Fundraising Campaign Starts for Korean Music Class at UCLA
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Fundraising has begun to keep a Korean traditional music course afloat at an American university. Already more than 4 million won ($4,000) has been raised online but campaigners are hoping to get support from the government and corporations.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) provides ``ethnomusicology'' courses, which is the study of music and dance from around the world. Korean music has been popular with more than 250 students enrolling this year to learn traditional musical instruments such as the gayageum (a zither-like 12-stringed instrument), geomungo (a stringed instrument with bridges and frets), daegeum (a large bamboo transverse flute) and others, said Lee Jung-woo, head of UCLA's Korean students' association, United Korean Voice.
Prof. Kim Dong-seok of UCLA said the university could be the only one that has Korean music major courses abroad. ``There might be a few schools that teach theory but I am proud to say we are the only one teaching all the instruments and the Korean spirit,'' he said.
However, since 2004, the Californian state government has reduced its subsidies for educational organizations and UCLA has cut funding for ``Ethnomusicology: Music of Korea.''
According to Lee, the student head, the budget cut led to the shutdown of Japanese music classes, and Korean courses are on the verge of falling apart. Prof. Kim said it needs $130,000 to maintain the classes for a year and $2 million to keep them running longer.
All the money for maintaining the course is collected by students, professors and those who love Korean music, Lee said. Students began to promote their cause to Korean communities in the United States and South Korea.
Every year, Seojeon Institute ― a Busan-based private tutoring school, donates about $50,000 and private patrons also make donations. This year, the course has collected $85,000 but still needs $40,000 more by May, which is when screening for the class administration begins.
On the online portal site, www.daum.net's Agora page, about 1,260 people have donated more than 4.3 million won. Netizens are campaigning to keep the course running permanently.
``I am a student majoring in Korean traditional music and it is shameful that we cannot secure our cultural education,'' a netizen said.
``I didn't know such classes existed there. I am glad I found out and I hope we can share not only music but also the Korean spirit through the classes,'' another netizen (ID: Bihyun) said.
The campaign has reached the Web sites of Cheong Wa Dae and the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.
Prof. Kim said the program depended on the people's support from the beginning. About 30 years ago when the school established such classes but could not afford to buy instruments, it was the late Baek In-Myung, a lady who used to sell bean sprouts on the street, who donated $2,000.
``I hope more people and even the government supports the course. It is actually a very good way to promote Korean culture to Korean-Americans and many others in the United States,'' he said.
``The Indian and Chinese courses are rock-steady because of donations from corporations and private donors. We also expect the same from Korean donors,'' he said.