Fostering love of national culture for students

Artisan Thung Van Doi introduces parts of the Tinh lute of the Thai ethnic group to students of Cha Nua Primary Boarding School.

On the way to take us to the house of the folk musician Thung Van Doi in Na In village, Cha Nua commune, teacher Tran Dang Khoa, Principal of Cha Nua Primary Boarding School, explained more clearly the "reason" that made him ponder and then decided to invite the musician Thung Van Doi to the school to perform and teach the culture of the White Thai ethnic group to the students. Teacher Khoa said: The school is located in a mountainous commune, most of whom are ethnic minorities. Of the 284 students in the whole school, 96.5% are children of the Thai, H'Mong, Tay, and Muong ethnic groups. There are only 10 Kinh ethnic students, who are children of teachers at all levels in the commune. Like many other places and schools, the students of the school do not like and do not even understand ethnic culture. During recess, the students often gather in groups to watch social networks; when singing and dancing, they choose pop songs, modern music...! Witnessing that scene every day made me extremely worried. Many nights I tossed and turned with the thought, “Where will the customs, culture, and traditional musical instruments of these children go in the future?”

Then, Mr. Khoa and the Board of Directors discussed and decided to add the content of learning about ethnic minority culture to the first weekly meeting of each month. From October 2024 to now, the activities to learn about ethnic culture have been maintained regularly; the content of the activities is selected according to specific topics... with the person who communicates, exchanges, and talks about ethnic culture with students being artisan Thung Van Doi - a person who understands Thai ethnic culture, a person who is passionate about the Tinh instrument of the ethnic group.

Mentioning the names of students who are passionate about learning to play the guitar and how to make the đàn tính such as Khoang Bao Ngoc, Thung Gia Khanh, Ca Viet Ha, Tao Minh Phuong, Thung Thi Huong Dao... artisan Thung Van Doi's eyes sparkle with joy. Because he himself did not think that, through performing and talking about the guitar and its sound with the Thai people in Cha Nua with the students, he would have such a power to arouse the passion for ethnic culture in the youth. After only three sessions of talking with the students about the story of the đàn tính and its connection with the Thai people, 21 students in grades 3, 4 and 5 from Na In, Pa Co, Cau, Na Cang villages asked to learn to play the guitar and make guitars with artisan Thung Van Doi.

In order for learning the instrument not to affect the children's studies at school and in class, artisan Thung Van Doi sets aside every Saturday to instruct the children in two groups, one group studying in the morning, one group studying in the afternoon. If any child wants to learn more, artisan Thung Van Doi is always willing to guide. Thanks to his dedicated teaching and passion for learning and practicing, after a short time, many students can play and sing by themselves; their love for national culture also follows each melody, the sound of the Tinh Tau gradually grows in the children's minds and emotions.

As one of the 21 students passionate about learning the đàn tính, Khoang Bao Ngoc, a student of class 4A2, confided: Thanks to the artist's guidance and instruction, I have come to understand the significance of the đàn tính in the cultural life of the Thai people in Cha Nua in particular and the Thai people in the Northwest in general. Through the sound of the đàn tính, I understand and love the culture of my people more.

As for Lo Dang Khoa, who lives in Pa Co village, learning the Tinh lute over time has made him love Thai culture even more, and that love has inspired the fourth grader to be passionate about making instruments. For Khoa, in the Thai language, Tinh means lute, and Tau means gourd; combined together, Tinh Tau or Tinh lute. “Studying with Mr. Doi and receiving his guidance, I have understood the process and materials for making Tinh lutes. Currently, I cannot do it myself, but I believe that in the future I will be able to make Tinh lutes for myself and give them to people who love Tinh lutes like me and my friends,” Khoa added.

From November 2024, Cha Nua Primary Boarding School also selected four folk games of ethnic minorities including: Nem con, to ma le, nem pao, and nhay sap to be included in the collective activities during recess for students in the whole school. Students in the whole school will be divided into groups with common interests so that during the break between classes, they will play games in groups. To guide and maintain group activities, Ms. Nong Thi Vui, the Team Leader, will assign tasks to the group leaders, deputy group leaders, and manage the game. All members of the group play together and manage their friends, not allowing anyone to leave the group to go out to do their own work.

Appreciating the way of teaching and arousing the love of national culture for students who are children of ethnic minorities in the locality, Mr. Khoang Van Van, Secretary of the Party Committee of Cha Nua Commune, Nam Po District affirmed: Integrating folk games into the teaching process at Cha Nua Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities has created a lively and interesting learning environment for students. When participating in and learning about folk games and national culture, students become a bridge to maintain and develop traditional cultural values; at the same time, spreading these cultural beauties to the next generation.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/boi-dap-tinh-yeu-van-hoa-dan-toc-cho-hoc-sinh-post862889.html