From piano teacher to American university lecturer

While working as a music teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, Phong Phu decided to seek new opportunities, won a master's and doctoral scholarship, and was then accepted as a lecturer in Music Education in the US.

Vu Duc Phong Phu, 27 years old, is currently a doctoral student in Music Education at Texas Tech University (TTU), Lubbock, Texas, with a full scholarship.

Five years after arriving in the US, Phu is proud that his public piano curriculum was funded for publication in all 50 states; participated in a music production project with Disney+; and was in the top 15 young music educators of the American Music Education Association.

"I never thought I would have this day," Phu said.

Mr. Phu is currently teaching and a doctoral student at Texas Tech University, USA. Photo: Provided by the character

Born into a family where both parents served in the church choir, Phu had a passion for music early on and learned piano from a young age. Graduating from Saigon University in 2017, Phu worked as a music teacher at Chu Van An Secondary School and a contract piano accompanist at Ho Chi Minh City College of Culture and Arts. In addition to teaching, he also performed and collaborated with a number of artists, earning a good income.

Once, Phu was introduced to Georgia State University (GSU) by a relative. After doing some research, he decided to apply for a master's scholarship at the school, hoping to improve his professional qualifications. Phu went through three rounds including a music skills test, essay writing, and interview.

In the essay round, the school posed a real-life scenario: If asked to design a curriculum to develop American popular music culture, what would be your idea? Instead of learning piano based on European classical music, Phu suggested that students should learn the four piano skills based on American music culture such as jazz.

Explaining, Phu believes that the core of music education is to teach the next generation to continue the national musical tradition. While today's youth have many hobbies such as surfing TikTok and Facebook, the program brought into schools helps them learn piano skills while developing American music culture. If they do well in school, the outline can then be published.

"The school really liked the idea because no one had done it before," Phu commented.

This project helped him conquer GSU to come to the US with a full scholarship in Music Education. Before officially enrolling, Phu spent two years taking additional university courses and academic and research English.

"I thought a lot, knowing I might end up empty-handed, but I still wanted to go to America to see what happened," Phu said.

Although he spoke English well and regularly worked with several foreign bands, the biggest challenge he faced when he first came to America was the language. Phu could not understand the lectures in class or even order food at restaurants. Phu was determined to improve.

According to him, language is like music. When you listen to a song and know the tone and notes, you can feel the music, the same goes for language. Phu said the best way to practice English is to listen to the radio and go out to socialize, join school clubs to talk to native speakers. After a year, he was able to use English comfortably.

Mr. Phu participated in the performance in the 2023 Christmas show on Atlanta TV. Photo: Character provided

Graduated with honors from master's program   In 2022, Phu was sponsored by the school and retained. His public piano curriculum was published by the Johnny Mercer Foundation, a non-governmental organization that provides educational materials, as a reference for music teachers in all 50 states.

In addition to research and teaching, Phu focuses on developing relationships. Thanks to that, in 2023, he signed a music production contract with Disney +, was invited to perform on Atlanta TV, ESPN sports channel and several university programs. That same year, he was named in the top 15 young music educators by the American Music Education Association.

At the end of the year, Phu received a full doctoral scholarship, along with a teaching position at the School of Music at Texas Tech University (TTU). He currently teaches three classes in the morning and studies in the afternoon. He also has his own music studio and invests in real estate.

As Phu’s colleague at TTU, Guilherme Fernandes, a lecturer and research assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, admires and is proud of his Vietnamese friend. Guilherme first met Phu at church last year when the Vietnamese lecturer played the piano for the choir.

"I was very impressed with Phu's ability to play the guitar and wanted to be friends because we went to the same school," Guilherme said, adding that he admired Phu for his cheerfulness and friendliness.

According to Guilherme, students at school enjoy taking Mr. Phu’s classes and generally give him good reviews. Phu is well known because he has appeared in newspapers, on television, and on stage. His piano curriculum is also used by many schools in the states.

Mr. Phu in a lecture in the Pedagogical Practice course for final year students at Texas Tech University in 2023. Photo: Provided by the character

Nguyen Ngo Phi Long, currently a student in Ho Chi Minh City, clearly remembers the memories of studying 8th grade Music with teacher Phu at Chu Van An Secondary School.

"The teacher was dedicated, always giving real-life examples and practicing on the piano so that students could better understand the lessons. Thanks to that, his lessons were not boring and we were more attentive," Long recalled.

Former students of Ho Chi Minh City College of Culture and Arts also remember and are grateful for having Mr. Phu accompany them on the piano during their semester exams.

"The teacher plays smoothly and well, I am very satisfied and did well on the test," said Ho Hoang Hung, adding that he still follows the teacher on social media and feels honored to be his student.

Phu calls the journey "miraculous." After graduating with his doctorate, he plans to continue teaching at universities. Phu also hopes to open a music teaching facility in the US, then in Vietnam and other countries.

Phu believes the secret to success is to always develop yourself and look for opportunities. Many of his music classmates are good but have language barriers.

"Focus on learning English well and keep improving," he shared.

Binh Minh - Vnexpress.net

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