The Korea Herald Youth English Choir launched in ceremony


Sixth-grader Kwak Se-mi always wanted to sing, but she was always too busy for it.

“There are certain things that you have to learn as a young student, like English,” Kwak told The Korea Herald on Wednesday. “So I’ve been doing that and it’s been fun. But being a part of this choir is super fun because I get to perform while I sing in English as well.”

Kwak is one of the 30 members of The Korea Herald Youth English Choir, which officially launched on Wednesday at The Korea Herald’s building in central Seoul. The young members were selected through an audition in November, which testing both their musical talent and English language abilities.

Organized by The Herald Media and SMI Entertainment, a company run by renowned soprano Sumi Jo’s brother Jo Young-joon, the choir project aims to offer an opportunity for young children to enjoy music while learning English at the same time. 

The members of the choir have been practicing every Saturday since January for Wednesday’s inaugural ceremony during which they sang three pieces, including “Consider Yourself” and “Around the World with Disney.”

“We are with an English-speaking conductor,” said Kwak. “He taught me how to say things like ‘quarter note.’ My favorite piece to sing is the ‘Do-Re-Mi Song.’”

Yet it’s not just about English and music. Each member of the choir has different levels of English language skills, and therefore working with others and leadership will be an important part of the experience, Jo, president of SMI Entertainment, said.

“What I want the kids to ask themselves is ‘What makes you happy?’” said Jo. “I hope being a part of this choir would give them an opportunity to think about themselves, including what they enjoy, who they are, and things that they find meaningful.”

Conductor Ryan Goessl, who has been working with the choir since January, said his experience has been very positive. “I just want the kids to have fun and enjoy singing and enjoy doing music,” he said. “Of course I want them to actually learn in the process but I think the primary focus is to show them that all music can be fun whether it’s a fun pop-tunes or even serious classical music. I’m having a good time. In the beginning it was a little difficult because a lot of the kids weren’t used to having somebody who doesn’t look Korean to run things. However, I found I was able to overcome that really quickly as I do speak Korean quite well.”

For parents, Wednesday’s performance was a proud moment. “My son has been practicing very hard since January,” said Lee Jung-min, whose son, Kim Young-wook, is a member of the choir. “He was rather shy in the beginning but now I can see him having fun. He’s learning English the fun way. I’m proud of him.”

The choir is slated to perform accompanied by an orchestra in August. For more information, visit http://prep.koreaherald.co.kr.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)