Han to present seminar on world music Tuesday
by Mark McGowan

Remember those days in pre-school when the wooden percussion instruments came out and, for a while, everyone turned into musicians? The chance to relive those memories — and to play some bamboo rattles — comes at noon Tuesday, Sept. 24, in the Regency Room of the Holmes Student Center.

Kuo-Huang Han

Kuo-Huang Han, a Presidential Teaching Professor in the School of Music, will host "Everyone Can Learn World Music: My Approach to World Music Teaching." He will demonstrate how world music culture can be taught with minimum technical terminology but maximum fun.

"People say, `Oh, that's too technical,' or, `You have to be able to play music. You have to be able to read music,' " Han said. "No. Everyone can enjoy it. World music is fun to learn, and you don't have to be afraid of it. I can teach, and you will learn, and both of us will have fun."

The cultural aspect behind each instrument creates understanding of the world's traditional folk music, he said.

The nose flute, for example, is exactly what it sounds like: a bamboo flute played with air from a nostril. Many cultures believe one's spirit is contained in the nose (which is why God's blessing is offered after a sneeze), he explained, and therefore makes the music from the instrument something magical.

Han also has pictures to show why some bagpipes also feature a small goat's head. Bagpipes themselves once were made from goats, as his visual aid ably depicts.

"I open not only the ears of the students," Han said, "but also the minds of the students to respect different cultures."

The seminar will draw links from music history to contemporary times, such as how South Asian music influenced rock bands from the Beatles to Pearl Jam, and how the Huskie Marching Band can trace its genealogy to the Turkish military bands of centuries ago.

Movie soundtracks are a good source for world music, Han said. The soundtrack for "Dead Man Walking" is rich with the sounds of the sitar, he said, while movies such as "Seven Years in Tibet" and even Eddie Murphy's "The Golden Child" are packed with Tibetan music.

Internet users enjoy another advantage in learning about world music, said Han, who will show audience members how to find world music information on the Web and point to various sites where simply pushing a key produces a sound from an exotic instrument.

Most of the fun, however, will come from playing the instruments.

Han will bring several of his "toys" to the seminar: angklung, or bamboo rattles, need only a good shaking to produce an exotic rhythm.

"I have the people play," he said. "It's very easy. If you're not a music major, you can still participate. Everyone can learn it, because I don't go into technical details."

All are invited. Refreshments will be served from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The seminar is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center.

For more information, call 753-7979.