A music club called ‘Punakha Angel’ with students from Khuruthang was formed in 2009. The man behind this club is Dr. Kim, a South Korean music teacher who has been volunteering and living in Bhutan for over 11 years now.
Dr. Kim is passionate about music. He said he wanted to transform the lives of the children of Khuruthang through music. Dr. Kim, besides fulfilling his duties at the Ugyen Academy, teaches music for free to the children and provides them musical instruments.
He said that the students initially found studying music quite difficult and would give up on their musical ambitions quite quickly. Juhee Kim, a Korean student assisting Dr.Kim echoes his sentiments.
“I help Dr. Kim with his music class. A lot of children do not have patience and are also not punctual. They do not know the value of this course, which is why we run into problems when we teach them music. But, having said that, I would like to share that we enjoy teaching them music,” said Juhee Kim.
Music lessons are held every weekend. The classes, however, are challenged by a lack of proper space. The classes are being held in the open.
Dr. Kim said that he has many talented students in the Punakha Angel but their talents cannot be fully developed as music lessons do not exist at Khuruthang Middle Secondary School. He said music must be among the subjects taught in Bhutanese schools.
Srijana Pradhan, a class 10 student, and a member of Punakha Angel joined the music club last year. She plays the cello. “It has benefitted me a lot. I have gained a lot of courage when I have been to perform my musical performance in other schools under Punakha Dzongkhag.
“It really makes me happy when I learn western music, as we don’t have a class for western music here in Bhutan.”
Many other students who play various instruments in the Punakha Angel share that they have not only become confident in their musical abilities but also enjoy their informal music classes.
The musical group, Punakha Angel, has 30 members including seven Korean students from Ugyen Academy. The group is open to students of any age who are interested in music
The Punakha Angel was first formed in 2009 with just seven students.
