Hi, Jane here from SillyOMusic! Today I want to share a song that I (and pretty much every other Korean person) sang as a child, Santoki. When I was in Preschool, I remember singing it for my parents’ friends and then hiding under the dining room table. My stage fright has improved slightly since then, and this song will always have a special place in my heart!

A Bit of Background Information

• South Korea is a peninsula bursting with mountains.
• The proverb, “Beyond the mountain are mountains,” speaks to Korean traits that are common among mountainous people such as self-reliance, sturdiness, and individualism.
• The proverb is saying that whatever mountain you climb, there will be more challenges ahead.
• These values can be observed in the lyrics to the popular children’s song, Santoki.
• Koreans also tend to be provincial and have strong attachments to their local communities, which also makes Koreans very group-centered.

The lyrics below have been transliterated by my mother. It’s not word-for-word, in order to accommodate the rhythm. The simple gestures in Santoki make it fun and appealing to children. I’ve also posted a couple videos that can help clarify the movements and help with pronunciation.

Create Korean Courtly Dances!

You can also pack a little more Korean culture into this lesson by incorporating elements of traditional Korean court dancing. There are types of traditional dances that are fast-paced but court dances are usually slow. I would show the video below and ask students to pay attention to the following characteristics:

• Dancers walk as if floating (gentle bending of knees)
• Vertical movements
• Heels touch the ground first (stylized walking)
• Emphasis on motion instead of position or posture
• Wrist flicks propel sleeves of hanbok (clothing) outward
• Feeling of suspension

Students can get into groups and change the movements of Santoki to include these traits. You will probably have to sing the song at a slower tempo for this to work. They can practice the moves to the music in the YouTube video first.

Close out the Lesson with some Freeze Dance!

I hope your students enjoy learning this song!

You can find my teaching resources at SillyOMusic.

Have a musical day!

Jane

Jane from SillyOMusic

I've been teaching since 2009 and now live in North Carolina with my husband and rescue dogs. I currently teach early childhood music, but I've taught elementary and middle school music for most of my career. I love creating resources that are fun for the whole class!