Outside of the Classroom Part 4

Welcome to my final edition of “Outside of the Classroom.” This final blog will focus on the geographical area of Southeast and Far East Asia. No need to drag this intro any longer so let’s just dive right in.

It would extremely wrong of me as a violinist/violist to not take the advantage to speak about Shinichi Suzuki. Many classical string musicians may know about him because we all grew up playing his series of solo books but in case you don’t fret. Mr.Suzuki was a Japanise musician who focused on violin performance. From what I researched, his father had a workshop that sold traditional Japanise chordophones. His father soon became fascinated by the violin and by the 1900s he would own one the largest violin shops. Articles claim that Mr.Suzuki was supposed to carry on the family business but he preferred to teach himself how to play the violin. He would soon pick up lessons in Tokyo and Berlin. Fun fact he was actually befriended by Albert Einstien and from those interactions he was actually able to meet his wife. Well during a rehearsal Mr.Suzuki had what I like to call a “lightbulb moment.” He realized that all children from a specific country, in this case, Japan, new to speak the native language. From there he made the claim that children can learn how to play an instrument that same way they learn the first language. This would then be known as the Suzuki Method. I will admit I was a later bloomer to this technique but I do see how it is very much like learning a first language. You have to listen first then transition to repeating phrases (in this case musical phrases) and so forth. I know that Mr.Suzuki will always have a soft spot in my heart because he has made a musical impact on my life. Below is a video of one of the many solo repertoires from the Suzuki books that I have played. Also shoutout the guy in the video. That man helped me get through the viola Suzuki books back in middle/high school.

Now let’s shift our focus to South Korea and briefly speak upon Korean Pop, or K-pop for short. K-pop has been around as early as the 1990s but it wasn’t until very recently that this genre of music has gained its popularity. For awhile, K-pop was frown upon within the Western media culture. News press explained that Korean marketing agencies would recruit young aspiring artists and have them go through rigorous training before performance debut. Some Western media even went as far as calling it “slave contracting” due to the amount of exploitation. Now how many of these accusations are true, I really couldn’t tell you. Even though it may possibly have a negative approach to the music career, there is no denying the world impact it has caused. Bands like BTS have not only dominated the world charts but the American charts. They actually made history in being the first Asian and first non-English group to headline and sell out Wembley Stadium. I am excited about how this genre of music will change throughout the years. Even though I am not an active listener of this genre of music, I need to recognize that this genre of music has started a new trend worldwide. Below is one of the many most-viewed videos by BTS.

Lastly, I will speak upon the Đàn nhị. The Đàn nhị is a Vietnamese bowed string instrument. It consists of two strings and a soundbox. It is said that it can almost imitate a singing voice. This instrument is very similar to the Chinese huqin. The body is usually made out of hardwood with a top layer of snakeskin. The fretless instrument has two tuning pegs, on per string, on the neck. The strings were made of silk, but at this point, you are more than likely to see the strings made out of metal. The bow is made out of either bamboo/wood and horsehair. To play the instrument the hair goes in-between the two strings. Below is a video of the Đàn nhị being used in a more modern way.