Stay in the Music. Grow Your Skills. Be Part of It.
Finished our free beginner class, or have musical experience you're ready to put to work? Consider diving deeper into gamelan by joining our Javanese gamelan community ensemble! The community group is where the journey continues, this is where students go from learning the basics to genuinely inhabiting the music, with long-term students learning more skills and eventually preparing to join us in performances around Buffalo. It is one of the most fun, rewarding, and meaningful ways to stay involved with gamelan and Nusantara Arts over the long term. There is a place in the community gamelan for people of all skill levels.
What You'll Do
Learn traditional Javanese gamelan compositions on our full bronze gamelan set, originally brought to Buffalo from Java. Rehearsing together week after week, you'll find your skills deepening in ways that solo practice never quite allows. The music of Java rewards patience and immersion, and the community ensemble is the ideal environment for both. You'll develop your skills across multiple instruments, from the foundational saron and demung to more advanced instruments like bonang, gender, and gambang, ehearsing together as a real ensemble. Sessions are led in a traditional Javanese community style.
Perform (if you want to). Community Gamelan is the pathway to performing with Nusantara Arts. We play many events across Buffalo and Western New York each year, at festivals, cultural venues, and alongside incredible guest artists from Indonesia. Performers are sometimes compensated for gigs, which can help offset class fees. Performing is optional, but it's one of the most rewarding parts of being in the group.
You do not need to feel fully "ready" before joining — many students take our six-week course and choose to join the community group right after! The music of Java rewards patience and immersion, and many people begin where you might be now: with curiosity, a little bit of experience, and a desire to keep learning.
We would love to have you on this journey with us!
FAQ's
Is there a fee? While the intro classes have been made completely free by the generous donations of our supporters for 2026, the community gamelan class operations do necessitate the support of participants with a class fee donation for it to all work. We use a sliding scale so that cost is never a barrier to participation. Choose the level that fits your situation — no questions asked. We want people to be here who want to be and if you can contribute that's great, if not that's ok too. Many participants choose the quarterly recurring or monthly recurring options for ease, and you can change your amount at any time.
Do I have to perform? No, performing is optional. Not all people who participate in community gamelan perform, it's your choice! Community gamelan is the gateway to performing with our performance troupe though. Nusantara Arts performs many small and medium sized performances a year! It's really fun being involved in ensemble music making, and practicing for performances at interesting venues and often with incredible guest artists. There is occasionally payment for performing.
Can I join if I don't have any experience playing music? We recommend that those with no experience first take our free six-week introductory course. They're completely beginner friendly and allow you to dip your toes into gamelan before jumping in!
When do you meet?
Rehearsals
Every Sunday from 6:30-9:00pm
Wednesday 7-9:00pm
Teacher: Matt Dunning
Founder and Executive Director of Nusantara Arts, Matt started playing gamelan music in 2006 while living in Chicago and developed a deep understanding of Javanese performance and cultural practices while living in Solo, Central Java from 2011-2013. Matt has been fortunate to study with some of the best gamelan musicians in Java and the US including Darsono Hadiraharjo, Heri Purwanto, Hartono, and Wakidi Dwidjomartono. Matt just returned from two months in Indonesia where is was able to continue his studies of Javanese gamelan as well as visit Bali for the first time in preparation for the launch of Nusantara Arts new Balinese gamelan music ensemble.