Sound Artventure

Performance of Mate Band

Pelita Harapan University?s holistic education emphasizes on knowledge, faith, and character. Students are encouraged, apart from performing well in the classroom, to take part in a wide range of campus activities; be it research, social service, spiritual development, art and culture, and sports. The university has its own Department of Art that focuses on facilitating and maintains forward progress in terms of art and cultural activities for the students. This is also meant to reinforce the ?Accelerated Program? implemented starting from the 2013/2014 academic year.

A music competition is being held on November 21 – 22, 2012 by the Department of Art. This event, aptly named ?Sound Artventure?, faithfully takes its principal idea from Psalm 149:3 ?Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.?

The juries (left to right): Yehuda as Band’s instructor, Melita Meliala as Sing’s instructor, and Boy Marpaung as Manager of Department of Art

“Holistic education is not merely about scientific knowledge, but also about art. These musical groups competing in this event must possess good teamwork. What matters here is eliminating all the selfishness and being passionate to each other to play a tune in harmony. Students from around the campus, regardless of their department and social status, gather to appreciate and understand each other,? explains Boy Marpaung, manager for the Department of Art.   Just before entering the competition, a workshop was held around mid-September to brief and introduce the participants to their fellow teammates.

?As many as eighty participants from thirty groups signed up and the number was reduced to fourteen. Afterwards, going into the elimination round, five groups cancelled their participation. The remaining nine groups came out of some kind of ?natural selection? ?survival of the fittest,? adds Mr. Boy Marpaung.

Sound Artventure is divided into two main stages: semi-final round held on November 21-22, 2012 at the Caf? of Art, and final round, coming in March 2013. The apparent struggle in forming the participating music groups is somehow the reason why there will only be two rounds. No genre differentiation is applied and the only technical qualification is a song has to be either acoustic or electric.

?At the moment, we are not being strict on a song?s criteria; yet, they are required to play songs of their own creation. If they win, the song will go into recording room and pose as theme song for TV opera soap or a movie; while First Media Production will help realize the music video. The participants are judged based on the musical technicality, the song?s interpretation, how courteous the band?s stage act and attitude on the stage are, and if they can make the audience engrossed in their song,? Mr. Boy further explains.

There is always a reason behind every action. According to him, the committee would like to get more university students involved in this Department of Art since art creates taste and the taste, in turn, becomes an important aspect of to balance and improve our lives by fusing it with logic.

?This event has another side advantage of promoting Department of Art, particularly students? activity on music/band group. We think there is a chance for them to know more about how music can create profitable industry. What we are doing here is preparing the skill, mentality, and their spirituality in order not to get too shocked when they enter the industry,? as stated by Mr. Boy.

For registration and detailed information on Department of Art, please visit https://www.uph.edu/. This is inclusive of students of all majors and any batches. (tna)