YouShine & Captain Nav Present: A Beloved Korean Children’s Song – ‘학교종이 땡땡

[유샤인]

YouShine & Captain Nav Present:
A Beloved Korean Children’s Song – ‘학교종이 땡땡땡’ (School Bell)”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkSq7DeWAAI

1절 --------  학교종이 땡땡땡  어서 모이자  선생님이 우리를  기다리신다.    2절 --------    학교종이 땡땡땡  어서 모이자  사이좋게 오늘도  공부 잘 하자.

Verse 1 -------- Ringing school bell - ding dong  dang Let's hurry to the classroom. Our dear teacher waits for us. To teach us to learn.   Verse 2 --------  Ringing school bell - ding dong dang Let's hurry to the classroom. Friendly, friendly even today Let's excel in learning.

This may seem like a simple children’s song at first, but it was written by Kim Mary, a remarkable woman whose life and faith inspired generations. Before you dismiss it as just a tune for the young, we invite you to discover the deeper meaning behind the melody.

이거 처음에는 단순한 동요처럼 들릴 수 있지만, 이 노래는 수많은 사람들에게 신앙과 감동을 주었던 김메리 여사께서 작사하신 작품이다. 단순한 어린이 노래라고 생각되더라도, 이 멜로디 속에 담긴 깊은 뜻을 함께 느껴보시기를.

이 동요를 작곡/작사하신분은 우리에게 민족교육자와 봉사활동가로 알려져 있는 김메리 여사다. 해방이후 현재명, 김성태 선생 등과 함께 음악교과서를 만드는 등 우리나라 음악교육이 자리잡는데 큰 역할을 했고 민족교육자․봉사활동가로 알려진 인물이다.  1904년 서울 출생으로 1919년 배화학교를 졸업하고 논산 보통학교 교사로 잠깐 근무했다. 1930년 미 버클리대에서 유학했으며, 1935년 이화여전 음악과 교수로 재직해오다가 음대학장까지 맡았다. 그러나 일제시대 때인 당시 남편이 친미파라는 이유로 미국으로 추방당해 같이 도미했다. 해방되던 해에 다시 귀국해 음악교육에 몰두하기 시작했다. 이때  국민들의 교육열을 장려하는데 기여하고자 ‘학교종’을 작시/작곡하게던 것이었다. 그 후 김 여사는 의학도 공부했다. 1954년 미국으로 건너가 웨인주립대에서 생화학과 미생물학을 공부하고 병원실험실에서 근무해 오다가 73세 때인 1977년 정년퇴임했다. 그러나 고령임에도 불구하고 인생은퇴를 거부하고 아프리카 평화봉사단 활동에 참여해 자신의 의술을 펼쳤다. 1985년에는 자선사업단체인 ‘육영선교회’를 창설 다시 봉사활동을 시작해 왕성한 활동을 해오다가 2005년초에 별세하셨다.

The person who composed/wrote this song is Mrs. Mary Kim, known to us as a national educator and volunteer. After liberation, she played a major role in establishing music education in Korea by creating music textbooks with Hyunjae Myeong and Kim Seong-tae, and is known as a national educator and volunteer.   Born in Seoul in 1904, she graduated from Baehwa School in 1919 and worked briefly as a teacher at Nonsan Elementary School. In 1930, she studied abroad at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1935, she became a professor in the Department of Music at Ewha Womans University and even became the dean of the College of Music. However, during the Japanese colonial period, her husband was exiled to the United States because he was pro-American, so she went to the United States with him. She returned to Korea the year of liberation and began to devote herself to music education. At that time, she composed/wrote “School Bell” in order to encourage raising the people’s enthusiasm for education.   After that, Mrs. Kim also studied medicine. He moved to the United States in 1954, studied biochemistry and microbiology at Wayne State University, worked in a hospital laboratory, and retired in 1977 at the age of 73. However, despite his old age, he refused to retire and participated in the African Peace Corps to practice his medical skills. In 1985, he founded the charity organization ‘Yuk Young Mission Society’ and resumed his volunteer work, continuing his active work until he passed away in early 2005.

cscho90@gmail.com

“In the past, Korean schools had tall bell towers. Most families didn’t own clocks, so the whole village listened for the school bell.
When it rang, children hurried through the streets to reach their classrooms.
This song reminds many older Koreans of those simpler times and the sound that started their day."