VietNamNet Bridge – Parents and educators in HCM City are worried that the lack of quality children’s albums is forcing them to sing songs originally composed for adults.

Drummer boy: Nine-year-old Trong Nhan, winner of the Vietnam Got Talent 2016 contest.

But many children find the songs about love, money, and social troubles are more exciting than songs about childhood, school-days and friends.

Ten-year-old Trong Nhan of Da Lat, winner of Vietnam’s Got Talent 2016, a version of American TV show, often performs songs meant for adults on his drums.

Two of his favourites are Ngon Lua Cao Nguyen (Flame of Central Highlands) by Tran Tien and The Final Countdown by the Swedish-based rock band Europe.

While Ngon Lua Cao Nguyen depicts the spirit of Central Highlands’ culture and people, The Final Countdown is about conflicts in life and love.

His performance, with the support of rocker Dinh Tuan Khanh, aired live on Viet Nam Television’s VTV3 in May. It has attracted more than 2.8 million viewers on YouTube, including the US-based rock band Avenged Sevenfold.

Though Nhan admitted that he liked playing songs about serious issues, including love, Nhan said his true interest was family, friends, online games and comics.

“I think Nhan plays songs written for adults because the songs aren’t hard to do for a young talent like him, who began playing drums when he was four,” said violinist and music lecturer Hoàng Anh Tú of HCM City Music Conservatory.

A number of TV reality shows aimed at youth, such as The Voice Kids and Young Hit Young Beat, have discovered young talent.

These shows permit the young contestants to perform adult music as albums targeted at children and pre-teens are few and far between, with most containing old, boring stuff, while albums for teenagers and young adults are skilfully performed and packaged.

Biet Tai Ti Hon (Child Talent), for example, one of the country’s favourite TV game shows, encourages kids to sing and play adult music.

Its youngest contestant, four-year-old Mai Nguyen Hoang of Ha Noi performed a series of love songs. His performance on VTV3 last month garnered mixed reviews with audiences. He sang Tam Anh’s Chuyen Tinh Khong Di Vang (Love without the Past) and Thai Thinh’s Duyen Phan (Fate in Love).  

“Hoang’s so great. He was born to be a good singer,” said Tran Mai Khanh of HCM City, mother of a 10-year-old daughter and six-year-old boy.    

Khanh said her kids liked singing Marry You and Grenade, both adult songs and performed by Bruno Mars. “I don’t think singing about love is a big deal for kids,” she added.

But primary school teacher Nguyen Thi Tuoi of HCM City said that many children on TV entertain adults.

“These kids are too young to join the industry by singing adult songs. It’s wrong,” she remarked.

“More effort is needed to change this attitude.”

Tuoi and many teachers, educators and veteran performers are worried that kids performing in TV game shows are losing their childhood.

Poor market

The few children’s albums in the market are copies or copies of copies of old albums. Many songs were released 30 years ago.  

Musician Nguyen Ngoc Thien of the HCM City Musicians Association, said: "Most of the duplicates are alike, with the same songs, only different packaging or accompaniments.”

"A shortage of songs means children listen to -- even sing -- songs about loneliness and broken hearts, though they don’t have a clue what the lyrics are about,” he said.  

Quality albums like Bo La Tat Ca (Dad Is All) and Giac Mo Cua Be (My Dream) continue to sell like hotcakes 15 years after their first release.

In the past, talented musicians like Pham Tuyen, Xuan Giao and Trinh Cong Son wrote songs for both children and adults. Their songs like Co Giao Vung Cao (A Highlands Teacher) and Em La Hoa Hong Nho (I’m a Small Rose) were released in the 1980s and are still popular among kids.

In fact, young music producers prefer to make albums for adults because of the misconception that children also enjoy such music.

Nguyen Minh Hung, father of two pre-teen daughters and a resident of Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa City, said: "I don’t want my kids to listen to love songs. We need new songs about our country, schools, friends, environment and animals."

Thien agreed, saying young musicians must spend more time composing songs suitable for children and pre-teens and songs that celebrate childhood.

According to Psychologist Le Minh Nga, vice principal of HCM City’s Pedagogy College, today’s children are more burdened with concerns and issues than their parents had at a similar age. They have had much more exposure to Western lifestyles through music, films and books, and are sometimes overwhelmed by what they see, hear and read.

"Therefore, it is critical that children have access to quality music albums appropriate for their age," she said.

Cultural authorities and social organisations working with TV, film and music producers to create children’s productions are urging teachers and parents to spend more effort on guiding their children in selecting healthy and appropriate music.

"I think music for children is a promising product for the entertainment industry," said young musician Le Hung of the Phu Nhuan Cultural House, adding that more music competitions and festivals should be launched to encourage musicians to turn their attention to children’s music.

VNS

Anh Thu