The Gamelan Project 2026 - A Powerful Opportunity for Cultural Enrichment and Inclusion delivered by SMS this Summer.
This summer, through The Gamelan Project, Sussex Music School, in partnership with Varndean School, provided a unique opportunity for children in Years 4-10 across 12 schools in Sussex. With Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants funding, workshops were delivered completely free of charge and transport costs subsidised, removing financial barriers and ensuring equitable access for schools and pupils alike.
Based at Varndean School, using their onsite Javanese Gamelan, the project offered an immersive musical and cultural experience that brought children together through collaboration, creativity and shared achievement. For many pupils, this was their first, unforgettable encounter with a traditional Indonesian Gamelan.
One participating school reflected that the children "absolutely loved it and were in awe of the Gamelan." (Head of Music, Thomas a Becket Junior School). Meanwhile, another described how pupils remained captivated from the first unveiling of the instruments through to their final performance and, as shown below, this experience clearly stayed with them after leaving the workshops.
"When we were back at school the next day we shared our experiences again and the children's reflections were fascinating. They reflected how the gamelan experience was music felt, not heard. The children talked about the bodily experience of playing the instrument lots. They also were expressing how the gamelan 'held them' - even those children who were less confident with music felt that they were creating and performing at a high level." (Head of Music, Annan School)
At a time when many schools face increasing budget pressures, The Gamelan Project demonstrates how high-quality cultural enrichment can be made accessible to all. By providing workshops free of charge and funding transport, Sussex Music School wants to remove practical and financial barriers that might otherwise prevent pupils from participating, ensuring that cultural experiences are not limited by circumstance but available to every child. Thomas A Becket Juniors have a fantastic video on their Facebook page, linked below.
To express you interest in next year's project please use the form for Gamelan 2027 .
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