Moon-Sook Park, associate professor of music and voice in the Department of Music at the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, was recently selected as a Fulbright US Scholar for the 2024–25 academic year in Germany.

Fulbright Fellowships, awarded by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Program, provide recipients like Park with opportunities to teach and conduct research abroad while fostering long-term relationships between the United States and other countries.

Park’s project, titled “The Effectiveness of Singing as a Learning Aid in Foreign Language Acquisition,” aims to improve Korean language learning and cultural understanding through an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates neurological research, vocabulary aids, and the International Phonetic Alphabet.

“When I received the letter announcing this award in the competition, I could hardly believe it,” said Park, pointing out that there were very few art or music scholars in her class. However, the support of her mentors and university administration inspired her to continue.

Park thanked Provost Terry Martin, Dean Brian Raines, former interim dean Kathy Sloan, and department chair Alan Gossman for their generous support in her decision to pursue her Fulbright stay in Germany. She expressed special thanks to her long-time mentor Lynda Coon, dean of the Honors College and professor of history, for her tireless support and encouragement throughout the process.

Coon also acknowledged her colleague’s achievements and linked Park’s research to a rich history of music education.

“Although the idea of ​​using music as a language learning tool is not new, the multidisciplinary approach that incorporates vocal and cultural theory, musical performance and cognitive science is truly groundbreaking,” Coon said. “As a medievalist, I have seen similar academic work on monastic singing, but the benefits of Park’s project are obvious. Not only does it enhance language training, but it also allows for immersion in Korean culture and history. I think the methodology is brilliant.”

As part of her Fulbright Fellowship, Park has been invited to give an undergraduate lecture and a graduate seminar at the Institute of Korean Studies at the Free University of Berlin. She will also give several guest lectures and concerts of Korean art songs at institutions such as the University of Helsinki in Finland and York St. John University in the UK.

“As a Korean American, I am deeply proud of my heritage,” Park said. “My goal is to provide Korean studies students at the Free University of Berlin with a deep understanding of the language and improve their pronunciation and cultural awareness by using song as a pedagogical tool.”

Park entered the University of America in 2012 and began her career performing as a soloist and recitalist in prestigious venues including the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Korea. Her career was marked by a U.S. debut concert at Carnegie Hall in 2001, which made the United States her second home. She is also the co-author of two anthologies of Korean art songs, the first publications of their kind in the United States.

“I am excited to participate in the cultural exchange this program offers and to represent the University of Arkansas abroad,” Park added.

The Fulbright Program’s distinguished alumni include 62 Nobel Prize winners, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders and experts from academia and many other areas of the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Park is the only music professor among the eight U.S. professors selected as the 2024-25 Fullbright Awardees for Germany.

Park holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in vocal performance and vocal pedagogy from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, as well as graduate studies at the music academies in Freiburg, Saarbrücken, and Stuttgart, Germany. She also holds a private diploma from the Academia di Canto F. Cavalli in Milan, Italy, and a Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University. Park has received numerous awards, including the KAAD Prize from a German educational organization and the Bayreuth Stipend Award for emerging artists from the Bayreuth Festival in Germany. She is also an active board member of the Korean American University Professors Association and the International Alliance for Women in Music.