Episode 2.8 - Dr. HyeKyung Lee
Episode 8 features Dr. HyeKyung Lee, a professor and commissioned composer for the solo book project. We talk with HyeKyung about moving to the US from Korea, learning new composition techniques, and her career journey.
To learn more about HyeKyung and all recommended groups and resources, check out the links below!
Full Transcript
Carrie Blosser 0:03
Welcome to Diversify the Stand. Together we build a community to listen and learn from the stories and experiences of passionate musicians. I'm Carrie Blosser.
Ashley Killam 0:12
And I'm Ashley Killam. In our second season, we talk with musicians, performers, educators, historians, and entrepreneurs to expand how we think of the music we perform and follow non-traditional career paths. Episode eight features another commissioned composer and professor, Dr. HyeKyung Lee. Dr. Lee is an Associate Professor of Music at Denison University in Ohio. Her compositions range in a variety of styles and mediums with everything from toy piano to full concertos, electronic music to children's choirs and large ensembles.
Carrie Blosser 0:47
Thank you so much for joining us today.
Dr. Lee 0:49
Thank you so much inviting me, having me.
Carrie Blosser 0:51
So we wanted to kind of get started with asking you how you got started in music, what your first instruments were, and how you started composing.
Dr. Lee 1:01
So it has to do with my growing up in South Korea. My parents are very artistic people, I think especially my father wanted to be an artist, some sort of artist, but of course, they were born during the Japanese colonialism, which was happened 1910 through 1945, I think, and then right after that, of course, the Korean War happened right after. And because the country was divided, both of my parents were born in North Korea, but they had to come south, they had to abandon everything. So they cannot really do, they couldn't do whatever they wanted to do. So they just had to, you know, survive. So I think that's why they wanted us to be in fine arts. And my sister who is one year older than me started piano lessons first. And then my parents recognize me, I was more interested and I was learning faster over my sister's shoulder. So they quit my sister. So I did the music and my sister was doing art. That's how I started. And, of course, the learning music or any sort of Fine Arts take money, right? But my parents really, really sacrificed themselves to, for me to be in music, you know, early on, so I really hated, but then now I'm really thankful to them so that, you know, because I'm really loving it right now. And you know, doing music and you know, that's my job. This is crazy. Crazy. Awesome. Yeah, that's how I started and yeah, and of course, the Asian parents, they all make their children, you know, do something, like, or play something, right? So they're very forceful parents. And that was one of the reasons, I mean, I had many opportunity to quit, but they didn't allow me to do that. I just kept on it. So it was my piano, first, my instrument.
Ashley Killam 3:17
And we were wondering what, with being from South Korea, and now you're in the States, what has your experience been like? Overall, just with music in South Korea versus your experience of music in the United States.
Dr. Lee 3:33
So again, it related to my growing up, so they pushed me to go this special school, which is great school, it was, it's kind of performing art school, very focused on arts. But it was very privileged school. So all of the students are from really wealthy family. And it was in Seoul, so I had to commute, like back then we didn't have even highways, so I had to basically go to the bus station, and then take the bus to go to train station, and then after train, then walk like another half an hour to go to junior high school. So the commuting hours, like five, six hours a day. I don't know how I survived it. But anyway, so I was doing the piano and it was just a lot of, I don't know really how I did it because without sleeping, or didn't have time to study, but I managed through six years of junior high and high school. And then at the end of the last year of high school, going to the music program in, like, my father went to Seoul National University and that's, like, to him that's the only school that I have to go. But back then there are a lot of exams and ridiculously hard, so the first time I failed, and that was the like, I really didn't want to do music. So I was like, there's a period that I was doing nothing and just quit everything and just like a really rebellious student for the whole year. But then when you realize that I don't know anything else, you know, that was my, you know, all I could do was music and playing piano, and I really didn't enjoy practicing, because I think that's the difference between education in the States and South Korea, because I really, they really didn't teach me how to how to listen. So all I was doing was the finger practice, right. So just getting, you know, going, you know, flying fingers practice, and that you get really tired of it. So I quit. And but then I couldn't quit music. So I changed it to a composition because a composer sounds really cool. So that's how I studied the composition, really, that inspiring story. But then I did the undergraduate in composition, and I came to the United States. And then I noticed that my piano studio at the University of Texas Austin, so I started re-practice piano, and I really enjoyed it back then. Because the way she was teaching was just basically about making music, right? So how you listen to, you know, how you listen to what you're playing, and each note has to be different sound and how you make those, you know, same notes, different sounds, that kind of education that I didn't really know before. So then I really enjoyed it. And so I just kept going, and I had a degree in piano also. And still, I'm really enjoy playing, although my arthritis is getting into it. So I'm doing less and less each year. So there was a big difference. And another difference in composition is also because Korea is very different now. We are, like, economically now really growing. And also the education is different. Now they teach traditional music early on. But when I was there, we were just, before you study in western music, you’re superior than the students who are learning traditional music, because it was just, you know, you don't go to, like, a top music school. And then you go to, the rest go to like, the Korean Traditional Conservatory of the major was treated as a secondary, right. So if you don't go to the Western music school, then you go to the, that was really just lack of education, I think. But these days, of course, everything changes. They learn early on when you're in junior high or high school, they make you learn Korean traditional instruments and music. So it's very, very different. It’s a lot of changes.
Carrie Blosser 8:19
It's really interesting to learn, just to hear about your background. And I honestly, I love hearing that you took a year to be rebellious and not do music because I think so many people are in that track of like, I must finish, have to finish. So yeah, I think that's a really important point and still very valid today for students that might just, like, need a little bit of time, and then to like, kind of refocus and, like, kind of fall back in love with music, if that makes sense.
Dr. Lee 8:45
Yeah, you appreciate it differently.
Carrie Blosser 8:48
Yeah. And speaking of music, I'd love to talk about the music that you write. And if there's any specific styles or other kind of music that has influenced you, as a composer.
Dr. Lee 8:59
Yeah, unlike here, composers here, they grew up listening a lot of different composers, and they really studied scores and, you know. But because I was in piano major and basically, I was just imitating because I didn't realize what I want to make, what kind of sound I want. So I just, you know, basically very two dimensional level, right, louder, softer, in between. And same thing with the composition. I just, I was listening a lot of pop music but not seriously classical music, and in a competition, they were really intro this European style of avant garde music and I really hated it. So I didn't really listen a lot of music. So I guess it does good in that. That's good or bad. Because I really, nobody influenced me because I didn't listen to anything. But then I lack of a lot of depth in I think, composition here United States, I, of course, going through the graduate school, you have to listen, you know, classes and you have to go through a lot of music. And then I really began to like “B” composers. Like Bach, love him. Such a pioneer, same thing with Beethoven, such a pioneer, and Bartok. So those three are my favorite composer and ultimately, my ultimate composers that I admire and just love their, you know, their innovation and kind of aspects of it. Yeah, and then, of course, the minimalism definitely influenced me, because it's basically tonal music. And then when everybody else was doing crazy tilt music and minimalism was just such a fresh breath of hearing pleasant music, right. So I think those were combined into my music.
Ashley Killam 11:10
I love that you mention, you know, the pop stuff getting you started, because when I, like when I got into grad school, I didn't really, like I listened to, you know, some trumpet stuff that I was working on, I had my favorite recordings, but all through masters too, like I had to do so much listening for classes. But I felt like a terrible musician saying, I didn't listen to this stuff outside. I couldn't sit there and, you know, compare orchestral recordings of two different orchestras. I didn't do that for fun. And so many people feel bad and feel guilty that they don't constantly listen to classical music. Yeah, but it's still there's so much to gain from pop music and from all of these other styles and bringing that into your writing and your performance. There's, it's important to do that too.
Dr. Lee 12:02
Especially these days. With the internet, I think everything is just so combined. And it's like, especially, like, we didn't know lots of individual ethnomusic, but now it's so accessible and appreciate it differently. And yeah, different, different timing now. So I think that that's a good thing that we have to just combine everything. So this is the vocal piece. I wrote this choir piece because it's based on only five syllables, and then those syllables are from Korean folk tune, the refrain of very famous folk tune, anyway. So this is the acapella piece with one percussion.
Ashley Killam 15:52
Looking through all of the works that you've written, you've done everything: large ensembles, small ensemble, solo instruments, film scores. What got you interested in writing this variety?
Unknown Speaker 16:06
It just turned out the way, not intentionally, but when I got this job at Denison—I mean, I didn't learn much electronic music when I was studying at graduate school. Because it was, I had to do analog stuff and whenever I go into the studio, I just developed some allergy like, I cannot being there, just cannot sit still and work. It just takes, you know, slicing and just reel to reel tape and all that, and plus, I don't think I had a good, it was a TA was teaching and he was just so, like, a genius type that he doesn't go through, like, a step by step by step the basics. So he's just expect everybody just doing great work and I just didn't work so, but I didn't compose electronic music, but I was hanging in there and I was doing, I was going to their seminars, I just listened a lot of electronic music. So luckily then at Denison my job was somehow was half teaching half acoustic and half electronic music. And I had to learn electronic part. And the best way to do is just do it, right. So without knowing much technical stuff, also without knowing much electronic music, I just had to do it. And that's the time I think I produce most electronic music. And when you do that, of course you're surrounded by, because we have this lab that everybody teaches there and students works there. So yeah, so naturally collaboration happens and I have great colleagues who's really great visual stuff and, you know, dance colleagues. So it just happened naturally. And because I was supposed to be electronic music at school, everybody comes to me. So yeah, so they come to me, you know, offer do you want to do this? And yes, of course. So yeah, everything happens during those times. And I loved it, I loved it. And that helped me teaching electronic music really well, because from the beginners point, I don't know what it is they will struggle. So it was, I think, a good experience. And I think that's why I my TA didn't teach me well, I mean, my kind of students, of course everybody else follows well, but I was like so slowly understanding the languages and, you know, techniques and all that. But actually teaching, I think it helped me a lot because I was so slow and I was doing like a really slow and step by step and everything has to write it down and this so that they can always go back to, you know, something they can go back to review. But of course I had open minded and because I love pops, and I love K-pop, so I love all kinds of music so that helps me, you know, it's just more fun. It's just more fun to work with other people.
Carrie Blosser 19:24
So in writing for all of those different groups with different influences, do you have a favorite either instrument or ensemble that you have written for, or that you hope to write for one day?
Dr. Lee 19:37
I love brass because brass is just like, it’s just so satisfying to me. Yeah, so I love brass, but of course string is this, you know, soulful sound and because it, you know, composers don't have to worry about the breathing, right. So it's also big advantage. But string orchestra is probably the ultimate, my favorite medium, you know, strings and vibrations. Especially low strings. But yeah, I'm, I know whatever I haven’t done, I would love to do it. Yeah.
Ashley Killam 20:20
You know, coming from someone who had, I mean, had the background you had, took some time off, came back, never gave up in composing and in your musical career, do you have any advice for anyone wanting to get into composing?
Dr. Lee 20:37
I mean, at our school, every music majors, no matter what your instrument or, you know, voice, had to take two semesters of composition seminar. And I think that's really great, because they will discover the composing part, and they might hate it, but they might enjoy it. And they might find out that, oh, I'm talented on this, you know. So my advice for just anybody who loves music is that a lot of people think that they're afraid because they think that they don't know theory, they think that you have to know the theory well to compose. But that's not the case, especially these days, like when software is so easy, and you know, so great. Like, you can do so much more with the softwares, right. So I think just whenever you can hum, or just, you know, doodle on the instrument, I think that's a great way to compose, just record yourself, and then just record a bunch, like, whatever, like it can be your humming, or you're just improvising some, I mean, improvisation is a fancy word, but just, you know, it's just like putting notes on instrument, or just anything in the recording or whatever. But just to have a lot of those as your library. And then when you feel like you go back to listen to it, and then you will probably get inspiration, oh, I like this one. And then you can hum, again, with whatever you recorded yourself, you know, that kind of stuff. So basically, I think these days, and you know, GarageBand, you know, is a great tool, comes with the computer, I think that's a really easy way to start composing, rather than like, oh, yeah, the I chord goes to IV and V to I cadence right there. So yeah, that's what I'm encouraging students to just record yourself, whatever you're doing.
Carrie Blosser 22:43
Yeah, I think especially over the last 12 months+, I think a lot of people have learned many things on GarageBand, and using some digital audio workstations. Yeah, we know what a DAW means, or you know. And people who have been experimenting in compositions like you're saying from your university, I think we're already at an advantage when we kind of moved to this new world that we're in currently. But I think it's a valuable tool. And I think musicians have learned to value it more, especially recently. So it's great that your students are already doing that. And you're working with them, which is awesome.
Dr. Lee 23:21
Yeah, yeah, everything is, I think you have to trust a year either playing or composing. My piano teacher always, always says that, if you can hear, your finger will follow it to make that sound. I think that's so true. Same thing with the composition, I think if your ear says this is good, I think you have to go with it.
Carrie Blosser 23:45
Do you have any exciting projects that you're working on that are going to be released over the next few months or year?
Dr. Lee 23:52
Actually yeah, so we have this ensemble in residence, and one of them—so we have ETHEL and Third Coast Percussion as our resident ensembles and they’re great. But ETHEL has the series called Metropolitan Museum Balcony Bar Series. And they used to do that at the bar, the balcony bar at the museum. But during the COVID time, they just do it virtually. And I think they're featuring me next Friday, five o'clock. So that's just something exciting, I think. I sent them some videos and they're gonna edit it in there. But right now, I got a commission from Ohio Music Teachers Association. So I'm writing a piano and alto sax one piece, which is going to be premiered in the conference in October, and I'm writing me and saxophone player Shelley Jagow, who teaches at the Wright State University. So we had a long—she commissioned me a couple pieces for OMEA, and so now I feel like oh, great for you to think all those commissions she gave me. So that's exciting. I'm really excited because, yeah, saxophone can do a lot of things and can be really show-off piece.
Carrie Blosser 25:27
Yeah, I think I'm almost a little jealous of, like, saxophones and french horns, because I think, like, the ranges and the colors and, like, the different kinds of sounds, both of those instruments can get is very, is much more varied than maybe the trumpet. All right, we're at the very last question. So we ask everyone this: what is on your music stand this week? And how are you diversifying your stand?
Dr. Lee 25:55
The students, of course, I'm always listening to what they have to say. And I'm usually teaching the computer music, like a really beginning level. But I love that class because they are not musicians. They're all non-musicians. And I think that's why they bring so many interesting point of view. I can say that I'm very, very open minded about different kinds of music, especially trying to get connected to a younger generation.
Carrie Blosser 26:28
I think that's super. Well, thank you again so much for joining us. It was so good to meet with and hang out with you for a little bit.
Dr. Lee 26:30
Yeah, thanks for asking!
Thank you for listening to Diversify the Stand. I'm Ashley.
Carrie Blosser 26:31
And I'm Carrie. If you'd like to support us and our projects, find us on social media and visit our website. We now have a store where you can pick up some Diversify the Stand gear.
Ashley Killam 26:42
And as always, a huge thank you to Trevor Weston and Whitney George for allowing us to use their compositions in our podcast. The musical introduction is Trevor's trumpet duet Fanfare for Changes, and the ending music is Whitney's Incantations for trumpet and piano. Both composers’ websites are listed in the podcast description. Until next week,
Carrie Blosser 27:01
What's on your stand?