Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It was a long holiday for students with the National Development University (UPN) Veteran in South Jakarta. Following exams recently, the students had a break and would only have classes again in September.
Although it was holiday time, several students were seen on the campus engaged in different activities.
A group of students gathered at the campus meeting point, popularly known as the Canopy.
""Students often spend time here. They have different activities such as reading, discussions or chatting,"" said Lean who studies Computer Science at the university.
That afternoon, however, Lean and his friends did not gather for discussion. They met at the Canopy for a choir practice.
The students are members of the university's choir Gita Advayatva, which means Unity of Voice in Sanskrit.
They had practiced for the previous five days in preparation for their performance at a graduation ceremony at the university's main auditorium.
Usually, members of the student choir practice twice a week. However, in preparation for particular event or competition they will have more days of intensive practice.
""This is only a routine event for us. Sometimes, we practice before a competition,"" Lean added.
The most recent event in which Gita Advayatva Choir took part was a choir competition organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry on April, at which the choir won first prize.
The choir also won trophies from competitions organized by state-run RRI radio station and another by Parahyangan University (Unpar) in Bandung, West Java.
At those competitions, the choir often sang different songs, be they patriotic, folk or pop. That is why the choir has to prepare carefully through practice.
For that purpose, the university has appointed Ignatius Budiono as choir director since it was established in 1986.
""Although the choir was established in 1986, we started to take part in competitions only from 1995,"" said Budi, another student.
To maintain the choir's skill, recruitment is a fairly stringent process. New students who wish to join the choir have to take a written test and an audition.
Usually, the new students have to possess a basic knowledge of music, musical notation and know a little about folksongs.
""Interviews are held to find out about the motivation of students,"" said Budi, a former chairman of the choir.
The new recruits will then take an audition to discover the timbre of their voice. This is necessary to meet the needs of the choir for tenors, basses, sopranos and altos.
Asked why he has interested in joining the choir, Budi said he was impressed by a senior who asked him to join. ""I like the way my seniors promoted this choir,"" he said.
Meantime, Lean said that he was interested in joining the choir because it developed a kind of brotherhood community among its members.
""The relations between members of the choir are not like those between seniors and juniors; it's more like what exists between family members,"" he said.
Lean added that he had been interested in singing since he was a kid. However, he was too shy to sing because his voice was not good enough.
By joining the student choir, Lean said, he now can sing together with friends.
""A choir is not a group of people who have a great voice. Indeed, it is a group of people who can harmonize their different voices,"" he said.
To harmonize and to unite members of the choir, Gita Advayatva has a ballad. It goes like this:
Gema suara yang tiada henti, lantunkan irama yang serasi Terdengar merdu kita bernyanyi, ungkapkan cinta dan suara hati Kemesraan kita rasakan bersama, berbagi rasa suka dan duka
(An endless tone, brings harmonious rhythm The melody we sing, to show love and conscience Affection we feel, sharing happiness and sorrow)
This ballad has proved to be powerful enough to maintain the choir's unity and harmony.
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|