Nhung: so much more than “useful”

For much of her life, Nhung has battled with blindness, illness and feelings of uselessness. This month, she won the “Excellent Golden Award” in the Zhongsin International Music Competition.   

 

Useful

When she was younger, Nhung’s greatest wish was to connect with her mother. Her mother wanted the same, but their emotional barriers meant that they just didn’t know how to.

Nhung has battled with severe illness for most of her life. The illness has made her completely blind – and more than a little withdrawn. She is prone to emotional outbursts that for many years drove an ever-widening gap between herself and her loved ones.

When Blue Dragon provided Nhung and her mother with family therapy sessions, it changed their world. They began to understand that Nhung’s outbursts came from a feeling of uselessness – like everyone else, she just wants to be helpful to the people she loves. 

Then one day, Nhung plucked up the courage to ask her mother a question. “Can you let me prepare dinner with you? I can do chores. I want to help you.” 

Since then, Nhung and her mother have prepared dinner together regularly, chatting about their lives as they go. While this simple step has been transformative, Nhung craved a creative outlet to really express all the feelings she had been bottling up for so many years.

 

Let the keys do the talking

When Blue Dragon introduced Nhung to the piano, she discovered that she could channel her emotions into beautiful melodies and release them into the world.

“This is what I’ve been looking for all this time. I can’t wait for my next music lesson,” shared Nhung after her first piano class.

Nhung’s musical talents were clear after only a few lessons. Her confidence grew rapidly along with her appetite for practising and learning new pieces.

Before long, Nhung’s hard work and commitment was recognised with an invitation to perform at a local school.

Though Nhung was a little nervous before the event — she’d be playing alone in front of an audience for the first time — she needn’t have been. Nhung performed beautifully. In a touching tribute to her mother, Nhung chose a well-loved Vietnamese piece, “Nhật ký của Mẹ” (Mother’s Diary).

At long last, Nhung is able to express her feelings for the person she holds closest to her heart.

 

Spreading joy

“Piano is my greatest passion. It’s something I always dreamed of… and I used to wonder when I would be able to do it.” 

Nhung is thinking every day about how to perfect her skills. Recently, she’s been taking part in competitions – and winning!

Earlier this year, Nhung won the Blue’s Got Talent award at the Blue Dragon centre. Then in August, she competed in a nationwide piano competition and got to the Northern region finals, making it through three rounds and beating hundreds of other participants to reach the finale. 

This November, Nhung won the “excellent golden award” in the Zhongsin International Music Competition by performing Richard Clayderman’s Hungarian Sonata — the same piece that she played so beautifully for Blue’s Got Talent.

Piano is much more than a creative outlet for Nhung – it gives her goals to strive towards and a way of spreading joy to everybody in earshot.

Everyone who has met Nhung or heard her play piano knows that the world is a more joyous and hopeful place with her in it.