In a modern society, which becomes more subdivided and disconnected, the function of communication is more important than ever. our society blends various cultures and languages together. In these circumstances, the question arises as to the most powerful medium to help us understand and communicate with each other. The answer is music. Music goes beyond auditory pleasure in complex cultural interactions and enables new forms of communication and mutual understanding, breaking down cultural boundaries. In this article, I would like to talk about the endless possibilities of music, that is, how it connects the world and generations.

     First, I will introduce how music links the world of learning and enjoyment physically, especially to the world between Korea and other countries. When you started learning English in your youth, you might have heard an ‘English grammar song’ at school or at a private institute. Repetitive and easy lyrics may help children learn vocabulary and grammar, and are easy to remember as well as good methods of practicing pronunciation and accents. In the long run, this method allows learners to remember and use the language well, remaining more effective than other methods of learning, including simple writing. Music provides attractive and interesting elements to bring up children’s motivations and interests. As a result, students can concentrate on learning, and achieve higher goals. As an expert, by incorporating these advantages into learning, I made a ‘I, my, me, mine!’ song and posted it on a public YouTube channel called SSU CME(Creative Musical English) so that anyone in the world could watch it. It has achieved almost 220,000 views in the past three years. In addition, I’m teaching pleasant English to children at the CME Research Institute. The CME Research Institute has contributed to enhancing the confidence and abilities of children’s English, while holding the English Musical Storytelling Contest for all elementary and middle school students nationwide.

     Next, let’s take a look at an example of how music connects generations. The elderly can be encouraged to communicate more actively by using trot, their favorite genre. Therefore, it can provide vitality and positive energy to the elderly. In particular, active activities such as singing or dancing together promote healthy lifestyles and social activities. This motivation encouraged me to develop a genre called ‘Public Interest Trot’ that adds public interest to this genre, and I’m working as the No. 1 public interest Trot singer in Korea. The themes of this genre include ‘the elderly burn prevention song’, and ‘the voice phishing prevention song’. Using public interest trot provides easy and fun professional education on the prevention about coping with voice phishing, and high-temperature and low-temperature burns. It is very rewarding to provide safety education to the elderly through public interest trot classes with simple dances at senior welfare centers and cultural centers.

     As such, it cannot be denied that music is a powerful tool that transcends the boundaries of language, culture, and age and connects the world and generations into one. The genre of music becomes a window for exchanging and sharing our feelings, thoughts, and values beyond simple combinations of sounds.

Cheong Sung-hui

[Professor of Baird College]

Cheong Sung-hui [Professor of Baird College] 다른기사 보기