Recently, the audience has seen him regularly taking trips to interact with students of different schools. How do you feel when you go to schools and meet students?
- Going to school to meet and interact with students, makes me realize that my work is truly meaningful, because not only stopping at composing a song, I also have the opportunity to directly share the message and spread the values that the song is aimed at. You are the kindergarten, the future of the country. If right now, we sow in their souls positive thoughts, love for their homeland and family, then in the future they will become useful people for society.
For me, writing a song is the responsibility of a musician, but going to school to interact with teachers and students is a way to make my dedication more valuable.
Which memory do you remember most in your recent visits to schools?
- At each school I set foot in, I leave very unique memories. Like the exchange at Viet Duc High School, it rained heavily that day, the whole class discussion could not take place as planned. Instead, they go to classes to exchange. The compact space of the classroom becomes warm, close, filled with laughter and joy.
At Hanoi Institute of Educational Technology, I was really surprised when students prepared many handwritten letters and small, beautiful gifts to give. That was the first time I received so much affection from them.
The Ministry of Education and Training has a policy to encourage the invitation of artists and experts to teach. If I was invited to teach music, would I be willing to participate?
- I think artists can go to school to inspire or share in a workshop (knowledge exchange) to inspire them, it is more reasonable than about teaching. I have also gone to more than a hundred schools, all ages from kindergarten, primary school, junior high school to high school and university, I think I will go to more suitable places to inspire. As for teaching, it requires specialized teachers with pedagogical foundations.
Many opinions say that the issue of remuneration to invite musicians and singers to schools to teach is something to consider. What do you think about this issue?
- I think this is also an issue to consider because not all schools have proactive funding sources and are capable of and have enough conditions to be able to invite artists, especially famous artists. In remote areas, this difficulty is even more obvious, often only being able to combine it with artist tours.
Budget is an obstacle, but time is also a factor worth considering. Because the more famous artists are, the more crowded their schedules are, sometimes taking up their private time, arranging to go to school regularly, with many long sessions, is not easy.
Do you think this policy to replicate needs to ensure the necessary and sufficient factors?
- I think this issue should be of interest and further study by leaders at all levels. As an artist, I am willing to accompany and support schools on special occasions, such as opening days, school anniversaries or when there are nearby tours, or within the city where I live and work. However, this participation also depends on the ability and time of each artist. To be honest, we can only support to a certain extent, because the top priority is still work, artistic products to serve the audience and the public.
Therefore, to implement widely and sustainably, it is necessary to first ensure welfare and funding for schools. At the same time, each locality should also prioritize inviting artists living and working in that province, to reduce travel and accommodation costs.
In addition, it is necessary to have policies to encourage and motivate artists to be more dedicated and motivated to spend time on community activities in the field of education. Only then can this policy be maintained long-term and trust created from both sides.
