As instrumental world music ensembles such as steel pan, mariachi, gamelan and West African drums are becoming more the norm than the exception in North American school music programs, there are other world music ensembles just starting to gain popularity in particular parts of the United States. The kulintang ensemble, a drum and gong ensemble that originated in the Philippines, is one example of such an ensemble. Kulintang ensembles are easily accessible to general music students because of the percussion instrumentation and repetitive patterns of melodic contour. Such ensembles may be particularly successful in areas with large Filipino American populations.
