04 September 2024
Syafrijal S.Kom
Lecturers from the University of North Sumatra (USU) carried out community service entitled Improving the Quality and Marketing of Batak Toba Musical Instrument Production Through Modernization of Equipment and Empowerment of RJ Workshop Craftsmen in Pardomuan I Village, Pangururan District, Samosir Regency.
The service was chaired by a lecturer who is also the Vice Dean I of FIB USU Prof. Drs. Mauly Purba, M.A., Ph.D., with members Prof. Dr. Ir. Albiner Siagian, M.Sc., Drs. Yoe Anto Ginting, M.A., and Dr. Vanesia Amelia Sebayang, S.Sn, M.Sn.
Prof. Mauly Purba explained that the partners involved were members and managers of the 'RJ Workshop' Studio who were also the makers/craftsmen of ensemble instruments in the studio. Where the makers/craftsmen live around the 'RJ Workshop' studio in Pardomuan I Village, Pangururan District, Samosir Regency.
"The makers/craftsmen actively produce Batak Toba gondang sabangunan musical instruments, including: taganing (membranophone - single-head braced drum), ogung oloan, ogung ihutan, ogung panggora and ogung doal (suspended gong), and sarune bolon (double reeds-oboe). In addition, the craftsmen also make other instruments outside the instruments for the gondang sabangunan ensemble, such as hasapi (two stringed bout lute), garantung (wooden-xylophone) and sulim (transverse bamboo flute). As is known, traditional musical instruments and makers/craftsmen are an important part of the life and development of traditional Indonesian music," he said.
The ultimate goal of the initiator of this activity is not only to foster the community (in this case the members of the RJ Workshop studio) in maintaining their cultural identity, providing alternatives in increasing the income of the village community, how to manage and utilize unproductive trees but are very potential to be used as materials for making works of art (musical instruments), how to utilize the available space (village) and time, but how to make Pardomuan I Village and its surroundings also become villages that can support the lives and economy of the local community. In this perspective and for the benefit of the people of Pardomuan I Village, Zani Marbun has formed the RJ Workshop studio as an art activity group specifically engaged in the field of making Batak Toba ensemble instruments.
"With very limited capital, as well as simple manual supporting equipment and also limited in quantity, the activity of making Batak Toba ensemble instruments at RJ Workshop has been running for approximately one decade. They have produced a number of Batak Toba ensemble instruments and have been marketed locally and between provinces," said Prof. Mauly.
He explained that until now approximately 80 sets of Batak Toba ensemble instruments have been marketed. The problem currently being faced is that the RJ Workshop studio has not implemented productive time management and good human resource management as well as planned work methods that can be applied to provide quality and maximum production results.
"These musical instrument craftsmen have also not implemented a method of processing waste wood from making musical instruments which can actually be used to be processed into other creative artistic items. In addition, the RJ Workshop studio has also not implemented a method of marketing the instruments that have been completed in a planned manner both offline and online on social media platforms and e-commerce platforms to expand marketing. Another obstacle is that the RJ workshop does not yet have a production label, so it needs to create a trademark," he said.
In addition to the problems related to the management aspect, the RJ Workshop studio also faces fundamental technical obstacles, including problems related to the equipment for processing wood as a basic material that is incomplete and still manual, thus slowing down the process of making raw materials, in addition to the very minimal funding factor and the inability to support the procurement of raw materials. This is considered to be very disruptive to the continuity of work. Another fundamental problem is the need for carpentry equipment that is very much needed to facilitate the production of these musical instruments, including welding machines, drilling equipment, sawing machines and lathes.
"Therefore, through this community service, the solution that will be offered to the RJ Workshop studio is that the craftsmen need to be given an understanding of time management, human resource management, management of marketing production, introduction to the variety of raw materials for making musical instruments, and processing of leftover materials from making musical instruments," he said.
Source: https://analisadaily.com/berita/baca/2024/07/26/1054241/dosen-usu-pengabdian-masyarakat-untuk-meningkatkan-mutu-dan-pemasaran-produksi-instrumen-musik-batak-toba/
