Haeundae Buskers and 10,000-hour Rule

At the end of August, I had a chance to go to Haeundae in Busan.
It was so hot that the City of Busan issued a heat warning, and Haeundae Beach seemed packed with people.
There were also a lot of local and foreign swimmers jumping into the water.

 

* Haeundae Beach in Busan on a weekend in late August

Still, there was a slight breeze in the morning and evening now that the traditional autumnal season has just started since August 22 (처서/處暑) this year.
At night, several busking stages were set up on the white sand beach, and busking singers performed here and there to entertain people walking along the seaside promenade.
Some sang solo or in duets with guitars, while others sang with MR accompaniment and banged on simple drums. Some people were so excited that they jumped out of the audience and danced in the sand.
It was a delightful scene on a midsummer night in one of Korea's most famous vacation spots.

 

* Busking singers on the white sandy beach in Haeundae, Busan

* A group of tourists dancing to the rhythm of busker Kim Ki-moo for the dance of a lifetime

 

Suddenly, I came across Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule that night.
These buskers may be singing on the Haeundae  beach right now, but if they continue to improve their singing skills up to 10,000 hours, they will one day be recognized as professional singers.
Even if these busking singers are now singing in front of dozens of people, there is no reason why they can't become world-class singers like the main characters in the movie Once, when they perform on the streets of Dublin. Those scenes were made into a world famous movie.

How could the Beatles go from singing in a club at the Hamburg harbor to becoming a world class band?

In view of the Beatles' experiences, you may understand three necessary conditions. 
First, you have to have a talent for singing and the passion to succeed as a singer.
Second, you have to create your own unique singing voice, not just copy someone else's. To do this, you'll need to seek guidance from a professional, such as a vocal trainer.

 

And, of course, you'll be lucky if you have the opportunity to receive a good song from a famous composer.

But before that, you need to have the creativity to write and compose your own songs.

 

I believe that a busking singer on the street can become a singer who is in the spotlight on social media or on a performance stage only if he/she has the aptitude and passion, proper guidance and training, and creative efforts.
However, it is believed that today there are many more opportunities than the busking stage on the street or beach.
Thanks to the advancement of YouTube and Shortform, anyone can upload his/her own music to new media, and easily reach potential audiences.

 

On the last weekend of August, an outdoor stage in Haeundae hosted the 32nd Youth Song Festival, organized by the local social welfare center.
More than 20 aspiring singers aged 14 to 19 applied, and 10 of them passed the preliminary rounds to show off their singing skills in front of tourists visiting Haeundae Beach.

I saw several teenagers with impressive singing skills.

 

 

* A high school girl performs Adele's “Rolling in the Deep” at the Haeundae Youth Music Festival.

 

They are currently middle or high school students who are busy with their studies.

But I thought that if they work hard with the intention of becoming a singer or entertainer, the Goddess of Luck will smile on them when the above three conditions are met. 

 

⇒ In the Korean version