Cultivating New Flowers

By examining the self-narrative of college Balinese gamelan teacher Dewa Ketut Alit Adnyana, the chapter juxtaposes and recontextualizes key themes from the entire volume, including the construction of musical lineages, transnational artistic communities, personal negotiations of artistic and social status, pedagogical creativity, and personal sacrifice. Biography is presented as an important medium for understanding the impact of teaching and performance; ethnomusicology, as a field that constitutes a way of life rather than a professional occupation alone. The chapter concludes with suggestions for creating more sustainable academic world music communities, including improving access and representation, and for reconsidering the distinctive and powerful role that ensembles can play in cultivating cultural and artistic diversity in higher education.