The Melody I Strung Created a Bridge Between Countries
Learn how Audrey, a YES student from Indonesia has used music to connect to her host community in Pennsylvania!
I want to tell you all about a beautiful memory from my choir class. I was given the opportunity to introduce the Indonesian song called “Balonku” to my American friends and peers! We had a nationalism project in choir class, which means that we could sing any songs from America/other countries! The reason this project was a little tricky is because we had to incorporate two different songs – using one song for the lyrics and a different song for the melody. I worked with some of my classmates on this project and one of them suggested that we use an Indonesian song as our melody. Right as she suggested this, I was so excited. I was beyond grateful and proud to have this opportunity to share Indonesian music! Without any hesitation, I agreed!
At first, it was kind of difficult to learn the melody, because we used “Party in the USA” as our lyrics and we had to match the lyrics of that song with the Indonesian melody. However, we practiced a lot and after two weeks of practice in class, we were able to combine them beautifully. In class, we performed our song in front of everyone, and all my peers, friends, and teachers were intrigued and loved the combination! I played the guitar and sang, and my friends sang beautifully! I can’t put into words how proud I was to teach people about my culture - I was even able to tell them a short story behind the song too.
I was incredibly happy to have the opportunity to introduce my culture to my class and I am also proud to have friends who are eager to learn more about my culture and encouraged me to choose an Indonesian song as our melody. I can’t thank them enough for respecting and appreciating my country! I’ve grown so much during the exchange year and I love every opportunity to learn more while also sharing my love for Indonesia.
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