We were so happy to welcome Uriol, a traditional Korean percussion ensemble to our campus this week. The instruments that were played in this ensemble form an important role in Korean musical practices from folk music to royal court music. Based on the traditional Korean performance of Pungmul, Minyo, and Chukjae, these art forms open a window into traditional Korean culture.
We had a glorious day we had to enjoy the traditional Korean drumming! Nothing like the outdoor crisp autumn sunshine to experience the rhythmic patterns and literally feel the vibrations of the instruments coursing through the body!! If you were there, then you also felt the dramatic and reverberant sound of the Yeolgo, or big drum that is a highlight of this percussion ensemble performance.
Among the highlights of the performance was a chance to learn words of encouragement in Korean. Below is what they taught us One can never have enough positive reinforcement!!!
Uriol 우리얼 began as a Samul nori ensemble. This genre of percussion music is performed with 4 traditional Korean instruments comprised of gongs and different shaped drums including the Kkwaenggwari, a small gong; Jing, a larger gong; Janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum; and Buk, a barrel drum.
In addition, Uriol’s demonstrated examples of gilnori, or music that is traditionally used to gather people together at the start of an event, as well as pungmul, or traditional Korean folk music that incorporates, dancing, singing, and drumming. They even taught us words of encouragement in Korean to shout out during the performance. What a great interactive experience!
We look forward to welcoming them back to our campus again soon! 
