On weekends, inside the corner of the yard of the Da Nang Inclusive Education Development Support Centre located in Hoa Minh Ward, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang is bustling with laughter mixed with the tinkling sounds emitted at the same time by many ukuleles, a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. There, a free music class for blind children is organised by a man who has wishes and aspirations to use music to heal wounds.

Mr. Truong Luong Hy is instructing visually impaired children how to play the ukulele. Photo: P.C

The "philosophy" of teaching piano here is not sublime or abstract, but simply approaches the instrument in a happy, comfortable state of mind. People who learn to play the piano not only practice patience and perseverance in each movement and lesson, but above all, find the clear, carefree sounds of life...

The most beautiful sound

The person who initiated and directly taught ukulele to visually impaired children at the center is Mr. Truong Luong Hy, the owner of Mi-Fa-Do music teaching facility in residential group 53, Thac Gian Ward, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang. I think that your world only has sound and the most beautiful sound is music. Only when young hands grope for each note and then sing it out loud can they help children imagine a beautiful world, different from the world of darkness in their eyes.

Caressing every detail of the ukulele in his hand, then suddenly bringing the instrument to his nose to inhale the smell of new wood, Nguyen Tuan Hau, from Binh Nguyen Commune, Binh Son District, Quang Ngai Province could not hide his joy and excitement when approaching this musical instrument.

At the age of 19, Hau has lived and studied for 13 years at the Da Nang Inclusive Education Development Support Centre. Having lost more than 80% of his vision since birth, Hau can only see things around him at a very close distance. But that is also Hau’s luckiest thing compared to her friends at the same center.

Every day, Hau acts as a "guide" for his friends in activities here and participates in studying and integrating into the community at nearby Nguyen Thuong Hien Senior High School. When he heard there was a ukulele music class being held on the weekend at the centre, Hau eagerly signed up.

“I have also learned a number of musical instruments, but if I could learn how to play the ukulele, I would still like it. Because this is the best way to express my emotions as well as get closer to people.”, said Hau.

Sharing about his opportunity to teach ukulele to blind children at the Da Nang Inclusive Education Development Support Center, Mr. Hy said that this plan has been cherished by himself for a long time but has not yet been able to make it come into fruition.

Graduating from the Hue Academy of Music in 2011, Mr. Hy chose his own path, which is to open classes to teach guitar, piano and organ to students, especially children. Outside of class, he participates with groups in organising volunteer activities aimed at people with disabilities and ethnic minority children.

“During a visit to a massage facility for the blind in Thanh Khe District, I was stunned when I witnessed a blind employee here playing the guitar. The sound of the guitar evokes many thoughts and the aura of the person playing the guitar is both thoughtful and radiant, it gives me so many emotions that are hard to describe. The plan to open a piano class for the blind seemed to gain strength when recently his teacher in Ho Chi Minh City organised a project to donate 100 ukuleles directly made by himself for disabled and disadvantaged children at facilities and shelters across the country and organise classes to instruct them how to play this musical instrument. Thinking that the opportunity had come, I boldly asked the teacher for 15 guitars to give to the children at the Da Nang Inclusive Education Development Support Centre, and at the same time organised classes and taught them for free on Saturdays and Sundays.”, said Mr. Hy.

Mr. Hy's "philosophy" of teaching piano is not sublime or abstract, but simply approaches the instrument in a happy, comfortable state of mind. People who learn to play the piano not only practice patience and perseverance in each movement and lesson, but most of all, they find the clear, carefree sounds of life.

Learning to play the piano is difficult for normal people, but it is even more difficult for blind people, when the way to access the teacher's curriculum is only a black colour in the eyes. Therefore, behind the little sounds is patience, concentration, and the high-level use of hearing to comprehend lessons, from simple to complex levels.

“Along with directly holding hands and instructing, shaping each finger movement, rhythm, and beat, we must explain it carefully to the children. Each movement I model is done many times because the children only perceive it through hearing, then can visualize it. Each child's approach and perception is different, so are the results. What feels most comforting is the excitement and joy of the children when they successfully perform a movement on this musical instrument. And behind that is the eyes of the family waiting for happiness when they witness this highly-encouraging fact," Mr. Hy confided.

Mr. Hy believes that when young hands fumble with each musical note and then speak it out loud, it can help children imagine a beautiful world. Photo: P.C

Dreams “speak out loud”

Nestled in a hidden corner to observe his children leaning how to play ukulele, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, residing in Hoa An Ward, Cam Le District, occasionally shines with happiness. Nguyen Tu Anh, his little 7-year-old daughter, was visually impaired when she was born. As an ordinary worker having making ends meet day by day, but Mr. Quang has spent a lot of effort and money to help his child find the light of life. Once he accepted the truth, he spent more time taking his children to classes and community integration activities.

“She is still too young to understand and know all the difficulties and disadvantages ahead. What I want for my child to take this piano class is to equip her with more musical talent, first of all to relieve her soul and then, if possible, to be a tool to help her feel more confident when entering the community later.”, said Mr. Quang.

Taking advantage of the break, Vo Thanh Nhan, residing in Binh An Commune, Thang Binh dDistrict, Quang Nam Province sang for everyone a series of songs about Ha Noi.

In Nhan's imagination, Ha Noi is a beautiful, enchanting place, there is Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, Hoan Kiem Lake and especially autumn with stirring colours. Nhan has been completely blind since birth and he is the oldest brother in a farmer family living in the white sand area.

Understanding the hardships of my parents and the ‘bumpy road’ ahead, he asked for permission from his parents to register to study at the Da Nang Inclusive Education Development Support Centre.

Every day, Nhan relies on the support from his friend to learn integration knowledge at the Nguyen Thuong Hien Senior High School. The rest of the time I attend gifted classes held at the Centre.

At the age of 17, Nhan deeply felt his own sadness, the disadvantages he faced and the ridicule and laughter of friends who did not understand. But perhaps the motivation for Nhan to move forward is the austere faces of his parents in his imagination or the scenery of Viet Nam in every song that he has heard but has never set foot on.

On weekends, his peers at the centre are welcomed home by their parents whereas Nhan decides to stay there, so that his parents wouldn't have to spend money on transportation. He put his nostalgia aside and focused on practicing music.

“When I learned that there was a class of Mr. Hy offering ukulele lessons here, I proactively signed up to participate. As a disabled person, I cannot join my friends in running, jumping, or playing football, but when I learn how to play this musical instrument, I can join in with my friends to interact, sing for them, and perform for everyone. Furthermore, my parents suffered when giving birth to me, so in the future I want to be able to support myself by playing musical instruments and, more fortunately, be able to help my parents raise and take care of my younger siblings.”, Nhan confide.

Starting with the desire to heal the children's souls, Mr. Hy has long-term ambitions and plans for his project. Each student's eagerness, attentiveness, and above all, understanding the meaning and purpose of participating in class are the driving force for the class to go forward and expand.

“The children can completely master the musical instruments and confidently perform and express their emotions through lyrics and music. Currently, I am trying to draft and convert some songs written in regular writing into Braille to serve them. In the long term, students with outstanding talents will receive intensive training to be able to master techniques and pedagogical methods. They will become the teaching assistants, even my colleagues who will support me in continuing to write this dreamful project. In fact, the advantages of these excellent students are empathy, understanding and outstanding ability in expression. When there is sympathy and sharing, I think what remains is only heartwarming happiness.”, added Mr. Hy.

Music is one of life's magical gifts. For the blind children at the Da Nang Inclusive Education Development Support Centre, that miracle is being rekindled, lit up with actions and gestures of love. Those clear sounds are the realisation, the imagination of small dreams, the souls longing to see a beautiful life with their own feelings...

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG - Translating by A.THU