Participants carefully follow the lecturer’s instructions using a music-making computer program, adding notes or changing rhythm to make a song of their own. Photo by Kahng Sun-woo.
Although everyone loves learning new things and acquiring knowledge, the process of learning is often so tedious that they tend to avoid, almost dread, learning from scratch. If you are looking for a lecture in which you learn from the basics and have fun at the same time, Seoulite Learning is a class you will not want to miss.
Founded by eight university students, Seoulite Learning is a knowledge-sharing club aimed to create a learning culture where anyone can teach and learn. The program takes place at Yeonguksulsa, a small theater in front of Hongik University from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. every Tuesday. Ordinary people, rather than trained professionals, with passion and interest in a specific field teach the classes. Sepcific topics are selected to invigorate peoples’ lives by giving them small but important tips for everyday life.
“I was surfing the Internet when I chanced to read about a club named Laneway Learning which consists of people in Melbourne, Australia holding lectures by themselves each week where anyone can share experiences, stories, and knowledge.With a similar motive, I gathered my friends to make Seoulite Learning,” said Lee Soo-Kyung (Seoul National University, 4), the president of Seoulite Learning.
“Lectures offered by Laneway were less about becoming an expert and more about getting tips you can take home. I throught formaing such club in Korea where everyone can exchange personal stories and knowledge worth sharing was essential.”
A few of the upcoming lectures organized by Seoulite Learning are “MacBook User Guide A to Z by a MacBook Lover,” “Making a Folk Painting Folding Fan,” “How to Genuinely and Properly Enjoy Taking Pictures,” and “My Experience Travelling in the Middle East.”
“To open up the lectures and recruit participants in the beginning, we needed instructors,” explained Ko Min-ji (International Studies, 4), one of the founding members of Seoulite Learning. “We, therefore, made a list of friends and acquaintances who have unique qualities and polled for the most popular ones. We tried to select different categories of topics for each week, such as art, science, food, sports, craft-making, and humanities.”
Participants can enjoy a two-hour long highly informative lecture with beverages to drink and food to snack on.
The first lecture took place on Sept. 4. The lecture, “Music Making for Music Addicts” was given by Lee Soo-kyung, who has been interested in making songs using computer programs since she was a high school student. Although her results at singing auditions were disappointing, she persisted in singing and making music of her own.
After years of making music, she now stands as a lecturer helping others make their own. During her lecture, around ten participants carefully followed Lee’s instructions using a special computer program. Fragmented rhythm and beats turned into songs never heard before.
“It was a great opportunity to learn how to use a complex music program and create a song of my own within a short period of time,” said Yun Sun-ho (Seoul National University, 3), one of the participants. “The melody I created was not perfect at first, but the process itself was very entertaining.”
Lee was also satisfied with the class.
“It was an exciting experience to share my knowledge and see the audience produce songs of their own,” Lee said. “I hope to continue the project with an increased number of classes.”
Students interested in attending lectures can easily sign up for a desired class on a date desired by registering on the Web site (http://www.seoulitelearning.com/) with a fee of 10,000 won per person. Individuals who wish to teach or want to recommend lecturers may apply via e-mail (seoulitelearning@gmail.com).
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