As the first blind student in the piano department of Hanoi Conservatory of Music in over 60 years, Khanh won several international awards, dreaming of competing with Fryderyk Chopin like his idol Dang Thai Son.
Khanh performed at the Kayserburg competition in China in October. Photo: Family provided
On a mid-November morning, Bui Quang Khanh, 16 years old, from Hai Phong, went to Edison High School (Ecopark, Hung Yen) to study. As soon as he got off the bus, he gently held the elbow of a classmate to enter the school.
Sitting and chatting with the head teacher, when asked about the Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition that took place in China in October, Khanh enthusiastically told the story.
In the global competition held every two years, gathering more than 80,000 contestants from 36 countries and territories, Khanh won the elite prize, equivalent to fourth place. He was also the only blind contestant among 500 people who came to China to attend the final round.
"It's not the first international competition I've participated in, but it's the largest. I want to continue to conquer other major arenas, including the Chopin competition, to follow in the footsteps of Dang Thai Son - the first Asian artist to win first prize in 1980," Khanh said.
Previously, the male student won a gold medal at the Asia-Pacific Arts Festival held in Malaysia in 2020 and last year won a gold medal at a similar-scale competition in Korea.
Born at just 29 weeks, Khanh could not see anything. One day, his parents took Khanh to a friend's house to play. Sitting at the right position of the piano, Khanh placed his hands on the keys. The sound had a strange attraction to the boy who did not have much entertainment because of his blindness. That whole evening, he just sat by the piano and pressed random keys.
Seeing Khanh’s interest in piano, his parents thought of ways to find a teacher to teach him. It took nearly a year for Khanh’s family to hire a teacher for him. Because he could not see the music sheet, Khanh had to listen to the teacher read the notes, holding his hand to guide him to memorize each note and each key position. Khanh still remembers clearly that day was May 19, 2015.
Once I was proficient with each hand, I mentally calculated to combine the two hands with the teacher's support. "There were some very far distances where I couldn't see the keys, so I used my senses to move. At first, I fumbled around, then gradually used my senses to memorize," Khanh shared.
At first, with very short pieces of music, Khanh had to practice over and over again for 3-4 hours. To complete a short piece of music under 3 pages, it took him 1-2 months. With large works, 4-8 pages long, Khanh spent half a year, with some assignments lasting a whole year.
Khanh's practice time also gradually increased according to the complexity of the songs. When he first started practicing, he only spent 1.5 hours a day, then increased to 3 hours. From August last year to the middle of this year, when he had to practice for the entrance exam to the Vietnam National Academy of Music, there were days when Khanh practiced for 6 hours with the goal of completely eliminating the movements of touching or grabbing the keys, adjusting his hand posture to be beautiful.
Before each big competition, Khanh spent more time on the guitar. He won many awards, the most memorable of which was the first prize in "Children's Guitar" - the first competition he participated in, although it was only at the provincial level.
Khanh performed at the Kayserburg competition in China in October. Photo: Family provided
Admitted to the intermediate level of the Vietnam National Academy of Music after the entrance exam like other students, Khanh is the first blind student in the more than 60-year history of the piano department, not to mention he is also partially deaf, according to Dr. Trieu Tu My, a lecturer at the academy, who directly taught Khanh.
"Other departments have many visually impaired students, but not the piano because the structure of this instrument is very complicated with more than 200 strings, 88 keys spread out about 1.5 meters long. It is very difficult for normal people to learn the piano, let alone someone like Khanh," said Ms. My.
To teach Khanh, teachers spend 5-10 times more time than normal students. However, Khanh is very determined and persistent, quick in all matters, has a good sense of music, so teachers are also patient in supporting him.
Since entering school, Khanh has been busier, studying general subjects at school and going to his teachers' houses to study his major in the afternoons. Most students like Khanh would choose to study a cultural supplementary program, but the Hai Phong male student chose to study at a general school. This means more study time and more difficulty.
Like when he was in middle school, Khanh asked his teachers to let him bring his computer to class to take notes, instead of writing in Braille in his notebook. Many times, Khanh was stressed because of difficult lessons, similar to when he played the piano. Whenever this happened, he sang to relieve stress. "I love red music, idolizing singers Trong Tan and Anh Tho," Khanh said.
The male student also set himself a 10-minute rule. When he was upset or stressed, Khanh made himself happier and more positive within 10 minutes. If he could not balance his emotions, he would stop studying to avoid depression and come back the next day.
Khanh in a class at school. Photo: Duong Tam
Mr. Trinh Viet Hao, Khanh's homeroom teacher at Edison School, said that Khanh was very attentive in class. He learned the text very well but had difficulty with some parts such as Geometry because he could not see. The amount of knowledge Khanh gathered in his own way surprised his teachers.
Khanh's classmates were also impressed by his memory, especially his talent of holding someone's hand once and then holding it again for the second time, they could immediately know who it was.
"Passing the entrance exam in three subjects: Math, Literature, and English like a normal student, Khanh was awarded a 100% tuition scholarship, which is unprecedented here," said Mr. Hao.
Khanh said he likes the song "Aspiration" by musician Pham Minh Tuan the most with the lyrics "Live like the rising sea, like the rising sea to see the wide shore/Live like your aspirations to see the immense life". For Khanh, this is also a guiding principle, motivating him to overcome all difficulties and not give up on his dreams.
Vnexpress.net
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