ISSUE TWO

March 1997

Contents:

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YouYoung Kang, Newsletter Editor
ykang@sas.upenn.edu
506 Towne Avenue #3
Claremont, CA 91711
U. S. A.


From the President:

AKMR has come a long way in its first year and a half of existence. We have become an ancillary organization of the Society for Ethnomusicology, we have held a formal panel at the annual meeting of SEM, we have a Newsletter circulating widely, we have a Web page, and we have ambitious plans.

What AKMR needs to do in the coming months and years is to make itself broadly useful to those persons in the world wishing to investigate Korean music. By building up a set of contacts and an increasing membership, we can make a basis for more ambitious projects in the future.

As I see it, we can best build our foundation in the following ways, most of which can be effected on the Web:

1. Newsletter: this is already underway, and you are reading it now. It will be available both in hard copy and on the Web at our site (see below), and we can draw attention to it via email discussion lists and other means.

2. A database of scholars and students of Korean music: this will help those needing information on Korean music to find the right person to assist them.

3. List of useful contacts: for funding, summer courses, Korean instrument teachers in various countries, etc.

4. Bibliography of useful books in Western languages: where to find information on Korean music.

5. Essays, articles, draft writings, lectures, etc: on a variety of topics pertaining to Korean music, contributed by members of AKMR.

6. Translations: to make the writings of our colleagues in Korea widely known in the West.

7. Annual meeting: this will be as an ancillary organization of the Society for Ethnomusicology and occur during the annual SEM conference in October or November. There may in due course also be other specialized conferences and/or workshops sponsored by AKMR.

It will take a concerted effort to realize our goals, but I'm sure that in AKMR we have the people and the energy to do it. All of us on the AKMR Council welcome suggestions from the membership or other interested persons, and offers of assistance would also be most welcome.

I'd like to express my thanks for all the hard work done in the cause of AKMR since its foundation in 1995 by members of the initial working group and subsequently by the elected officers. In particular, I want to single out Marnie Dilling and Okon Hwang, both of whom have put in many hours of devoted and selfless effort.

I hope to see you all at the 1997 meeting of AKMR in Pittsburgh!

Robert C. Provine
President
Email: r.c.provine@durham.ac.uk

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Announcements

* Financial status of AKMR - Membership Dues
Thanks to the efforts of Okon Hwang, AKMR has received official legal status with a Federal Employer Identification Number. Dr. Hwang has also established a bank account for AKMR with the Connecticut State Employees Credit Union. Please send her your membership dues of $10 (US dollars only) payable to "AKMR." See AKMR Membership below.

* AKMR on the Web
Robert Provine has set up a splendid page for AKMR on the world wide web. Check out our page on the internet if you have not yet done so: http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dmu0rcp/akmrpage.htm

* Korean Studies Internet Links
o Korean Studies information page: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hoffmann/
o Association for Korean Studies in Europe: http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dmu0rcp/aksepage.htm

* Forthcoming Publication
Cynthia Sajnowsky, Professor at the University of Guam, announced that she is bringing out a new book on Korean music this year.

* Forthcoming Doctoral Thesis
Nathan Hesselink, "A Tale of Two Drummers: Percussion Band Music in North Chôlla Province, Korea" (Ph.D. Thesis, University of London, 1997).

* Diploma in Korean Music Performance at the University of London
Keith Howard announces that the School of Asian and African Studies at the University of London is introducing a Diploma in Music (Performance) in the Autumn of 1997. See Programs and Fellowships below.

* News for AKMR
Please send announcements of publications, performances, conferences, and fellowships to the Editor at the address above. Deadline for the Fall Newsletter is August 31, 1997.
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Recent Publications

* Kim Honson, Kim Honson ûi samul nori iyagi [Kim Honson's tales of samul nori] (Seoul: P'ulbit, 1995).

* Kwôn Hûidôk, Nongak kyobon [A nongak manual] (Seoul: Seilsa, 1995).

* Provine, Robert C., "State Sacrifical Music and Korean Identity", in Bell Yung, Evelyn S. Rawski, and Rubie S. Watson, eds., Harmony and Counterpoint: Ritual Music in Chinese Context (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1996), pp. 54-75.

* Yi Pohyông, "Sanjo ûi changdan-gwa ridûmhyông ûi wôllyu: Sanjo ûi p'ansori ûmak suyongnon-ûl chungsim-ûro" [The origins of rhythmic patterns and rhythmic forms in sanjo: A discussion of sanjo's expropriation of p'ansori music], Minjok ûmakhak 18 (1996): 131-48.

* Yi Yonggu, Ching: Param ûi sori, hanûl ûi sori_ [Ching: The sound of wind, the sound of the heavens], 2nd ed. (Pusan: Yujin p'osuk'om, 1995).

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Conferences

(See also the listings in the SEM Newsletter of January 1997.)

* April 17-21, 1997. Association for Korean Studies in Europe. Stockholm, Sweden.
CONTACT: Professor Staffan Rosen, Institute of Oriental Languages, Stockholms Universitet, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden; Staffan.Rosen@orient.su.se.

* August 14-20, 1997. Musicology and Sister Disciplines: Past, Present, and Future, Sixteenth International Congress of the International Musicological Society. London, England.
CONTACT: Dr. Andrew Wathey, Acting Dean, The Graduate School, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0BX, U.K.; (fax) [44] (0)1784-439441.

* October 21-26, 1997. Joint Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology and the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. (Also the annual meeting of the Association for Korean Music Research.) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
ABSTRACTS: Due March 15, 1997. Ellen Koskoff, SEM '97 Program Chair, Musicology Department, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, 26 Gibbs St., Rochester, NY 14604; kskf@uhura.cc.rochester.edu.

* Fall 1997. Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Society for Ethnomusicology. Shandong, China.

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AKMR Annual Meeting 1996 at the Society for Ethnomusicology, Toronto
Friday, November 1, 1996


SESSION: Current Research in Korean Music: A Roundtable for Exchange
Chair: Marnie Dilling (1:45 - 3:30)

Marnie Dilling opened the first academic session of the AKMR announcing it as an open forum for members to share ideas and their recent work in Korean music. After relaying the regrets of President Byong Won Lee and of Robert Provine, she introduced Kwon Oh Sung, the President of the Korean Musicological Society.

Kwon Oh Sung presented a concise history of Korean musicology from the founding efforts of Lee Hye-Ku to the present day. He explained that Korean musicology focussed on musical literature (manuscripts and documents), particularly the study of primary sources. The comparative studies of notational systems have led to the understanding of old court repertories and their structure. He particularly noted the efforts of Lee Hye-Ku and of Chang Sahun in this respect. In field studies, past efforts (by Kwon Oh Sung and Yi Pohyong) concentrated mainly on collecting texts and transcribing folk music for analysis as well as recording music. Comparative studies of Korean music with the music of China, Japan, and Mongolia are still forthcoming. In conclusion, Dr. Kwon summed up the achievements of Korean musicology in the recent compilation of a ten-volume encyclopedia, the creation of 20 departments in Korean universities, and in the creation of a Society for Asian Music Studies, which started in Seoul in 1994. He also presented some concerns of Korean musicology.

"Rhythm and Seoul" - Keith Howard presented a history of samulnori, "possibly the most important sonic export of Korea." An example of a new form anchored in the past, samulnori has gained popular and official recognition (inclusion at the National Centre for Korean Performing Arts) since the first performance of the original Samulnori group in 1978. He charted the ways that the original group has stayed ahead of other groups through the use of drama in their performances, by joining the student democracy movement in 1986, by creating notation systems and workbooks, by organizing great numbers of drummers for the Seoul Olympics, and more recently by going back to shamanistic music or cooperating with jazz and popular musicians.

Okon Hwang spoke on Taejung ûmak (popular music) and why popular culture has not received any attention in Korean academia until very recently. Explaining the social history of Korea, she described how the low status of popular musicians precluded the inclusion of this music in academic studies and how this status has moved up since the 1960's. In addition, the alliance of Tong-guitar music with student movements of the 1970's in song clubs such as Maeari at Seoul National University and in Norae undong ("Song Movement") caused the embracing of popular genres by Korean intellectuals. Serious academic inquiries in Korean popular music started in 1984 and continue today.

Marnie Dilling introduced the AKMR to the activities and performances of Korean-American student cultural groups based in Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Diego, New York, and Washington D.C. who are "drumming for a difference." These high school students take a pro-active approach to music-making and culture and in doing so take a romanticized view of folk culture and embrace the anti-imperialist Marxist ideologies of movements in Korea. Marnie Dilling presented their efforts and accomplishments in the Korean-American communities through slides and videotape and also offered a critique of the tensions inherent in their endeavor - between music and political action and between their own lives and their identification with Korean farmers. She noted that "the effort to connect daily life and expressive forms may constitute the arts practiced by Korean and Korean American youth as more in line of succession with traditional folk arts than the official systems now designed to preserve them (M. Dilling)."

The session ended with brief statements by others present on their own research in Korean Music:

* Cynthia Sajnowsky - textbook on Korean music
* Jonathan Kramer - new compositions for traditional instruments
* YouYoung Kang - new Korean musical form and national identity
* Martha Willoughby - Korean rap music
* Nathan Hesselink - Nongak or P'ungmul
* Charles Starrett - crisis of the Samul nori group
* Shingil Park - thesis on Samul nori, function of P'ungmul in contemporary society
* Sung Hoon Chung - Japanese enka and Korean popular music
* Hee-Sun Kim - Societal context of Korean music
* Jung Ae Lee - teaching kayagûm to the next generation
* Robert Provine (Keith Howard spoke in absentia) - Akhak kwebôm

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BUSINESS MEETING

Chair: Okon Hwang (3:45-5:00)

Okon Hwang opened the business meeting with the regrets of President Byong Won Lee and a report on the activities of the Association for Korean Music Research (the Steering Committee) since the meeting in Los Angeles. She informed the other members about Dr. Lee's interview with Korean media and his use of resources at the University of Hawaii and Robert Provine's setting-up of a home page for AKMR on the web. She announced that next year's panel will be "Performance and Scholarship." She then told the story about the drafting of the by-laws or constitution and the ultimate decision to do without one for reasons of time and in following a workable precedent set by the Association for Chinese Music Research.

She presented the steering committee's proposal for election of officers: President, Secretary/Treasurer, Newsletter editor, and 3 Members-at-Large of which one must be a student. All would have 2-year terms with one possible renewal. Cynthia Sajnowsky asked about possibility of overlap between officers. Keith Howard answered that it would happen naturally through attrition. YouYoung Kang encouraged self-nominations.

The elections:

* Marnie Dilling nominated for President Robert Provine in absentia and with his permission, giving his professional and scholarly background. No other nominations were offered. All approved by show of hands. Okon Hwang distributed to the membership copies of "Message from the new President."
* Shingil Park nominated Okon Hwang for Secretary/Treasurer. No other nominations were offered. All approved by show of hands.
* Keith Howard nominated YouYoung Kang for Newsletter Editor. No other nominations were offered. All approved by show of hands.

For the Members-at-Large:

* Hwan Sun Meyers nominated herself. Keith Howard nominated Nathan Hesselink. Jonathan Kramer nominated Marnie Dilling. Kwon Oh Sung nominated Keith Howard. Charles Starrett nominated himself. Hee-Sun Kim nominated Shingil Park, but she declined because she will be in Korea. Shingil Park nominated Sung-Hoon Chung.
* Discussion ensued about how to cast votes. The members agreed on secret ballots. Keith Howard suggested that all present vote for three people with numbered prioritizations in case of a tie. Votes were cast and collected. Cynthia Sajnowsky counted the ballots.
* Results: Keith Howard, Marnie Dilling, Nathan Hesselink.

Discussion of dues and membership followed. Okon Hwang explained that during the previous year she relied on her school for the operating expenses for the newsletter. She presented the steering committee's proposal of a $10 (US) membership fee for the costs of the newsletters to members and for the purpose of outreach. All voted unanimously for $10. Okon Hwang volunteered to figure out the financial and logistical aspects of collecting fees and maintaining an account for the AKMR. Jung Ae Lee then volunteered her performance services for fund raising.

Kwon Oh Sung made a special announcement about the 1998 meeting of the Korean Musicological Society for its 50th anniversary. He announced Lee Hye-Ku prize ($3000) for Korean Music research within or outside of Korea and proposed that the AKMR meeting take place in conjunction with the 50th anniversary meeting in Seoul, Korea. He volunteered to find donations from Korea foundation to financially help participating members of the AKMR.

Marnie Dilling made a point about how members should send their written scholarship back to their colleagues and informants in Korea.

Kwon Oh Sung then announced the previous and future meetings of the Asia-Pacific Society for Ethnomusicology: 1994 Seoul, Korea; 1995 Osaka, Japan; 1996 Maka Sarakhan University, Thailand; 1997 Shandong, China; 1998 Taiwan; 1999 Indonesia. Cynthia Sajnowsky offered Guam as a possible site for this conference.

Keith Howard proposed an academic workshop in Hawaii or Berkeley, California on Korean music with both Korean and American/European scholars. He proposed the topic of "rhythm" and proposed to fund this endeavor through a publication series. He asked for suggestions and comments.

Marnie Dilling asked for critiques and evaluations of the form of the meeting today. She also reminded everyone of the "performance & scholarship" topic for next year's meeting. Keith Howard brought up the point of not isolating Korean music at the SEM meeting. He encouraged AKMR members to actively seek paper presentations at regular SEM paper sessions. Okon Hwang offered to organize the AKMR session for next year's meeting.

Okon Hwang announced a Harvard University Korean Studies website (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hoffmann/). YouYoung Kang asked members to inform AKMR about their recent publications. Hee-Sun Kim announced her upcoming recital on kayagum at Pittsburgh. The meeting ended with collection of dues by Okon Hwang.

YouYoung Kang
November 22, 1996
revised January 23, 1997
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Programs and Fellowships

* 1997 KOREAN TRADITIONAL MUSIC SUMMER PROGRAM IN SEOUL, KOREA
July 1-26, 1997
The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, Seoul and Eastern Connecticut State University, in collaboration with Seoul National University.

The Center, with its 1,500-year history, is the largest and most important organization established to maintain, disseminate, and develop Korean traditional performing arts. The Center has a complete traditional orchestra and a dance company with master performers and teachers of court, folk and ritual performances offering numerous concerts, international tours, and various educational programs throughout the year.

Participants in the Summer Program will receive the following instructions conducted in English or Korean with English translation: private lessons in Kayagûm, Kômun'go, Haegûm, Taegûm, or P'iri; group lessons in Changgu (an hour-glass drum), Tanso (a vertical flute), vocal music, Samul ensemble, and mask dance; classes in Korean traditional music history and theory; discussions with senior masters; concert attendance; general introductory classes on Korea, such as history, economy, literature, and folklore; and Korean language survival classes.

CONTACT: Dr. Okon Hwang, Director of 1997 Korean Traditional Music Summer Program, Associate Professor in Music, Fine Arts Department, Shafer Hall 4, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT 06226; (860) 465-5109; fax (860) 465-4652; email: hwango@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu.

* KOREAN PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE SUMMER INTENSIVE
June 13 - July 25, 1997
Six-week summer institute held in Korea for twenty North American musicians, scholars, and ethnomusicologists.
CONTACT: Korean Performing Arts Institute, Inc. 261 Groovers Avenue, Black Rock, CT 06605-3452; (203) 367-7917; KPAI@aol.com.

* KOREAN CULTURE PROGRAM
Summer 1997
A four-week program organized by the Academy for Korean Studies for the benefit of overseas students and scholars involved in Korean studies. This program introduces the various aspects of Korean history and culture and provide a forum for scholarly exchange. Lectures in Korean.
APPLICATION: Due Spring 1997. Completed application form (provided by AKS), transcript/curriculum vitae, certificate of enrollment/employment, three photos, one recommendation (for students only).
CONTACT: Director, Korean Culture Program, Graduate School, The Academy of Korean Studies, 50 Unjung-dong, Pundang-gu, Sôngnam-si, Kyônggi-do, 463-791, Republic of Korea; [82] (342) 709-8111 ext. 372, 273.

* FELLOWSHIP FOR KOREAN STUDIES AT THE ACADEMY OF KOREAN STUDIES
Academy of Korean Studies, 50 Unjung-dong, Pundang-gu, Sôngnam-si, Kyônggi-do, 463-791, Republic of Korea.
THREE-MONTH SCHOLARSHIP: For junior or senior scholars who wish to use the resources of the AKS, this scholarship includes round-trip airfare to Seoul and a monthly stipend of $400/$950.
ONE-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP: For senior scholars. The applicant will be paired up with a Korean scholar to collaborate on a publication. Scholars wishing to conduct their own research leading to publication are also elegible. Monthly stipend of $1,500.

* ASIA-PACIFIC GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I
Fellowship for a national of an Asian or Pacific country for the study of ethnomusicology at the University of Hawai'i. Two-year fellowship (tuition and stipend) for an incoming student admitted to the M.A. or Ph.D. program in Music-Ethnomusicology by the Graduate Division of the University of Hawai'i.
APPLICATIONS: Due January 15 and August 1 every year.
CONTACT: Chairperson, Ethnomusicology, Music Department, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2411 Dole Street, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822; (808) 956- 7707; fax (808) 956-9657; moulin@hawaii.edu.

* KOREAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND ETHNOMUSICOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
The School of Oriental & African Studies at the University of London already has BA, MMus, and MPhil/PhD programmes in ethnomusicology. In Autumn 1997, a part-time Diploma in Music (Performance) will come on stream. There is considerable scope to integrate and specialise in Korean music within all courses.
The BA for instance, can be a BA in Music Studies, or in Music and another subject, in this case, Music and Korean. The joint degree includes a year in Korea, while the single-subject Music Studies breaks down into 12 courses taken over 3 years. Of these, a student can take one course in East Asian music, followed by a specialist course in Korean music, and up to three performance courses. He/she can also write a dissertation on any aspect of Korean music, and take up to three 'floater' units, courses in other subjects, which could be in Korean language, history, or culture. The same flexibility applies to other music cultures, but in the Korean case, up to 8 of the 12 courses of the degree could relate to Korea.
For the MMus taught degree, a student can opt to major in any of five musical regions, East Asia being appropriate for Korea. A minor course option includes any course from the Korean Studies programme, including language. And from Autumn 1997, and subject to University approval, it will be possible to take performance classes as part of the degree. The Diploma in Music (Performance) involves a student working primarily on one performance tradition, and taking a taught course or a taught course plus dissertation in the same musical area. The options are endless, but clearly include Korean music.
What, though, of Korean music performance? In the 1995-96 academic year, kayagûm was offered; in 1996-97, we only teach Samul Nori (Nathan Hesselink is teaching), but to sufficient level so that the group is already lining up local gigs. We have a core set of some 40 Korean instruments, including kayagûm, kômun'go, tanso, changgo, and Samul instruments. The offerings are likely to increase rather than decrease!
CONTACT: Keith Howard, kh@soas.ac.uk.

* ASIAN CULTURAL COUNCIL
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104; (212) 373-4300; accinfo@rfb.org.
A foundation that supports cultural exchange in the visual and performing arts between the United States and countries in Asia. Fellowships for Asian artists and scholars to research, study and carry out creative work in the United States. Some fellowships for Americans pursuing similar activites in educational and cultural institutions in Asia.

* FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
More information in the Fall Newsletter.

* KOREA FOUNDATION
C.P.O. Box 2147, 526 Namdaemun-ro 5-ga, Chung-gu, Seoul, KOREA; [82] (02) 753-6553.
FELLOWSHIP FOR KOREAN STUDIES: Fellowship for scholars (including Ph.D. candidates) and other professionals who want to carry out in-depth research in Korea. Awards are available for periods of one to six months between March 1 - December 31. Successful applicants are provided with a round-trip air ticket to Korea and a monthly stipend. Fellows establish their own research contacts and living facilities.
FELLOWSHIPS FOR KOREAN LANGUAGE TRAINING: Grants for Korean language training to university students, faculty members, and other qualified professionals overseas at a Korean university for a period of six to twelve months.

* MELLON FELLOWSHIPS IN HUMANISTIC STUDIES
More information in the Fall Newsletter.

* NORTHEAST ASIA COUNCIL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN STUDIES (AAS)
NEAC Korean Grants, Association of Asian Studies, 1 Lane Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290; (313) 665-2490.
(Grants available for scholars who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.)
RESEARCH TRAVEL WITHIN NORTH AMERICA: Awards for scholars (generally postdoctoral scholars and some Ph.D. candidates) of up to $1,000 who wish to use museum, library, or archival resources located in the United States and Canada for Korean research.
SHORT-TERM TRAVEL TO KOREA FOR PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES: Grants of up to $2,500 for trips to Korea on projects related to Korean studies.
RESEARCH ASSISTANCE: small grants up to $500 for scholarly needs not covered by other funding sources, such as research assistance.
WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES: Partial support for organizing conferences on Korea.
PROJECTS THAT ENHANCE KOREAN STUDIES TEACHING: Awards up to $1,000 to support planning, workshops, and materials related to teaching about Korea.
GRANTS FOR TEACHERS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: Small awards to teachers (particularly at small institutions) for the purchase of instructional materials on Korea.
KOREA RELATED SPEAKERS AND PANELS: Grants up to $1,500 to invited colleagues from Korea to participate in non-Asia related disciplinary conferences.

* SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL FELLOWSHIPS
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158; (212) 661-0280.
More information in the Fall Newsletter.

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AKMR Membership

The Association of Korean Music Research is dedicated to the advancement of the research and study of Korean music. Individual members of AKMR receive the AKMR newsletter and may vote and participate in the activities of AKMR. Membership dues are $10 (US). All inquiries about membership and payment of membership dues (payable to "AKMR") should be made to: Dr. Okon Hwang, Fine Arts Department, Shafer Hall 4, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT 06226; hwango@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu.

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AKMR Officers

o Robert Provine, President
o Okon Hwang, Secretary
o YouYoung Kang, Newsletter editor
o Marnie Dilling, Member-at-Large
o Keith Howard, Member-at-Large
o Nathan Hesselink, Member-at-Large

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