This Study examines the features of music education conducted by the
Japanese imperialists under the “Elementary School Statute” through which they
tried to complete the Assimilation policy for Korean people.
Before the “Elementary School Statute” was announced, the discipline of music
was called \"Shoka\", meaning \"singing songs\". However, after the “Elementary
School Statute” was released, the name of the discipline was changed into \"Art
Music\" which contained instrument playing, music appreciation, basic theory as
well as singing.
For this research the writer analyzed “Utanohong 1, 2” which was published
based upon “Utanohong A, B”. These books were concurrently used in mainland
Japan, containing the typical features of Japanese songs.
Most texts in “Utanohong 1, 2” employ Japanese contents and ideals. Even
though some songs look like describing natural phenomena or children\'s life, they
actually contain Japanese imperialistic ideals.
Most of the song in these textbooks use 2/4 or 4/4 meters and 12 to 16
measures in lengths. Half of the songs employ \"Yonauki\" scales.
The Korean children of those days were forced to sing these kinds of songs,
resulting in the cultural saturation of Japanese imperialism.
Now it seems difficult to eradicate the remnants and influences of Japanese
imperialism music education on today\'s practices. The people educated in colonial
period still have Japanese aesthetic sensitivity because music education of those
days had deep influences on their subconsciousness.