Since the gradual institutionalization of the 5 days of weekly work in 2004, there have been lot of changes in our society. Particularly, leisure activities like hobbies have been attracting interests as people have more time for leisure.
According ...
Since the gradual institutionalization of the 5 days of weekly work in 2004, there have been lot of changes in our society. Particularly, leisure activities like hobbies have been attracting interests as people have more time for leisure.
According to LG Economic Research Institute, proactive leisure activities for satisfaction of sufficient indulgence, rather than spontaneous and brief pleasure, are increasing. As level of indulgence in leisure activities increases, tendencies to increase expertise are found. Usually people enjoy leisure activities with ease unlike their job, but there are growing number of people who do not refrain from investing their time, efforts and money to achieve specialized level of ability in various activities such as sports, painting, playing of musical instrument, etc.
Activities of amateur orchestra is one of such activities. In Korea, amateur orchestras were organized for the first time in late 1920s mainly in a few universities. Since then, amateur orchestras continued to be organized and operated, but that sort of orchestras, which have the same characteristics as those of today - that is, being organized for consistent leisure activities, have emerged in the late 1990s.
'Amateur' is the antonym to ‘professional’, and can be defined as the person who enjoys arts, sports, etc. as a hobby. Therefore, amateur orchestra is an orchestra which is comprised of people who intend to play music as one of their hobbies.
This study has conducted research and analysis for the 3 categories of amateur orchestras: those of undergraduate students, adolescents and adults. However, it was not easy to even find out the exact number of the organizations for any category of the orchestras, and specific details on operations of the organizations inevitably were available only for some of the orchestras. The insufficient availability of information stems from the fact that there were many cases in which some of them have been discontinued or dismissed due to difficulties in operations and some of them were being prepared to be organized. However, number of the amateur orchestras, that is estimated on the basis of data collected, as of the date of this study is 247 in total. Among the total number of the amateur orchestras, there were 80 university orchestras, 120 adolescent orchestras and 47 adult orchestras.
What is the motive for participation in such amateur orchestras? How much are they satisfied and what are some of the problems they find with their practices and concerts? What do they want in the future? As the result of the questionnaire conducted for 200 subjects who are participating in the amateur orchestras, this study has found the following answers.
Most of all, members of the orchestras were energetically participating in their practices just because they enjoy their practices, and considered their participation in the orchestras as the best leisure activities. The fact that they consider 'satisfaction in hobby and leisure activities' and 'pleasure of improvement in musical playing ability' as the foremost motives of participation apparently reveals the above recognitions.
However, there were also aspects that were inconvenient or needs to be improved regarding group practice. They stem from origin of the amateur orchestras, and include: conspicuous dissatisfaction with the conditions of practicing rooms and inability to produce harmonized music, which is essential in the orchestra, due to the imbalance in which orchestra members are generally short of demand in the woodwind and brass instruments. However, the most worst problem is the fact that financial resources of the orchestras are not sufficient and their practices and concerts cannot be sustained only by the membership fees.
In summary, members of the amateur orchestras actively participates in the group practices for self-achievement but there are several problems such as inferior conditions of practicing rooms, insufficient financial resources for operations of orchestra, and imbalance in composition of orchestra members. This study proposes alternatives to the problems as follows.
Firstly, the problem in composition of orchestra members. The most important resources in an amateur orchestra is its members. However, most of orchestras have insufficient members and especially there tends to be many parts that are in need of additional members due to overcrowding in particular parts. To resolve this problem, it is necessary to beef up the composition of members by providing a certain incentive for members in case of performing in a concert or volunteering for the orchestra or by providing a concert plan or consistent lesson for the purpose of satisfying the members with achievement.
Secondly, the insufficient financial resources for operations of orchestra. Some local governments sponsor concerts of amateur orchestra. However, such cases are rare in reality. In the meantime, another alternative can be considered in which an amateur orchestra is designated as an art organization with expertise so that it can be allowed to use some facilities for its practice. If an organization is designated as an art organization with expertise, it can benefit from administrative supports, such as renting of public facilities, use of facilities at no cost and the like, in accordance wit by-laws of individual municipal/provincial governments.
Thirdly, improvement of environments for practicing rooms. The members are considerably dissatisfied with the conditions of practicing rooms as was revealed in the questionnaire. If this problem is not tackled, it will end up in an indesirable result for amateur orchestras from which cessation is allowed at any time.
Fourthly, promotion of inter-relationship among amateur orchestras. If amateur orchestras share information and cooperate with each other, their circumstances shall be further improved.
Lastly, support for the amateur arts activities through governmental policies.
There can be some assertion saying that supporting amateur arts organizations doesn't make sense in a situation in which even professional arts organizations cannot be sufficiently supported. However, voluntary participation in arts activities is proved to significantly contribute to development of local communities while providing opportunities for development of individual capabilities.
It is our reality that systematic supporting of cultural activities in daily life of our society is still in early stage. National and local governments provide some supports for cultural activities of amateur organizations but they are just short-term, irregular and project-oriented supports.
Support for the cultural activities in daily life has the function by which relationship within a concerned community is improved through the cultural activities and cultural communities can be organized through the support. If such system can be stabilized and administered soon enough, the amateur orchestras shall rapidly grow and prosper in near future.