Zither class ignites love for traditional musical instruments

Sen Hong zither class during an extracurricular activity. Photo: NVCC

For more than half a year now, at 5pm every Saturday, the cramped room at the C8 Quang Trung apartment complex resounds with the melodious sounds of the zither and the teachers and students whispering and asking questions about complex zither techniques. The five students, aged 10-12, are hunched over meticulously with unfamiliar techniques, fingering, scales, and modes, making it difficult for teacher Ngoc Anh to teach them.

Busy with work at school, along with many big and small things at home, Ms. Ngoc Anh said, many times she feels that her time in a day is too limited, but she still decides to arrange to spend time on the zither class.

“When I shared this idea, many people advised me to stop, because I was already so busy, why bother doing more. However, I thought that the zither in particular and other traditional musical instruments are so beautiful and interesting, but there are not enough conditions to popularize them to many people. A free class on the zither to help children understand, thereby kindling a love for traditional music is something I can do, why not?” - Ms. Ngoc Anh confided.

Teacher Do Ngoc Anh. Photo: NVCC

The enrollment process has been quite smooth and so far, parents and students have been enthusiastic about it and have maintained a serious study schedule. Ms. Thu Hoai - parent of Nguyen Ha Phuong - a student of the zither class shared that she has loved the sound of the zither and the image of a young woman playing the zither for a long time, because "it seems that the zither brings together all the beauty and appeal of traditional Vietnamese music: simple, rustic, yet elegant and charismatic". Therefore, when she heard that Ms. Ngoc Anh was opening a free zither class, she immediately went to ask her child's interests and was very fortunate to receive an unexpected eagerness to cooperate.

After attending the class for a few days, Ha Phuong was so passionate that she voluntarily opened her savings account to pool money with her mother to buy her own zither. Confiding that learning zither is very difficult but still loves it very much, up to now, Ha Phuong is one of the students with commendable progress in the class.

Coming to the free zither class with the mentality of "trying it out", but few people thought that, in just half a year, the attraction of this traditional musical instrument would bring unexpected results. For Thao Chi - the journey from a 12-year-old student who never knew what a zither was to now being a student of the zither elementary program, Faculty of Music, Nghe An College of Culture and Arts is something she and her family never imagined.

Although she had not been exposed to the zither for long, little Thao Chi soon fell in love with and showed her talent for this traditional musical instrument. Photo: NVCC

Ms. Phan Thi Thu Huyen - Thao Chi's parent confided that before learning the zither, Thao Chi had never played any musical instrument, and her family had no tradition of art. After attending a few classes, the teacher encouraged her and told her that she had a talent for learning the zither, Ms. Thu Huyen's family was quite surprised.

Thao Chi progressed quickly, had good musical sense, and not long ago, when she heard that the College of Culture and Arts was recruiting for a beginner class of the zither, Ms. Ngoc Anh encouraged Thao Chi to take the exam, and she passed right away. Now, she has 3 sessions of piano lessons and music theory lessons per week, alternating between her cultural studies at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School. It is quite busy, but Thao Chi is determined not to let any subject decline, balancing her passion for the zither with studying cultural subjects well.

Students of the Sen Hong zither class perform.

In class, students not only learn about the history, structure, and techniques of playing the zither, but more than that, teacher Ngoc Anh "inspires" them with pride in traditional music, fueling their love for their homeland and country.

The zither is considered a national instrument with magical power, expressing many shades of emotions. Sadness like falling tears, deep passion or anger like a storm... can all penetrate deeply into the listener's mind through the sound of the zither.

The zither is not as plaintive and sad as many people often think. On the contrary, the zither can now be combined with many other musical instruments and can play many genres of music from jazz, rock, R&B... Its high applicability combined with the rich national cultural identity creates the magical appeal of this 16-string instrument.

Ms. Ngoc Anh said that when she opened the free zither class, she cherished an aspiration, which was that her students would proudly bring the Vietnamese zither to friends around the world on their future study and work abroad.

“When you enter an international environment, people will not ask you whose family you are or what your parents do, but will only ask you which country you come from. Love and pride for the Fatherland are ignited by sincere feelings for national culture - and music is one of those deeply rooted feelings” - Ms. Ngoc Anh said, and added that in the near future, if any primary or secondary school has the idea of ​​opening a class to teach the zither, she is willing to cooperate and teach for free./.