“The special boy” and his journey to pursue his dream of becoming a professional pianist

Le Duy Bao (16 years old) confidently performed the piano at the second Piano Festival in 2023 taking place in Thua Thien Hue .

1. The day Le Duy Bao cried out at birth was the day that Ms. Cao Thi Hang's family (40 years old, currently living in Hanoi ) burst into joy and happiness. Looking at the handsome face and bright eyes of her child, Ms. Hang's family was filled with hope. But when Bao was 18 months old, Ms. Hang noticed that Bao had unusual behaviors, unlike other children. Ms. Cao Thi Hang confided: "At my child's age, his friends were almost babbling, but Bao was not. He also did not interact with people around him."

Noticing these abnormalities, Ms. Hang and her husband took Bao to many large hospitals in the Central and the province for examination, but the doctors did not have a clear conclusion, but only gave opinions and advised the family to continue monitoring. Ms. Hang devoted all her energy to accompanying her child in the "fight", "knocking on the doors" of many classes to find opportunities for her child to live a normal life like other children. Ms. Hang shared: "When Bao was 2 and a half years old, the first time he made babbling sounds, I was so happy that I burst into tears."

Talking about Bao's education, Ms. Hang was moved to tears at every sentence. Ms. Hang could never forget the period when mother and son "struggled" with each stroke of the letter, each number. "To be able to send Bao to school like many of his peers was a long series of tears, extremely difficult. Mother and son had to listen to many rejections, some tactful, some blunt. In order for Bao to be able to hold a pen and write a letter C, mother and son had to go through 5 applications. To accept Bao into the school, the entire school board had to hold a meeting."

Ms. Hang was patient with her child, carefully observing every gesture, meticulously correcting each word, encouraging her to try harder, and calming her down when she was too excited. Ms. Hang said: “There was a time when I registered my child for swimming lessons. Before applying, I had discussed Bao’s situation with the teacher. The teacher said it was okay, so I could rest assured to bring my child to the lessons. I was very happy, thinking that my child would learn many new things. But after meeting Bao, the teacher changed his mind. He said that the family sympathized and refunded the tuition I had paid in advance. I can’t count how many times Bao and I were rejected like that. I don’t blame or get angry, I understand the dilemma of the teachers and many parents when their children study with Bao. On the way home from the swimming class, I cried because I felt so sorry for my child.” Bao and his family never gave up, just kept moving forward little by little on the arduous journey with the belief that good things were waiting ahead, every effort would be rewarded.

Everything went on like that until one day, Ms. Hang accidentally saw Bao playing with his sister's toy piano very excitedly, a bright expression clearly visible on his face. And even more surprised when he took the initiative to tap on the piano to make it make sounds and then sing. At first, the notes were scattered and improvised. But the more Bao played the piano, the more enthusiastic he became, the sounds that came out seemed more orderly and melodious. Ms. Hang said: "I heard a very familiar melody, like the song Bao's sister still likes to listen to: "Sunny weather, sunny weather, rabbit goes sunbathing...", I could hear that melody. After that, every day, Bao made friends with that toy piano. Many days when he was in high spirits, Bao tapped the piano and sang too." At that time, Bao was in 6th grade, just turned 12 years old.

2. Seeing her son's special love for music , Ms. Hang boldly sought to learn and apply for Bao to study piano at the Young Artists School Music Talent Training and Development Center of Master, teacher Vu Huyen Thanh (Ngoc Trao ward, Thanh Hoa city). The old "procedure" was repeated, Ms. Hang went to Ms. Thanh's house to discuss with her about Bao's "difference". Ms. Thanh did not hesitate to agree. Experience from previous times made Ms. Hang not dare to be too happy. On the first day Ms. Hang brought Bao to class, Ms. Thanh asked carefully, enthusiastically, and patiently taught Bao little by little. "Both she and Bao were very "easy" with each other. Bao cooperated right from the first contact. And when the class ended, Ms. Thanh happily greeted the mother and son, promising to see each other again in the next class, which made me extremely touched. Never before, in any class, have the mother and son been welcomed like that" - Ms. Hang choked up.

Since then, Bao and his mother have regularly attended Ms. Thanh's piano class twice a week, then gradually increased. The class mainly took place in the evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays. Ms. Hang remembers the cold and rainy nights, but the mother and son were still determined. Bao still practiced diligently with her. During the learning process, there were times when Bao got angry and punched her in the back, but she was still persistent, both coaxing and encouraging Bao to calm down and continue the lesson. Every day, Bao's piano playing was technically correct and more flexible, which was also a result of the same amount of effort, determination, and love in return. Ms. Hang sincerely shared: "I feel like when my child plays the piano, he is most relaxed, happy, and passionate. From the very beginning, Ms. Thanh commented that Bao is very talented, has special qualities, and can go far with this passion. That is also the motivation for the family, the teacher, and Bao himself to constantly strive."

The first time seeing Bao perform on the piano in the program "Star Child Shines" organized by Thanh Hoa Radio and Television Station, his family and teacher could not hide their tears of happiness. In normal life, Bao is a slow-talking boy, having some difficulty in communicating and expressing emotions. But in the world of music, Bao is completely immersed, letting his soul fall into each piano key. At the program "Star Child Shines" in 2022, Le Duy Bao excellently won third prize, a worthy reward for the efforts of him, his family and teacher.

After this competition, Bao and his family nurtured the dream of pursuing a professional piano career. Bao and Ms. Thanh still accompany each other through many emotions, crying and laughing together on the piano keys. Bao has achieved many high achievements in national and international piano competitions. In 2024, Le Duy Bao was admitted to the Piano Department, Vietnam National Academy of Music, to the joy and excitement of his family and teacher. Ms. Hang was moved: “Bao's time to prepare for the conservatory entrance exam was about 1 year. In addition to studying with Ms. Thanh, every week Bao and his mother went from Thanh Hoa to Hanoi, studied for 45 minutes and then came back. Sometimes Bao practiced piano 10 hours/day; when the exam was near, he asked to study more with teachers in Hanoi".

The day Bao received the news of his admission was also the day his family began preparing to embark on a new journey. To continue accompanying Bao, the whole family decided to move to Hanoi to live. “Such a choice means that our family will almost start everything from scratch. But those difficulties are nothing compared to the happiness of seeing Bao grow up every day, the family is still warm and close together. Now, I still take Bao to school every day, seeing him happily greet his mother before going to class, I really feel that every sacrifice is worth it”. Recently, Ms. Hang shared her joy: Bao has successfully completed the international piano certification exam level 8. Ms. Hang is still determined to have a goal: “Not knowing what will happen or what will happen, I just always encourage my child to try hard, never give up”.

In this life, the story of Le Duy Bao and his family contributes to spreading the message of love and the will to rise up in any circumstances. There, the unconditional love of the family, the dedication of the teacher and the magic of the music world have a special connection, becoming an effective spiritual medicine. And Le Duy Bao, with his passion and willpower, has been playing the best music of his life...

Article and photos: Huong Thao

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cau-be-dac-biet-va-hanh-trinh-theo-duoi-uoc-mo-tro-thanh-nghe-si-piano-chuyen-nghiep-244662.htm