Singing about Indonesia’s culture to the world

On weekends, most children and teenagers living in big cities like Jakarta like to spend their time hanging out in malls.

But not this gang of kids. They spend 8 hours every Saturday and Sunday (and Fridays, too, sometimes) partaking in a rather uncommon activity: singing. Believe it or not, these children love singing and dancing so much they would rather skip family holidays than miss out on choir practice. Meet the Glee Club of Indonesia: The Cordana’s Indonesian Children’s Choir (PSAI, Paduan Suara Anak-anak Indonesia).

Established by Aida Swenson, one of Indonesia’s noted musicians, the PSAI’s mission is to focus on reviving Indonesian folk music, reshaping and changing it into a new form of singing and dancing for children.

In the capable hands of these children, the Sundanese folk song Es Lilin has been turned into an attractive singing and dancing performance. One of the choir’s masterpieces is the Rampai Aceh synchronized dance.

The children perform this fast-paced and thrilling theatrical show with such exuberance that they always receive the longest applause on their tours overseas.

For the children, choir practice is more than just singing and dancing. It is a lesson in discipline and hard work. “When I started, I found it very difficult,” says Karel, aged 12.

But Joseph Lumbangaol, Karel’s proud father and one of the organizers for PSAI, says his son won’t go on weekend family outings anymore because he hates to skip choir practice.

When asked what they wish to accomplish with the choir, some of the children give answers way beyond their age. Bramantya for example hopes that singing Indonesian folk songs will remind Indonesia’s younger generation to love their own culture.

“Indonesia’s culture will be in our hands, when the older generation is gone, so it’s our responsibility too,” says Bramantya.

“Who says children can’t do anything? This is what we do now, to preserve the culture of Indonesia,” another choir singer, Claudia, says proudly.

Singing songs from different ethnic groups and religions, teaches these youngsters to be tolerant.

Yet their journey is filled with challenges, one of them being music arrangement. According to Aida Swenson, it is very difficult to find a scholarly musical arranger in Indonesia, who can provide the arrangement for folk music. Folk music consists of simple melodies that need to be transformed into choral work, without altering the soul of the music itself.

Because musical education in Indonesia is lacking, the PSAI sometimes needs to seek for foreign support to make arrangements for their music.

“We need to draw more attention to musical research and education in Indonesia,” says Swenson, a request which echoes the opinion of many other musicians in the country.

From July 22 to July 13, PSAI Cordana will be on tour again: this time to the US for a concert in the prestigious Strathmore Hall, Washington DC, and to Canada to attend Festival 500, a world festival of choral music. Their tour is based on a movement called “Youth in Connection” by Nusantara Foundation, an Indonesia-US friendship organization. The foundation promotes a spirit of cross-religious and cross-cultural cooperation, which PSAI Cordana fits very well.