BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

SEKOLAH Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri (STPRI) claimed the championship title in the 21st National Gulingtangan Competition for Secondary Schools and Colleges with a top score of 83.5 per cent.

Coming in second and third place were Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah School with a score of 82.5 per cent and Rimba II Secondary School with 81.3 per cent.

A total of six groups from schools in the Brunei-Muara district performed in the final national gulingtangan competition held at Rimba II Secondary School.

Winning the competition for STPRI yesterday boiled down to their music selection and the variation of the melody, said the Head Judge Hj Mohd Abu Yazid Hj Damit.

Participants who competed in the annual event yesterday has shown remarkable improvements in playing the traditional instruments, he added.

“There has been tremendous improvements amongst these competitors in the composition of their music and the combination of the way they play traditional and contemporary instruments together,” said the head judge.

“Besides the way they play, they must take their actions and their discipline into consideration for their traditional number such as the way they sit during the performance which should be in line with the traditional Bruneian way of playing the gulingtangan,” he added.

Present as the guest of honour was the Chairman of the Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Board, Pg Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman Pg Seri Indera Pg Hj Ismail.

Following his arrival, a welcoming speech was delivered by the Principal of Rimba Secondary School, Hj Malai Shah Eran Syed Hj Yussof.

In his speech he reminded the students to keep on fostering a sense of love and awareness of the importance in preserving and safeguarding Bruneian cultural arts.

“Let us instil our Malay identity through our traditional music,” he said in his speech.

He added that considering the competition has been ongoing for two decades now, it provides itself as an opportunity to take the competition and the art of playing gulintangan to a higher level.

Speaking to a member of the champion group, Zianatul Rasyidah Nasib said it took less than a month of training before participating in the competition.

“It wasn’t easy as we had to properly manage our time and at the same time focus, but it’s something we all hold close to our heart so we don’t mind the extra hard work,” said the 16-year-old, noting that they would practice with their gulingtangan coach after school hours.

The competition is one of the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) Curriculum Development Department’s (CDD) to help preserve Bruneian cultural arts and to help youths appreciate and enjoy the said art.

The Brunei Times