<![CDATA[This study examines the Talo Balak ensemble as a ritual-musical system in the Begawi tradition of Pepadun communities in Way Tenong, West Lampung, Indonesia, and considers its conceptual relevance for culturally responsive music education. Using a qualitative interpretative ethnomusicological design, data were collected from March to October 2025 through participant observation of four complete Begawi ceremonies, in-depth interviews with twelve purposively selected informants (penyimbang adat, experienced penabuh, and ritual organizers), and audio-visual documentation. The analysis followed data condensation, display, and verification procedures, with musical cues coded across ritual stages and interpretations checked with senior informants. Findings indicate that Talo Balak is organized through differentiated instrument roles, recurrent tabuh patterns, and performance sequences that correspond with key ritual phases: guest welcoming, deliberation, title conferral, and closing. In the observed ceremonies, the ensemble was regarded as necessary for ceremonial completeness and as a medium through which piil pesenggiri, customary authority, collective memory, and Pepadun identity are publicly enacted. The study contributes a context-bound ethnomusicological account of how musical structure and ritual practice mutually reinforce cultural identity. It also offers a cautious, non-empirical pedagogical synthesis that maps selected ritual-musical elements onto possible music education applications. Because no teachers, students, schools, or curriculum trials were included, these pedagogical propositions should be treated as hypotheses for future community-validated implementation research rather than as evidence of instructional effectiveness.]]>
