earticle

영어

Since the declaration of “A New Japan-Republic of Korea Partnership towards the 21st Century” in 1998 by the two heads of State, there have been increasing efforts to strengthen the relationship between Japan and South Korea politically and socially. Music education is a part of such efforts that Japan has focused on to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries.
Korean music has had a presence in Japanese culture in the past two decades. In terms of music education, the systematic teaching and learning of Korean music was formalized at the National Curriculum Standards reforms in Japan in 1989 and 1998, when the study of Asian music in general, and Korean music in particular, was emphasized as a primary approach towards cross-cultural understanding. Korean music and children’s songs were included into new teaching materials. Individually, Japanese music teachers have also undertaken studies in Korean music to develop their own curriculum.
This essay examines the processes of teaching and learning Korean music in Japan in the last 20 years from the late 1980s to the present. I would like to show that the reformed curriculum parallels scholarly Japanese research in Korean music during the same period in terms of concepts and methods, and suggest that the effectiveness of promoting socio-political partnership through music education lies in the integration of teaching curriculum and public education.