Piano changes an elementary school student's life

A piano, a turning point

Nguyen Ngoc Minh is a 5th grade student at Genesis School, Hanoi with a scholarship for 4 consecutive years. In addition, Minh is studying at the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Besides, he also knows 3 foreign languages and has won numerous piano awards, big and small. From the outside, it looks like an impressive series of achievements, but behind it is a journey full of efforts with the support of his mother - Ms. Le Thi Hien.

Đàn piano thay đổi cuộc đời một học sinh tiểu học - Ảnh 1. — Ngoc Minh with the piano helps him win many awards

In 2019, the 25m² rented room in the old Vinh Phuc (now Phu Tho) of Ms. Hien and her son became more cramped when they added a piano. It was a bold decision when she withdrew all the money she had saved for her son for many years to buy a piano during the difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic. For many people, this may be reckless, but for Ms. Hien, the piano is both a gift for her son and a reserve for the future.

"At that time, I just thought, if something unfortunate happened, I wouldn't be able to take the money in the bank with me. Buying a piano for my child would be fun, but if I had difficulties, I could sell it without losing value, even though neither of us knew what a piano was, and no one in the family was an artist," Hien laughed.

It is worth mentioning that the mother and child are not well off. Ms. Hien is a single mother, working hard to raise her child. However, material constraints cannot prevent her faith and optimism.

In the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, Ngoc Minh was able to learn piano online with a teacher. Every day, he sat at the piano, practiced a lot and became familiar with it, his skills improved day by day. The online teacher praised him for being very hard-working and having good learning ability; and other parents encouraged him to go to Hanoi to pursue a musical career. But for Ms. Hien, everything was simply to make her child happy and disciplined, and she did not think that she would have the opportunity to move to Hanoi.

Đàn piano thay đổi cuộc đời một học sinh tiểu học - Ảnh 2. — Ngoc Minh in the performance program for excellent students at the National Academy of Music

"I personally think my child doesn't have any special talent, everyone is the same, with a lot of practice it will become a habit," Ms. Hien modestly shared.

However, it was Ngoc Minh's perseverance, his mother's encouragement, and his love of music that helped Ngoc Minh gradually assert his ability, from the piano keys in a small room to a bright spot, bringing him to many achievements later.

Strong inner strength from an elementary school girl

From the way her child learned to play the piano, Ms. Hien found a suitable educational method, not forcing her child but building discipline with a specific schedule. Ngoc Minh learns the piano for 3 hours a day. In addition to that time, Ngoc Minh learns English and Chinese through YouTube and listening to speakers, and in the evening she studies cultural subjects using cheap apps that her mother bought. Each day of her life is filled with initiative and perseverance in learning.

After a short time, Ngoc Minh was able to read books, communicate fluently in English, use basic Chinese and still be in the top 3 in cultural subjects in class. This achievement was recognized by scholarships from Newton School in Vinh Phuc and Genesis School in Hanoi in 2021, when Ngoc Minh was in the last grade of grade 1.

Đàn piano thay đổi cuộc đời một học sinh tiểu học - Ảnh 3. — Ngoc Minh studies diligently

In 2022, Hien and her son moved to Hanoi to rent a room so that Ngoc Minh could conveniently go to school. Every day, Ngoc Minh still diligently goes to Genesis School and practices piano. This time there was a change when she was able to learn piano directly with a teacher, but due to financial limitations, she could only practice once a week.

Not stopping there, in grade 3, Ngoc Minh continued to pass the Piano department of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Studying at both schools at the same time helped him expand his knowledge through the bilingual program and practice his music in depth.

"She is still a child, sometimes still playful. But perhaps because she loves her mother, she is somewhat understanding. I always teach her that nothing is ready-made, from meals to daily clothes. Therefore, she must understand the value of learning," said Ms. Hien. However, with these results, Ms. Hien's external motivation could not have created a resilient Minh without her own internal strength. And that internal strength became even more evident in 2025, when Ms. Hien had an accident and broke her leg, temporarily losing her ability to work.

In difficult circumstances, Ngoc Minh took the initiative to take care of the housework, went to school by herself, helped her mother go to the market, and even helped her mother deliver goods on her small bicycle. She still maintained everything in parallel with her study schedule and piano practice, which shows a rare courage and sense of responsibility in a girl of primary school age.

"I wish to win the Chopin Prize like Mr. Dang Thai Son"

For Ngoc Minh, the piano is not only a hobby but also a tool for her to assert herself. In addition, Ngoc Minh loves swimming, she often spends 1 hour every day swimming. Thanks to her talent, she often participates in piano performances and small swimming competitions. The rewards she receives are used to support the "Nuoi em" project (helping support food money for students in difficult mountainous areas - PV), she and her mother have supported a child for 4 years.

Every weekend, I always actively participate in community projects, including the "Keep Clean Vietnam, Green Vietnam Community Project" with Miss Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc as ambassador, through which I can cultivate more community and social awareness.

Đàn piano thay đổi cuộc đời một học sinh tiểu học - Ảnh 4. — Ngoc Minh works hard on community projects

Đàn piano thay đổi cuộc đời một học sinh tiểu học - Ảnh 5. — Ngoc Minh always carries a speaker with him to listen to foreign languages.

Besides, Ngoc Minh is also diligently studying French on her own. She hopes that knowing another language will open the door for her to find more opportunities in the future.

Ngoc Minh shared: "I hope to win the Chopin Prize like Mr. Dang Thai Son. I also dream of becoming a pianist like my teacher, so that I can help people in need in life."

"I want to thank my mother for sacrificing a lot to take care of me, so that I could go to school, play the piano, swim and come to Hanoi to live," Ngoc Minh expressed.

Currently, Hien and her mother are still living together in a small rented room in Hanoi, which is always filled with laughter and the sound of piano keys. Therefore, for Ngoc Minh, that dream is not only the aspiration of a future artist or the desire to share and help people in difficult circumstances, but also contains the desire to bring her strong-willed mother to new horizons...

Nguyen Ngoc Minh's outstanding piano achievements:

Passed the piano faculty of Vietnam National Academy of Music (2024);
First prize in non-professional group A of Vietnam's got talent, directly admitted to the school by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hue Academy of Music (2024);
First prize of the Green Music Notes Festival organized by Da Nang city (2023);
First prize of Thang Long Festival organized by Thang Long University (2023);
First prize in Talent performance at Genesis, Sentia Schools... (2022);
First prize in piano organized by the Vietnam Musicians Association (2024);
Second prize in the National Piano Festival, second prize in piano organized by Thieu Nien Tien Phong Newspaper (2023).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-piano-thay-doi-cuoc-doi-mot-hoc-sinh-tieu-hoc-185250924111635361.htm