Indonesian Music, Culture Explored At The Potomac School In McLean

MCLEAN, VA — Students from The Potomac School in McLean participated in an educational program with visiting musicians, who showed the children about the angklung, an Indonesian musical instrument made from bamboo.

The program was organized in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia.

Each angklung instrument produces a single note or chord, so several players must collaborate in order to play melodies. Angklung music promotes the values of teamwork and social harmony.

“Angklung represents what it means to come together, as a community, to make a beautiful melody,” said Aryati Peach, angklung conductor and teacher, who taught the lesson to students in The Potomac School’s Lower School.

“The instrument, on its own, cannot make a melody; thus, you need togetherness — which is why it is important that we share this lesson with others,” Peach said.

The Potomac School’s youngest students attend its Lower School. The Potomac School also has middle, intermediate and upper schools for its students, providing a learning environment for grades K-12.

Dr. Donnette Echols, head of The Potomac School's Lower School, had organized previous educational programs with local embassies at her previous school, Reid Temple Christian Academy in Maryland. She maintained contact with Tricia Sumarijanto, leader of the House of Angklung, a community performance group in D.C. that has received support from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia.

Echols saw an opportunity to bring angklung educators to The Potomac School and worked with Sumarijanto and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in D.C. to organize the program.

As part of the program, students learned how and where the instruments are made, the significance of using bamboo, and the geographical layout of Indonesia and its more than 17,000 islands.

“In angklung music, one person represents one note. So, to make music, we need unity, diversity, and even tolerance. Angklung music requires listening to others and playing your role,” said Professor Diah Ayu Maharani, educational and cultural attaché at the Embassy of the Republic Indonesia.

Maharani attended the program in support of bringing awareness of the instrument and Indonesian culture to The Potomac School’s students.

Music and arts faculty members from The Potomac School also attended the program, where they learned about the angklung and other Indonesian arts and traditions.

“By its very nature, angklung music involves cooperation and community — concepts that we emphasize at Potomac,” Echols said in a statement. “Today’s lesson was a beautiful example of making connections between cultures and individuals.”

The Potomac School is an independent coeducational day school that enrolls 1,066 students.