Most of people understand that Indonesia has many cultures which spread in every island, province, from the west corner to the east corner. Those thousands cultures have different philosophical histories so that have distinguish ways in action. In fact, those cultures have the prodigious value and different benefits for many societies especially for the local community or the culture’s player itself. In fact, not only humanities and culture’s researchers but also psychologists concluded that cultures can help people to feel happiness and togetherness with others. Traditions can also bring them up to the peak of psychological well being.
Through the trace, the raise of culture in Indonesia cannot be separated with the music. Indonesia’s music identity has started to be formed since the migration of bronze culture era to Indonesia during the third and second century BC. The musical instruments of Indonesia’s traditional ethnics have been using percussion instruments generally, such as gendang and gong. Some instruments have been developed and branched to become extraordinarily complicated and different but still have a very beautiful sound, like Sasando from Rote Island, Angklung from West Java, and Gamelan which has extremely complex systems to play from Bali and Java province. These instruments always accompany the dance traditions and customary ceremonies, for instance, Jaranan dance, Jaipong dance, Ngremo dance, Ngaben ceremony, Ruwatan, Kenduri, and many more. By these instruments, many traditional songs have been raised and sung over among ancients to their generation as the tale, story or just the small consolations.
On the other hand, in the correlation of musical psychology knowledge, all of the problems that may confront a music psychologist, none is perhaps more necessary than to explain listeners’ reactions to music. Some kinds of musical experiences are the basis for every musical activity, regardless of whether it involves composing, performing, or listening to music. Several studies have suggested that the most common goal of musical experiences is to influence emotions: People use music to change emotions, to release emotions, to match their current emotion, to enjoy or comfort themselves, and to relieve stress (Behne dalam Juslin & Vatsval, 2008). These functions have proved the real advantages of music for active of passive player. Moreover, these functions have been retested in the major of indigenous psychology through the different music or instruments, through the different culture which brought that music. In addition, indigenous psychology is trying to make people comprehend about the similarity and the difference of human functions in psychological side, through the culture and ethnic groups by the connection between the change of behavior or different attitudes and socio-cultures, biologically, and ecologically.
Indeed, the most surprising news is that the other 80% researches nowadays for healing and psychological well being are invoking music. It means that music has been a big influence for the science development among its functions. For example, In Africa, music as a healing therapy has been a part of general indigenous theme. In Indonesia, Safaria (2013) has tested the efficacy of breathing-relaxation training through Javanese Gamelan music to reduce job stress response among teachers at special needs school. He concluded that Javanese Gamelan music can reduce job stress response of the teachers significantly, especially in the special needs school. The newest one, Rahmah (2015) by her research concluded that the players of Shalawat Albanjari music can improve their Well-Being in daily. Furthermore, they can increase their happiness and spirituality, by this way, they can control their attitudes or behavior and understand the way what supposed to do or not. However, there still many kinds of music that have not been tested yet, notably in Indonesia.
In the conclusion, the research findings lead us conclude that the functions of music are manifested in three principal ways for the individual, namely in the management of self-identity, interpersonal relationships and mood. This leads us to propose a new agenda for music psychology which places the social dimension at its core, and which considers the interdisciplinary context. By this reason, music not only becomes the important thing to entertain people but also more to influence the good thing to people for creating and producing the better things through the universe transformation, because music is a beautiful harmony comes from well-ordered sound waves. This wave can transform the human wave become oneness. In this world, there are still many music which developed by the local society and need to be covered as the most valuable medicine to improve generation’s happiness. Let us propagate the music as many as possible to scatter goodness to the others.
Author: Queen Rahma RZ
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