Beyond the Classroom: How Music Created Community for Fulbright Scholar

Lovinta Atrinawati has spent the past three years at Florida State University pursuing a doctorate in the School of Information through the Fulbright Doctoral Program. Originally from Indonesia, she expected her time at FSU to be focused primarily on academic work. Along the way, however, she also discovered an unexpected source of community, global connection and personal growth through the College of Music’s Balinese Gamelan Ensemble.

Atrinawati became involved with the ensemble after reconnecting with instructor Nick Montoya, whom she knew through Tallahassee’s Indonesian community. At the start of the fall semester, Montoya invited her to attend a rehearsal and encouraged her to experience the music firsthand. He explained that in Indonesia, gamelan is performed for many occasions including temple ceremonies, festivals, weddings and tourist performances. Once rehearsal began, Atrinawati found the ensemble’s sound uplifting and immediately felt welcomed by the group. When she learned she could register for the ensemble, she enrolled—an experience she now considers one of the highlights of her time at FSU.

Atrinawati performed with the ensemble in Opperman Music Hall at the end of the Fall 2025 semester. She described the experience as both exciting and nerve-racking, noting that performing on stage still feels new to her. As the piece concluded, she was surprised by how quickly the time had passed. “Somewhere during the last few minutes of the piece, I caught myself thinking, ‘Wait… is it already ending?’” she recalled.

Drawing from her own experience, Atrinawati encourages other international students to explore the wide range of opportunities at Florida State that can enrich their time on campus beyond academics. “It’s not just about getting credits on your transcript—it’s really about the experience,” she explained. “I’m Indonesian, but I had never played any musical instrument or even touched a Balinese gamelan before. Somehow, here in the U.S., I learned to play it and that feeling alone was amazing. After taking this course, I learned to appreciate my own culture more. Joining the ensemble also opened the door to meeting students from different departments.”

For Atrinawati, taking that first step outside her comfort zone led to new friendships, a deeper sense of belonging and one of the most memorable parts of her university journey.