A young Vietnamese pianist and her Korean husband – an opera singer – have been running a free music class for nearly 20 disadvantaged children in Hanoi for almost one year.

At 1:00 pm every Sunday, 18 children from the Vietnam Center of Humanitarian Vocation Training and Job Provision for Physically Challenged Kids, Center of Social Welfare No. 3, and SOS Children's Village, which are all based in the capital city, are taken on a bus to Korean School in Cau Giay District.

There Vietnamese pianist Trinh Mai Trang, 27, and her Korean husband, Park Sung Min, are awaiting them for their class, “Miracle Choir,” which was launched in November last year.

The couple serves as the class’s instructors, joined by nine other volunteers.

The 18 kids are orphans, abandoned by their own parents, or victims of domestic violence.

Eleven-year-old Sung A Lu, of the Mong ethnic minority, who was chosen as the class monitor, has a pitiable plight.

His heart-saddening story was earlier covered in local media. His mother was trafficked to China, and the kid and his father lived a wild life in a cave in northern Vietnam’s Cao Bang Province, feeding mostly on leaves and wild fruits. 

In 2011, the father and son were spotted and taken to the Vietnam Center of Humanitarian Vocation Training and Job Provision for Physically Challenged Kids, where they have been living.

With a good singing voice and music appreciation, Lu was picked by Trang and Park for the class.

Six-year-old Hai Yen, who is staying at the same center with Lu, was physically abused by her own father.

She and her mother had no choice but to leave their house and live at the center.

Like the rest of the class members, Lu and Yen were quite timid and reserved in the beginning.

With abundant encouragement and love from Trang and Park, the kids have gradually turned more confident and boisterous, and have now bonded closely with one another and their instructors.

With simple lessons, Trang and her husband have instilled in the kids the love and appreciation for music. They also teach them music basics and how to sing and play certain musical instruments.

Trang shared that initially she had much difficulty persuading officials at the welfare centers to allow the children to go to her music class, as they considered music learning a luxury which disadvantaged kids are denied of.

The woman added that she and her husband strongly believe in the miracles which music can do to underprivileged kids.

“The kids from a difficult background tend to express their emotions negatively and have inferiority complex. Through music learning, they’ve gained confidence and dare to have dreams. They now relish people’s expectations for their performances instead of merely waiting for gifts from charity doers like before,” the young pianist explained.

Trang, who trained in piano in the UK for eight years and has performed in many countries as well as won several international awards, noted that her class does not aim to train the kids into professional artists.

“After watching Venezuelan disadvantaged kids perform in a choir, my dream of this class began to take shape. By teaching the kids music basics, we aim to cherish in them hopes, dreams and love for others,” she stressed.