The renowned World Music program at NIU is what drew Chih-I Hsaio to DeKalb after earning his degree in Music Theory of Taiwanese traditional music at the Taipei National University of the Arts.
He chose to earn a Master of Music in World Music at NIU. “I have had a strong interest in exploring music from different cultures around the world,” Tsaio said. ” With what I have learned so far, I learn that the world of music is actually far wider and more diverse than I thought before and that if I want to keep learning more about various musical cultures, I must have an open mind that eliminates to a great extent my bias and prejudice that came as part of my pre-knowledge. I have found studying world music fascinating and engaging. I look forward to sharing what I have learned in this program with more people.”
Chih-I made the most of his time at NIU. He served as graduate assistant for the Asian American Studies Certificate program, president of the World Music Club and vice president of the Taiwanese Students Association.
“The NIU World Music program is one of the best world music programs in the world,” Hsiao said. “As a non-western classical trained musician, I think the world music program at NIU has the best graduate program that allows students to explore the studies of various world music cultures and tie these closely together with our career path.”
Click to read Chih-I’s full Huskie Spotlight.