11/12/2013

[Mannam Korean Class] The third korean class

The third korean class starts in September 7th.

We help you to learn how to speak Korean from your very first steps all the way  to being able to speaking Korean fluently.

Languages take a lot portion  of your life. Because, language  is culture. In order to understand korean culture, it is the best way to learn Korean. We introduce  you to our culture.
Not only you can learn Korean, but also you can have chances to make good friends from all over the world.

There are  so many interesting things out in the class.
Why don't you come and join our korean class?
We hope to see you in class.



*Mannam Beginner Class
every sat 4:30~6:30pm
Gwang-An office
Teacher: Linda
 

 
*Mannam TOPIK Class
every sat 4:30~6:30pm
PKNU
Teacher: Joy


**Here is one of our students' thought on Mannam Korean Class & Mannam

Recently I've been attending a Korean classes for beginners.
This class is organized by Mannam and I have the priviledge of working with some wonderful teachers and classmates.
These teachers volunteer their time and efforts to teaching people from all over the world how to speak Korean.
In this class we learn how to read Hangul and some basic conversation topics.
I learn so much every week! The people at Mannan are not ordinary people.
They are special because they love you before they even know you!
They give their all in whatever they do. They help foreigners feel at home in another country by spreading their message of world peace through their actions.


Mannam is a global organization that has brought joy to many lives in Korea.
They not only provide services for those in need but provide a sense of community for Koreans and foreigners living in Korea.
Living as a foreigner in Korea, I've found comfort here; Mannam makes one feel at home.
Over the past year I have been involved in a number of Mannam events.
Last winter I participated in a volunteer event making Kimchi for those unable to make it themselves. I really enjoyed this event as it gave me insight on Korea's main traditional food and how it is made.
I also attended a Korean Cultural experience where participants learned about traditional Korean pottery and were taught how to create their own bowls and dishes from clay!
It was an exciting experience I will never forget,
--Stephanie Hill, USA



11/10/2013

[Mannam Korean Class] "Is the Korean Language Scientific?"


"Is the Korean Language Scientific?"

It is often said that Hangeul (한글) is one of the most scientific alphabets in the world, but I do not think I have ever heard that the Korean language, itself, is one of the world's most scientific languages. Nevertheless, in a Korea Times article, columnist Jon Huer asked the question, "Is the Korean language scientific?" His conclusion was essentially "No." Read the article HERE.

Jon Huer wrote the following:
In truly scientific systems, there are no inner and outer circles. But the Korean language is generally considered the most secretly-guarded code system among the world's major languages. There is no way an "outsider," who is not born into this circle, can crack the code of the Korean language, no matter how long one devotes oneself to its mastery. Its grammar and syntax are capable of so much situational variation and impromptu adaptation that only the native can get the feel of the language. Anyone who is encouraged by the scientific claim and tries to learn the language soon finds that he is merely scratching the surface after years of devoted study.
 

Koreans used to say quite often that the Korean language was too difficult for "foreigners" (outsiders) to learn, much less master, just as Mr. Huer has said in the above quote, but I never believed that and still do not believe it. Yes, the Korean language has been difficult for me to learn, but I think the main reason for that was that most of my Korean teachers did not know how to teach the language to foreigners and did not really expect me to learn it, anyway. Plus, I was a slow learner.

You cannot expect foreigners to "crack the (Korean) code" when Koreans, themselves, are still trying to crack it. When I started learning Korean, there were not many good books explaining the language to foreigners, teaching techniques were poor, and Korean teachers, themselves, did not really seem to know enough about their language to explain the problems foreigners were having. Moreover, it seemed that Korean teachers had low expectations for foreigners' learning Korean and seemed to teach accordingly. I often got the feeling that I was being taught as if I were a young child.

My very first Korean language lesson started with the Korean instructor pointing a pointer at animals on a chart and pronouncing their names in Korean. I do not remember their being anything written under the pictures, and even if there was Korean written under the pictures, we had not yet learned to read it. We were just supposed to memorize the names of the animals by repeating them one or two times after he pronounced them. The teacher taught with little or no enthusiasm, and discouraged questions. We were just supposed to follow his instructions. Children may be able to learn that way, but not me, nor many other adults, I would think.

When I first started speaking Korean, Koreans tended not to correct me. They would just smile, nod their head, and say in English, "You speak Korean very well," even if I had only said, "Annyeonghaseyo?" With such low expectations for foreigners, is it any wonder that so few of us ever became fluent in Korean?

These days things have changed a lot. Good books are starting to come out, Koreans are learning how to teach Korean to foreigners, and Koreans are expecting more from non-native Korean speakers and are correcting them when they make mistakes.

There is nothing especially difficult about the Korean language. Foreigners can learn the language if they and their teachers are motivated and have the right teaching and learning materials. In regard to Jon Huer's claim that foreigners are incapable of mastering the Korean language, I think Mr. Huer will be eating his words in a few years.
 

[Mannam Korean Class] Busan Fireworks Festival 2013



In October, Busan put on it's annual Fireworks Festival. This is one of my favorite times of the year!
 
 
 
 
This year Mannam invited our Korean class to watch the fireworks together. They organized a place for us to meet and even rented a space on top of the Seo-ho Hospital in Gwangan for us to watch the fireworks. 
 
 That evening my classmates and I got together to meet our teacher Linda. She met us at the subway station and walked us to the hospital. We got there just in time to watch the spectacular show where we had one of the best views in the city! In addition to watching fireworks, there were complimentary Kimchi rice balls, coffee, and green tea.
 

 
 
The experience was unforgettable and it was even better to share it with our wonderful teachers and all the students in Korean class. It was a magical night!


 

I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to participate and be involved with Mannan. Their love and kindness shows in everything they do. I believe world peace will be achieved because of organizations such as Mannan and the people who volunteer there.

11/02/2013

[MANNAM Korean Culture] An introduction to Gugak – Korean Traditional Music

You might already know that my PhD is about oral traditions and my focus lies in East Asia, especially Korea.
I often come across people who are curious, confused and sometimes even baffled that I’d write and study about Korea.
Most of them associate “Korea” with the Hallyu Wave (KDramas, KPop), cosmetics and politics – and don’t even think about the traditional music of Korea which has a variety of genres.That’s why I played around with the thought of making a brief beginner’s guide for people who plan on visiting Korea… and here it is!

gukak01.jpg


What is Gugak?The term gugak translates into “national music” and comprises roughly of two bigger genres, folk music and court music.
While court music includes ritual and aristocratic music like aak (imported from China), dang-ak (a fusion between Chinese and Korean court music) and hyang-ak (purely Korean), the folk music has p’ansori (vocal), sanjo (instrumental music), jeong-ak (instrumental and vocal music), nongak (“farmers’ music”, drumming, dancing, and singing), shinawi (shamanistic music) and salpuri (dance, related to shaman rituals).
Today, we also have newer additions to Korean Music, Changjak-gugak or Shin-gugak, newly-composed Korean traditional music and fusion gugak, with western elements.
I would like to give you a general overview of Korean Traditional Music and focus on two interesting topics, P’ansori and Fusion Gugak afterwards.
Hopefully, this article will give assistance to first time readers as well as gugak lovers.


InstrumentsOne unique aspect of Korean folk music you will come across, is the freedom a master musician possesses during the performance.
Improvisation during a concert, be it as soloist or ensemble, is allowed and depend on the personal preference of the musicians.
Popular instruments in Korean Traditional music are the plucked zither gayageum, fiddle haegeum, bamboo flute daegeum, hourglass-shaped drum janggu, which is the most prominent rhythm instrument in Korean music.
Inspired by the western orchestra, there are also orchestra like formations with traditional instruments in Korea, including a conductor.


Rhythm and TheoryOne unique aspect of Korean folk music you will come across, is the freedom a master musician possesses during the performance.
Improvisation during a concert, be it as soloist or ensemble, is allowed and depend on the personal preference of the musicians.
The basic rhythm in folk music are called jangdan (can also mean tempo, accent) and while they follow set patterns, it is expected that a skilled artist is able to improvise individually, using the patterns as foundation.



gukak02.jpg


Most used patterns are: jinyang (slow), jungmori (medium), jungjungmori (medium-fast), jajinmori (fast) and hwimori (very fast).
Referring the the “modes” in Korean Traditional Music, there are many “modes” for example in p’ansori, since a musical piece is not characterised through keys or mode but rather the nature of the melody itself.
Two essential and basic modes you’ll find in Korean Traditional Music are called gyemyeonjo (sad style) and ujo (majestic), both use a five-pitch scale without semitones (anhemitonic pentatonic scale).
*Sample video here.


Places to visitIf you are in Seoul, the National Gugak Center and the National Theater of Korea are the best places to catch a live performance by a master artist.
Both institutions have english websites with ticket hotlines, but usually you can get tickets on site without any problems.
Another interesting tip: the website of Gugak FM features video clips and daily radio broadcasts (some of them in English) and provides the latest news from the world of Gugak.
Universities with an own Gugak department also host regular concerts of students and masters.


Let’s talk about P’ansoriP’ansori became internationally recognized in 2003 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO.
It is being performed by a solo singer (sorikkun) and a drummer (gosu) and was formerly considered as an entertainment for the lower class, until the patronage by the yangban (upper class) made p’ansori popular.

Today, there are five surviving P’ansori, Chunhyangga, Simcheongga, Heungbuga, Sugungga and Jeokbyeokka and each one of them conveys are different message to the audience.
Previously the songs of one p’ansori were performed throughout the whole day or only pieces of it, as entertainment for a banquet or celebration for passing a government exam, but at the present day people expect a p’ansori performance by a master singer to be complete, hence performances can last between three to eight hours (with small breaks of course).


The five P’ansoriChunhyangga is a romantic love story about a woman, who endures hardships and stays faithful until her lover returns. Their relationship is not an usual one, as she is the daughter of a gisaeng (female entertainer) and he is of noble birth.
This famous story was retold in movies for the cinema and also in a modernized TV Series, Sassy Girl Chun Hyang.

Simcheongga emphasizes filial piety in showing the audience the sacrifice the girl Simcheong makes to give her blind father his eyesight back.
To regain his sight, the father promises a wandering monk hundred sacks of rice but because he is as poor as a beggar and can’t fulfill his promise to the monk, his daughter Simcheong sells herself to fishermen who are in need for a sacrifice for the water god.

Heungbuga teaches confucian family values (the rightful order within a family) with the story of two brothers.
While the poor, younger brother is rewarded with riches for his honest life after he mends the broken leg of a swallow, the older brother who inherited the family fortune falls into disgrace after he purposely breaks the leg of a swallow to gain the same riches as his younger brother.

Sugungga is a witty tale about a rabbit, who escapes from the underwater palace, after he got caught to get his liver sacrificed to the sick dragon king.
After convincing the king that he forgot his liver on land, rabbit manages to save his life.

Jeokbyeokka is the re-telling of the famous Chinese tale the “Red Cliff” and displays warfare, the code of honor between men, the lifes of soldiers and generals.
It is said, that Jeokbyeokka is the most difficult p’ansori to master, both in technique and understanding of the story.

*Sample video here.

Experience itOne of the most important things in a p’ansori performance is the interaction with the audience.
To support the singer and to voice their opinion to the ongoing story on stage, listeners are encouraged to participate actively while listening to the music through chuimsae (encouragement), the most common exclamatory remarks are: eolshigu! and joota!, both mean “great”, “good” and general agreement to the scene the musician describes.
If you visit a p’ansori performance, don’t be shy and try to participate in the chuimsae too.
But be aware, that not every scene is fit to receive an encouraging remark; if for example the hero or heroine is in duress or in need, you should avoid cheering by shouting eolshigu!
Try to follow the story if you understand Korean or if subtitles are provided, or take an experienced, fellow audience member as an example for your first steps in chuimsae.
Some performances, tailored for foreign audience also provide introductions and instructions.
Anyway, if you have enjoyed p’ansori with our heart, make sure to encourage the singers with heartfelt clapping after the concert!


Where to go
National Gugak Center (http://www.gugak.go.kr/eng/index.jsp)
National Theater of Korea (http://www.ntok.go.kr/english/)


And what about Fusion Gugak?Fusion Gugak is not to be confused with Changjak-gugak or Shin-gugak, which means newly-composed Korean traditional music.
While Changjak-gugak stays faithful to its roots in traditional theory and forms, Fusion Gugak experiments with western popular music, be it in instrumentation, usage of synthesizer or even dance.
Highly popular are musicals like Miso, with a storyline from Korean folklore and a combination of korean and western music and formations like SOREA, a girl group-esque ensemble, comprised of players of the gayageum, haegeum, daegeum, kkwaenggwari (small, flat gong), janggu, who speak to a younger audience in and outside of Korea with their rigorously choreographed performances and attractive looks.
Soundtracks of Korean TV Dramas (OST), often include Fusion Gugak and official institutions, such as the KTO (Korea Tourism Organization) use the music of Fusion Gugak to introduce Korea to foreigners.

But there are also other trends within Fusion Gugak, the group AUX experiments with western instruments, such as keyboards and drums and gives us unique sounds outside the mainstream, much like a indie band – but originating from Korean Music.

AUX won the Grand Prize in 2010 at the prestigious Korean Music Project and in 2011 they represented Korea at the competition Asian Beat by Yamaha.
Have a peek at their unique style in the video here!


Believe me, when I tell you that this article only scratched the surface. Korea’s traditional music -be it court or folk music- is like a treasure chest and sometimes, unexpected gems can be found in it.

I hope you got interested in watching a performance yourself!

source: http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=111648