Games Unplugged! Dolanan Anak,Traditional Javanese Children’s Singing Games in the 21st-Century General Music Classroom

Abstract

Educated in a digital world, millennial children lack social interaction and actual hands-on activities involving tactile and kinesthetic training. To counteract this educational trend, traditional singing games that allow children to explore and make sense of their world physically can be valuable. This article introduces the traditional Javanese children’s singing games, dolanan anak, and their function in developing children’s cognitive and social skills. Children learn to follow rules and commands; acquire general information about themselves, their family, and their natural environment; and internalize sociocultural values, such as collaboration. The article also highlights the culturally specific musical characteristics of the songs, tembang dolanan anak, for example, the traditional Indonesian gamelan principles, such as tuning systems and the concept of stratified polyphony. In addition, it presents teaching strategies and ideas modified for music teachers to incorporate dolanan anak into their curriculum to meet the national standards and the goal of globalized education.