This paper introduces KuliVersity, an innovative and community-centered educational initiative designed by Pantayo, a Toronto-based queer Filipino musical collective, aimed at broadening access to kulintang, an Indigenous gong ensemble tradition from the Southern Philippines. Co-authored by KuliVersity co-founder and Pantayo band member Kat Estacio and ethnomusicologist André Lorenz Feria, this study critically examines the program’s practical strategies for reducing barriers to participation and promoting culturally sustaining pedagogies beyond traditional institutional frameworks.Building upon Estacio’s extensive experience facilitating KuliVersity workshops across diverse community contexts and Feria’s ethnomusicological perspectives on diasporic Filipino music, the paper analyzes the project’s pedagogical structure. KuliVersity emphasizes oral transmission, embodied learning, storytelling, improvisation, and interactive participation, which are methods deeply informed by Philippine musical and pedagogical practices. These strategies resonate with ethnomusicological scholarship, including Rodriguez-Carranza’s (2016) work on oral and embodied pedagogies, Guadalupe et al.’s (2023) research on music curriculum contextualization, and Nono’s (2013) studies of Indigenous epistemologies, all of which emphasize relational knowledge transmission and community grounding.Freire’s (1970) work on critical pedagogy also provides a vital lens for situating KuliVersity. By framing music learning as dialogical and participatory rather than hierarchical, KuliVersity aligns with Freire’s vision of education as an emancipatory act. The workshops intentionally create spaces where learners are co-creators of knowledge rather than passive recipients, fostering cultural affirmation and agency, particularly for participants who may not see their musical heritages reflected in mainstream educational contexts.Through participant observations and facilitator reflections, we demonstrate how KuliVersity effectively navigates common challenges associated with introducing unfamiliar instruments and musical traditions to diverse learner populations, such as initial intimidation, perceived cultural barriers, and the complexities inherent in diasporic identity formation. The paper highlights practical methods KuliVersity employs to create welcoming, accessible spaces that encourage intercultural dialogue, collaborative musical engagement, and shared cultural understanding among participants from varied musical backgrounds.Our findings reveal that informal, community-based music initiatives like KuliVersity possess substantial potential to foster inclusive educational environments by emphasizing relational learning and communal creativity rather than hierarchical instruction. These insights provide actionable strategies and replicable frameworks for music educators and community facilitators seeking to incorporate culturally responsive, accessible, and community-oriented approaches into their practice.Ultimately, this collaborative study positions KuliVersity as a powerful example of how Indigenous and diasporic musical practices can be mobilized outside formal institutions to strengthen community ties, affirm cultural identities, and promote collective learning through inclusive, accessible, and decolonial pedagogical practices.