Andy Gleadhill takes a detailed look at the Indonesian Gamelan – Standard – 30 Player Class Pack – Buddies. This 30 player Indonesian Gamelan pack is perfect for whole classes of pupils from age 6 upwards and for community groups of any age. This Standard Pack has top quality sound but is relatively compact and is the perfect choice if storage is tight or if you’ll need to move the Gamelan around to different settings. The pack contains all the items you need to get your own Gamelan ensemble off of the ground: playing, performing and composing.
There are large instruments for 15 players (three Gongs, a two-player 4 pan Bonang, a Balinese drum and 9 metallophones) and 15 sets of Ceng Ceng (Balinese cymbals), giving you a wide range of authentic Gamelan sounds and making it easy to split the group into pairs, each with a big and smaller instrument.
Also included are two teaching guides by world music expert Andy Gleadhill: Indonesian Gamelan and Percussion Buddies. The Indonesian Gamelan book will take you from basics through to your first performance in just 10 lessons and there’s plenty of repertoire for a year or more of playing with ten simple pieces, suggestions on teaching delivery and a blank resource to photocopy to assist with planning composition work. The Percussion Buddies book will show you how to develop percussion accompaniments for almost any piece, whether Gamelan, drumming, choral, ukulele or any ensemble.
Full details of the pack: https://www.drumsforschools.com/product/indonesian-gamelan-standard-30-player-class-pack-buddies-2/
The instruments are made in Bali using traditional methods and materials and have been specially modified for use in the classroom: the sturdy metal Gong stand can be dis-assembled into sections if you need to move it around, the metallophone casings are smooth and have rubber bases to protect the floor surface.