YARMOUTH – Ian Ramsey of Bowdoin, a U.S. instrumental music teacher at North Yarmouth Academy, will leave for Japan on June 10 for a three-week study tour that begins in Tokyo.

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program is sponsored by the government of Japan and provides select American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with fully-funded short-term study tours of Japan.

Participants travel with other educators and learn about Japanese culture and education. Following the tour, they will implement a self-designed plan to share their knowledge and experience with their students, colleagues and community.

The program is designed to increase understanding between the people of Japan and the United States. It began 11 years ago as a way for the Japanese people to show their appreciation for the Fulbright Program, a U.S. government-initiated program established in 1946 to foster mutual understanding through exchanges of university students, faculty and researchers.

Ramsey graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in music education with a concentration in jazz. He teaches a variety of music classes at the academy, including music theory, wind ensemble, steel band, jazz band, and music theory.

Ramsey also directs a variety of extracurricular groups, including a Beatles ensemble, Irish music ensemble, klezmer group (traditional Eastern European Jewish music) and a jazz combo.

Ramsey said he is excited about the experience and looking forward to sharing what he learns in Japan with the North Yarmouth Academy community. “I would like to incorporate traditional Japanese music into my current world music curriculum,” said Ramsey. This includes playing the Shakuhachi (traditional Japanese bamboo flute), which Ramsey already plays but would like to share with his students.

For more information on the school, call 846-2380, ext. 9327, or visit www.nya.org.