Music

 

Koreans love music, and it is easy to find places where you can learn piano or violin. However, like sports, very few people continue taking lessons beyond their elementary school years. Many students start focusing on math and English instead as early as in 5th grade. If you would still like to continue to play a musical instrument, you can hire a private teacher. Finding a private teacher is not very difficult. The difficult part is finding a group of fellow students with whom you can play in an ensemble or orchestra together with commitment. There is a Naver cafe for exchanging information on string instruments such as 바이올린 친구되기. You can find information about amateur orchestras or ensembles there but they are mostly for adults. It can be a good place to find a private string teacher though. 

 

Look up or contact your county office (구청) to find out if they run a youth orchestra. Some counties or towns run a youth orchestra (e.g. Gangbuk-gu in Seoul, or Yongin-si in Gyeonggi-do). One benefit of joining an orchestra affiliated to a government unit is that there are participation fees involved because the government covers the cost needed to maintain the orchestra. 

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You can also look up privately run youth orchestras. This might involve a bit of commuting and higher participation fees, but there are several such orchestras available if you look hard.

 

Here is a list of some private choir and orchestras:

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Heavenly Sound Orchestra: Yangjae. Originally founded for homeschooling students. Meets every Thursday. 

JL Choir & Orchestra: Yongin. Run by the vice-conductor of Heavenly Sound Orchestra. 

Camarata Music Company: Yongsan. Children can participate in this multicultural choir run entirely in English