PhnomPenhPost-Aug 23, 2022
The traditional Khmer musical instrument called the ken was in a state of increasing scarcity of players, so back in 2018 the team running the Khmer Magic Music Bus of Cambodia Living Arts (CLA) introduced a ken instrument class in Oddar Meanchey province to help train new players of traditional music so that the next generation of Cambodians are able to inherit and preserve this important part of their culture. The ken is a mouth organ with long pipes that are usually made of bamboo and are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown. It can also be found under different names and with variations in build or playing style in certain parts of Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. From the opening of the first ken musical instrument class in 2018 through today, there are now four senior students – three women and one man – as well as a new student from Tbong Khmum province, all learning the instrument from ken-master Mon Hai, with support from CLA and funding from the US embassy in Cambodia to cover the costs and salaries. Hai, 66, lives and gives music lessons in Krasaing village of Boussbov commune in Samrong town of Oddar Meanchey province. He told The Post on August 17 that classical music lessons for ken will soon be included as part of the school curriculum at the primary school of his home village of Kraisang with the permission of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts and the Department of Education, Youth and Sports of Oddar Meanchey province. Read more at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/lifestyle-arts-culture/khmer-instrument-added-music-curriculum
