot about how the best music is always when it comes from the heart, because that is when it is the most genuine. With regards to songwriting, he talked about how songwriting, like all music composition, is a great way to express how you feel, turning your experiences (good or bad) into art. 

It was really great to have conversations about music like this with them because its a topic that all cultures can share and resonate with, no matter how different your cultures are, and ultimately, I really have malay class to thank, because without knowing the language, it would be difficult to speak to some of the locals beyond "ini pohon atau rumput?" (is this a tree or weed?). I remember starting from last year, I was questioning whether what I learnt in Malay class would ever really be applied and I found out during OSL and GPS that it was. Though I definitely have to brush up on my Bahasa, especially my conversational skills, I'm glad I have the technical and more formal vocabulary already instilled in my brain from class, because of the interviews that I had to do, like the interviews for team restorasi and at the palm oil plantation. I now have something to really look forward to and motivate me during malay class, which is the motivation to learn better malay so I can communicate my ideas better to our friends in Sumatra when we decide to come back. Language, like music,is a medium for ideas and expression and really shouldn't be something to get so stressed up about, because the end goal for me isn't my IB malay paper anymore, but it's about the practical use of the language, and so GPS has made me see the practical use of a lot of the subjects that I learn, like music and malay and even a bit of biology and anthropology, and my learning of these classes came alive during GPS, because like anthropology for example, they taught me how to approach GPS, when interacting with different cultures. Perhaps why GPS felt so meaningful to me was partly because of this fact, that I could finally understand how I was connected to what I learn in school, which was quite comforting as a student, to know that I won't simply forget everything I learn after IB is over:)