Prof. Agus Sardjono, Professor of Intellectual Property Law and an Avid Band Player
The title Professor in a university always gives the impression of an intellectual figure with a frowning forehead, sunglasses at the tip of his nose, and seems to be drowned in a pile of books. A life that is filled with academic studies and theoretical discourse seems to leave no leisure time for artistic taste such as music.
However, it is a different story with Professor Agus Sardjono who is skilled in playing guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, kettledrum (gendang), ketipung, to a variety of other musical instruments. Professor of Intellectual Property Law (IP Law) Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia (FHUI) has been loving music since childhood. This professor who is fond of rock music has started to play music as a band player since junior high school.
In between his attendance at the final event of National Online Debate League (Liga Debat Hukum Online Nasional—LDHON) 2016, with easygoing style, Prof. Agus revealed his family background in Melayu Orchestra that was run by his father’s family as the beginning of his musical journey. “I used to just try to play musical instruments that were all over the place at home”, he said.
Prof. Agus’s journey in music as a hobby never really left out in the cold even until college. He is always in the orbit of the boy band community and the gig routine. At the same time, he has a growing academic achievement that leads him to be an expert on Intellectual Property Rights in Indonesia.
Prof. Agus whose fondness in music ranging from Koes Ploes to heavy metal and hard rock like Led Zeppelin, The Purple, and Black Sabbath, even claimed to gain a lot of inspiration in his intellectual journey to become a Professor because of his hobby in music.
To hukumonline, he recounted that the ability to think freely and openly to produce scientific works related to the philosophy of music that he loves. The taste of art gives the motivation to not be fixated to a particular view only including in one scientific opinion.
Prof. Agus admitted to enjoy exploring many literature references to satisfy his curiosity rather than just being satisfied with the explanation of lecturers in the classroom. Even in learning, he has a habit listening to heavy metal music. “It just comes in (the knowledge) while listening to heavy metal. If it’s too quiet, I just drift into daydreaming”, said the man who was born in Jakarta, August 16, 1955 while laughing.
His hobby and his field of study go hand in hand. His social circle also includes a number of top musicians in the country. A number of musicians such as Katon Bagaskara, Yovie, Adi Kla Project, are some of the names he calls to hang out. The reason, Prof. Agus also actively involves as the Chairman of the Legal Division of Association of Artist, Singers, Songwriters and Musicians of the Republic of Indonesia.
After becoming Professor, Prof. Agus co-founded a band whose personnel are Professors at Universitas Indonesia. The band called “The Professor Band” has even performed on the Java Jazz Festival stage several times. In this band, Prof. Agus plays a guitar instrument.
Not only music, Prof. Agus who has a mini studio with a number of complete musical instruments at home also enjoys writing songs with his friends. Although these songs are usually performed in a limited community, he is also known to share his album of songs to students in class as a gift if they succeed answering a pop quiz.
This 61-year-old man enjoys this hobby as a pleasure that he enjoys just like that. To him, Professor’s stereotype as a forgetful person who has no taste for art is no longer relevant. He has shown that the world of music as a band player can coexist with academic world as a Professor of Intellectual Property Rights.
Prof. Agus said to enjoy every hobby and activity and to do consistently whatever the main profession.
This article was published in http://www.hukumonline.com/berita/baca/lt583d269369c3f/prof-agus-sardjono–guru-besar-hki-yang-doyan-ingeband-i
