Community Music Program for Vietnamese Youth

Dear Friends,

You are receiving this email and update because over the years you have so kindly supported our after school music education program in Vietnam. This month we want to share with you a story about one of our first students and now one of our violin teachers, Huy.

In 2012 we met Huy who had joined our first group of music students learning violin. He was in middle school at the time, and such an enthusiastic student. Huy quickly picked up the violin, and was recognized right away by our summer team of U.S. volunteer musicians as a very talented young musician. Over the years he continued to progress and naturally became a leader in the group and a reliable example for the younger students.  

When Huy was accepted to college, we offered him a part-time job teaching our youngest students when he returned home on the weekends. At that time, because Huy was living in Nha Trang City during the week, we were also able to send Huy for his own private violin lessons with a professional teacher. With this additional training Huy excelled, and in just one year advanced through multiple levels of classical violin. 

Huy graduated from college last year and is well on his way to having a successful career as an electrical engineer. Huy has always said even with a new career he planned on staying with us as a teacher during the week at night and on the weekends.  This past summer Huy approached us about wanting to have further violin training before he started to look for a job  in his town. He had the opportunity to move to Ho Chi Minh City for six months, to intensively train in classical violin. We supported this decision whole heartedly and this past September, Huy made the move. It didn’t take long for Huy to impress us once again.  

In January he was asked to perform at the opening of an art exhibit along professional musicians and ensembles. Later in the month he entered his first competition, winning a silver medal, as a very talented, young musician, at the Asia Pacific Arts Festival for Peace, held this year in Vietnam. It is widely thought in Vietnam that only the wealthy can afford to concentrate on learning to play an instrument like the violin. We are so happy that with your continued support, we have been able to make sure that students from any socioeconomic level can realize their dreams as well.  

It has been a privilege to watch Huy grow as a musician, but even more, watching him grow into a compassionate, determined young man has been one of the greatest joys we’ve had. He is looked up to and respected in the community of artists and musicians your support has help create and support. As always, we thank you so much.  

Take care, 

Sara 

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Dear Rock-Paper-Scissor’s Friends,

Happy soon to be Holidays and Giving Tuesday! Giving Tuesday is coming up next week on Tuesday, November 27th! We would love your help with sharing the word about the wonderful Vietnamese kids you have been supporting this year and past years! Nothing is greater than providing support like this to help us keep our after school art and music programs alive, and of course our summer arts camp for over 120 children living in the remote and very much underserved village of Son Tan. These photos were taken during our summer 2018 camp.

Every year our wonderful music teachers and students from Cam Duc Village volunteer their time to help us run our summer music and art camp in the village of Son Tan, an ethnic minority community segregated from the mainstream of Vietnam life. Spending six days as counselors, they play music and games with the 120-150 kids who attend. Huy, one of our former violin students and now one of our teachers, is especially wonderful with the children and so enthusiastic at leading camp games. And there is Tuan, another one of our music teachers, who puts on a tremendous, musical puppet show for the children. Our music students and volunteers sing and play their instruments for the children as well.

You have so kindly helped to support all of these kids and we could not have built this community of young musicians and artists over these past six years without you. Your support of our music program has provided an opportunity for these kids to grow up together, have fun together, and share in all of the hardships and joy that come along with their often difficult daily lives.

If you would like to contribute to our program again this year, please help us on Giving Tuesday, November 27^th to gain matching funds from GlobalGiving who will also be helping small non-profits like us to continue to do our work around the world! If you are unable to make a contribution again, please consider sharing our Facebook page with your friends on that day to let them know about our work in Vietnam!

Thank you as always,

Sara

Links:

• Visit our website.
• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Instagram.