Group spends time with U.S. Ambassador to Japan while abroad
The Maymester Japan & South Korea program was first introduced this year to provide Belmont students with a unique global learning experience while visiting professional and cultural places in Tokyo and Seoul. A team of 29 students from The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and The Jack C. Massey College of Business traveled with four faculty members including Dr. Amy Crook (Management), Dr. Don Cusic (Music Business), Dr. Rush Hicks (Music Business), and Dr. Doyuen Ko (Audio Engineering) on this year’s trip.
The purpose of the experience was to learn Asian music copyright policy, artist management system, business etiquette and the latest audio technology on-site with businesses and institutions in Tokyo and Seoul. After more than a year of preparation and dedicated coordination efforts by the faculty members, the team was able to visit several important sites including The US Embassy in Tokyo, the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, Warner Music Japan, Tokyo University of the Arts, Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Seoul Art Center and The World Association for Hallyu Studies.
The U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty invited the entire team into the Embassy and shared his role and experience as a diplomat to one of the country’s most important allies. Hagerty is a native Nashvillian, and he served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development from 2011 to 2014. Students also met top executives in the music industry and saw the inner workings of J-Pop and K-Pop which dominate Asian popular music.
