Music From Around The Globe

(Google Images)


Looking back at my high school years, I remember how much I had changed. Not only did I go through a physical change, but I developed a sense of self and discovered who I was and what my interests were. Music was always a favourite hobby. I have always had a particular like for rock and roll music, but I remember going through a phase where I was introduced to a new genre of music. Korean pop. How did I come across such a foreign music genre? Like Swanwick (1988) says, ‘Different musics have their own audiences, their own radio channels and their own classificatory sections in record shops’ (Swanwick 1988, p.17). I discovered this from a friend who introduced me to a few songs that he liked. Little did I know that it wasn’t a common interest amongst people from Asia, their music was spread all over the world. I discovered this by watching Youtube videos, reading comments on these videos in different languages and talking to many others who I discovered had interest in this genre too. Without the concept of global ‘flows’, I would have never discovered this type of music. The process of discovering this music related closely to cultural flows as the spread of various media such as videos and music were involved. It is thanks to global flows that I was able to discover a different culture which I didn’t know much about. I began to learn the meanings of words, I discovered its location on the globe and became very involved in Korean fan pages and news sources. Being Greek, it didn’t take much to discover Greek music as it was part of my life from a young age, being influenced by my mum and grandparents. Listening to Korean music was a choice. And to be honest, the music is great! Being a dancer, I also enjoyed learning the dance routines in my spare time (yes, im a bit daggy). And just for your added entertainment, the following clip shows the top 60 Korean pop songs. Personally, my favourites from the video are number 59, 24, 23, 20, 19, 14, 13, 10, 8, 4, 3, 2 and 1!

But there are planet more songs I adore. Until next time, listen to a music genre you would never consider. You will be surprised!

Swanwick, K 1988, ‘Music, Mind, and Education’, Routledge, London; New York
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=kpop&rlz=1G1ASUT_ENAU471&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=BFAdUr_lEIOplQWckIDoCQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1241&bih=545#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=QAyc5GlSoJAUKM%3A%3BK8_NkOqbYrxveM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages2.wikia.nocookie.net%252F__cb20130318004459%252Fwhatever-you-want%252Fimages%252F0%252F01%252FKpop-kpop-30312726-1280-800.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwhatever-you-want.wikia.com%252Fwiki%252FKPOP%3B1280%3B800

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs_akJbNh0M