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The purpose of this essay is to analyze Korean traditional children’s songs which are learned and transmitted during children’s developing period (0~12 year-old age), focusing specifically on the relationship between children and their nurturers. This essay mainly divides them into two groups: the songs by caregivers and by children, identified according to who has created and transmitted them. The songs by caregivers indicate songs that mothers or grandmothers sing for their children or grandchildren between the ages of 0~6. These songs also can be split into two: the ones sung from the perspective of caregivers and those sung from the perspective of children. The songs sung by caregivers from their perspective are based on the lullaby or cradle song but sometimes can be found in the grown-up’s musical category. The songs from the perspective of children are composed of uncomplicated musical language dealing with nursery stories or natural objects such as birds, fish, flowers, sun, stars. These types of songs contain educational and emotional values which intend to foster children’s language skills and counting figures. Children also sing themselves playing games relevant to their age or group. These songs are much more simple and immature than the aforementioned song types, and are normally combined with games or accompany play. The songs sung by children are related to the environmental characteristics of a traditional age when women played the primary role in raising, developing, educating and socializing their children intellectually and emotionally. We can find easily grown-up musical characteristics in children's songs, which means it can be difficult to distinguish them from the songs of their nurturers. Yet, we can find true value and meaning in the common ownership of these songs by children and the women who have cared for them.

This presentation reviews the theoretical study of Japanese children’s songs, especially from the viewpoint of musicological studies in Japan, and offers a new paradigm for the study of Japanese traditional music. Children’s songs have been studied by literature experts, folklorists and musicologists in Japan. The interest has been in children’s spontaneous singing. In musicology, children’s songs are defined as "the songs that children make and sing spontaneously." The definition includes children’s play songs, but excludes lullabies and Do(_)yo(_) that are made by adults for children. However, children take any kind of song and change it through play. So, musicologists include these "children-ized" songs as their object of study as well. The most efficient study of Japanese children’s songs to date in Japan has been made by Professor Fumio Koizumi and his study group, Seminar for Folk Music Study at the Tokyo University of Arts, in the 1960s. Professor Koizumi contended that much of Japanese traditional music is based on children’s songs. And he created a tone scale theory named tetra chord theory in his book The Study of Japanese Traditional Music1. Using the theory of Professor Koizumi, the Seminar for Folk Music Study researched children's songs in about 100 elementary schools in Tokyo. The research formed the basis of the book Game Songs of Japanese Children: Studies of Game Songs and Comparative Scores, which allowed Koizumi to further develop his theory. We can find some progressions of Koizumi's theoretical perspective in the book Game Songs of Japanese Children. For that reason, this presentation reviews the study as a kind of "tone scale evolution theory." Through the presentation, we will find that songs are created by accents of words, and, as well, that songs evolve into musical expressions. Using this theory, we will see what people do to express their feelings in creating songs. Children’s songs provide lively samples in musicology because of the simple fact that children’s songs are still created by children every day. We need to reconsider the evolution theory as a new paradigm in the study of Japanese traditional music.

This is a study of the musical characteristics of Han Chinese children's song's known as erge(兒歌). The erge genre consists of erge sung by children and yaoerge(搖兒歌), which is the same as a lullaby in Korea. Erge is a kind of minge(民歌), or folksong. Studies reveal it has an abundance of local characteristics not only influenced by language, customs, and geographical designations but also by music. The Division into Jinsisecaiqu(近似色彩區) of the Han Chinese Race Minge, by Miaojing(苗晶) and Qiaojianzhong(喬建中), said it consisted of 11 recognized characteristics. So, following this ideat, this study examines musical characteristics such as song type, tonal range, cadence, mode and metre. In the case of meter, the songs are primarily in 2/4 but there are also instances of 4/4 and 3/4 of a hemiola(2/4 and 3/4) rhythms. Sometimes we also see 5/4 or 5/8, but rarely witness a free-metre in this genre. Modes could be discussed in terms of Chinese minge which has a formal modal system consisting of 5-note-modes, 6-note-modes, and 7-note-modes. But I discovered some erge with 2, 3 or 4-note-modes. Although there is little published evidence to attest to this, my understanding, based on my research, is that application of melody is related to an application of local mode. Range mostly is within an octave but this also differs according to location. In the study of Chinese erge, there have been no in-depth studies. But Chinese musicologists recognize the importance of erge for studying the origins of Chinese minge. Thus I anticipate future related studies.

This study is a survey of Mongolia's traditional children`s songs. It is based on a data survey and collection over a period of six months as well as an 8-day spot survey in Mongolia. The original spot survey in Mongolia was scheduled to be carried out in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, for 10 days from May 14-24, 2009. However, due to the airplane schedule, the actually survey period was 8 days. The origins of Mongolia's traditional children`s songs coincides with the appearance of the term called ‘Xuxdiin duu,’ which means 'children's song,' during the beginnings of socialism in the 1940s. Traditionally, Mongolia's children`s songs had been included in the category of adults' songs without distinction as 'traditional children`s song' or 'children`s song.' 'Children's songs' were created as a separate category as part of educational developments in schools. Before this educational provision, traditional children`s song or children`s song in Mongolia did not exist primarily due to the nomatic lifestyles of the people. Mongolian people, who are nomadic race, make a living while moving the family unit from place to place. Thus, there are songs that adults sing for children or that became children's songs naturally due to exposure to the adults' songs. However, those are not officially categorized as children`s songs. The examination of the birth of Mongolia's traditional children`s songs led to confirmation that it is based on a combination of folk song and epic song styles in Mongolia. Mongolia's traditional children`s songs, which were collected through the spot survey, totaled approximately 36 pieces. Musical analysis of the 36 pieces reveals a mainstream rhythm consisting of a two-four time, three-four time, and four-four time. Two of the 36 pieces are in three-eight time and six-eight time. The musical scale is a pentatonic scale. It is typical for the musical range not to exceed an octave and a half. Musical characteristics of Mongolia's traditional children`s songs are usually short, neat, fluent, formal, easy to know, and easy to memorize. Given the musical characteristics of Mongolia's traditional children`s songs, we can see that they are not greatly different from our country's traditional children`s songs. These songs are, as well, most likely quite similar to traditional children`s songs in other parts of the world. In terms of methodology, some doubt the validity of the spot survey in researching foreign music. But, surveys of 'traditional children's songs' have helped us gain a general view of their characteristics. Therefore, these types of surveys are helpful in learning about musical classifications, structures, and concepts elsewhere.

The article considers at first the notion of cultural eurocentrism respectively centrism of west, in its relationship to colonialism including aspects of neocolonialism. Furthermore contexts and background of the East Asian eurocentrism are examined, especially those that are relevant for Korea. Also the consequences and problems of the Korean eurocentrism are taken into account, e.g. its impact on the ongoing Korean tradition and artificial heritage. Thus the apt development of Korean music culture in the 21st century is discussed as well.

In this article, I attempted to examine from the outside the vibrato employed in the northwest folksong ‘Sushimga.’ There are generally three main types of vibrato employed in northwestern folksong: moving above and below the main note, rising from below the main note, and coming from above the main note. The characteristic vibrato style in ‘Sushimga’ is that of the second type described above, rising from below the main note. If you take the series of notes in the line ‘Sug-im’, you can see (below) that from above the fundamental tone of the melody the notes then dip beneath this tone to create the vibrato: gb’ – eb’ –bb – ab A raise in the central melodic series by two degrees is demonstrated by the following: ab’ – f’ – c’ – bb Namely, you can see from the description above the typical melodic series in the ujo mode family. While the article delves closely into an examination of the vibrato techniques used specifically in ‘Sushimga,’ I also explores the difficulty of both describing and prescribing performance techniques using conventional notation methods. With the collaborative use of standard notation and computer graphs, I contends that the vibrato techniques employed in a performance of ‘Sushimga’ can best be described. Likewise, similar use of notation and graphs can communicate proper performance techniques to those learning the folksong via notation. Such an examination of the vibrato in ‘Sushimga’ can communicate the centrality of vibrato to the performance of this northwestern folksong.