▲ Music Production Professor Jungsik Kim

[Being a Musician in 2021]

Before the advent of Youtube in 2005, people with a gift for music had to knock on doors of music agencies and labels big or small. In the year 2021, everybody can be a musician as long as you have talent. You can make and record your original songs at your home studio and upload it on Youtube and such streaming channels. The recording, editing, mixing and mastering have become easier and simpler than ever and many musicians even make and record their own songs on the go with the help of the innovative free smartphone music app GarabeBand. What is more, you can let people know your music by making most of your social media accounts as your marketing tools.

[Jungsik Kim and Jazz Influence on Music Production]

Kim is recognized as one of the first computer music generation that started to spread in South Korea from early 90s. He made his presence in music production covering music directing, commercials, documentaries and broadcasting. In 2004, he flew to Boston, Massachusetts, US, and studied jazz performance and film music. On completing the course, he moved to California to play along with a Korean pianist Yoonsung Cho during which he recorded his debut album <Reflection>. Shifting to a jazz musician from a music producer for Kim was a turning point that opened his eye to the fact that there are many difference worlds in music. He was especially enchanted by using nonharmonic tones which is a distinguishing character of jazz music while the so called ‘groove’, aka ‘swing’ inspired him to creating sensuous music with raw and folksy black rhythm and blues. This enlightenment affected his music production style greatly afterwards.

[Playing and Teaching Career]

Back in South Korea, Kim is leading three jazz bands, Kim Jung Sik Jazz Quartet, Crescent Jazz Quartet, and Forest Mirror, while serving as music production professor at Kyongbuk Science College. He played with U.S. jazz pianist David Berkman in 2013 followed by releasing his first album <Reflection> and a concert with Yoonsung Cho. He has produced and programmed music for many singers and players including film music notably <Angry Painter> released in 2015, and played the guitar and arranged music pieces of Apple Jazz Orchestra for 10 years. Most recently, he joined Hello Kiddos, an English, music and art program for children, as the music director and program developer. Kim grew his interest in children’s music when he was asked to give a presentation on ‘Problems of Applied Music Courses at University In relation With Improvisation’ at the 2016 Korea Music Society Conference. “The more I dig into the programs, the more I found problems in music education for children. During the course, I came to know more about a Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly and a German composer Carl Orff who have great influences on children’s music education” says Kim. Having built extensive knowledge and expertise in music production, jazz and children’s music, he is now ambitious to further expand his music scope to folk music and oral songs in order to create something new and unprecedented. (PowerKorea)

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