Exporting Music Education – The German School of Music Weimar in Korea

Asian students at German music academies are often met with a smile and a set of preconceptions: “they play the piano like sewing machines, are withdrawn and can barely speak German.” Despite such clichés, the number of internationally recognised musicians from countries such as China, Japan and Korea continues to grow steadily – as does the demand for study in Germany and Europe. To meet this considerable interest, the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar launched a unique pilot project in the mid-2000s: in partnership with a Korean university, it founded the German School of Music Weimar in South Korea. In his feature, Bodo Hartwig explores how this concept has fared after more than two years, and what exactly lies behind the phenomenon of music education to the German standard.