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Silent No More: A Vietnamese American Adoptee Speaks About Music Education and Who I Wronged

image of Silent No More: A Vietnamese American Adoptee Speaks About Music Education and Who I Wronged
  • By Kính T. Vũ1
  • 1 Boston University
  • Source: If Colors Could Be Heard , pp 162-172
  • Publication Date: November 2025
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/9781835951675_20
  • Language: English
  • Accessibility Summary:  EPUB 3 and pdf file included; compatible with devices and software which can read these formats. Alternative text for images. Tagged with a logical reading order to assist screen readers. Navigation between in-text citations and reference list, and endnotes and endnote markers. Font size, spacing, contrast, text justification, number of columns are not adjustable.

Incidences of anti-Asian hate that resurfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a wave of mixed reactions among Asian American communities across the United States. Some of us sheltered in place, refused to go outside, and wept in secret. Others took to the streets in protest demanding justice for elders who were attacked during their morning walks or for murdered salon workers in Atlanta, Georgia. This play is a manifestation of my anger wrought by the tumult of abuses that have happened to me across a lifetime. In my role as a music teacher educator who has been a victim of Asian Hate, I wrote this play in an attempt to support my own Asian American music students specifically, but also as a thought- and feeling-provoking work on the dangers and necessities of remaining silent in times of trouble.

Keywords: Asian American identity ; Care in music education ; De-centering the conductor ; Dismantling hegemonic rehearsal attitudes ; Knowing self as teacher ; Knowing students ; Mental health ; Personal stories ; Silent/silenced ; Valuing students and their experiences as integral to music-making experiences

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References

  1. Joel, B. (1989). And so it goes [Recorded by B. Joel]. On storm front. Columbia.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Lauridsen, M. (1995). O Magnum Mysterium. Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Määttä, K., & Uusiautti, S. (2013). Pedagogical love and good teacherhood. Education, 17(2), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.37119/ojs2011.v17i2.81
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Nguyễn-Duy, Q. (2019). Amputees. Unpublished play.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Reynolds, H. R. (2003). O Magnum Mysterium. Songs of Peer, Ltd.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Truong, G., Tran, J., & Ford, S. (2021). Vietnamese hip-hop and rap: Connecting Australian and Vietnamese youth through music. https://www.australiavietnam.org/post/vietnamese-hip-hop-and-rap-connecting-australian-and-vietnamese-youth-through-music
  7. Vũ, K. T., & de Quadros, A. (Eds.). (2020). My body was left on the street: Music education and displacement. Brill | Sense.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Westerman, A. (2021). “Am I Asian enough?” Adoptees struggle to make sense of spike in anti-Asian violence. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/981269559/am-i-asian-enough-adoptees-struggle-to-make-sense-of-spike-in-anti-asian-violence172

References

  1. Joel, B. (1989). And so it goes [Recorded by B. Joel]. On storm front. Columbia.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Lauridsen, M. (1995). O Magnum Mysterium. Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Määttä, K., & Uusiautti, S. (2013). Pedagogical love and good teacherhood. Education, 17(2), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.37119/ojs2011.v17i2.81
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Nguyễn-Duy, Q. (2019). Amputees. Unpublished play.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Reynolds, H. R. (2003). O Magnum Mysterium. Songs of Peer, Ltd.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Truong, G., Tran, J., & Ford, S. (2021). Vietnamese hip-hop and rap: Connecting Australian and Vietnamese youth through music. https://www.australiavietnam.org/post/vietnamese-hip-hop-and-rap-connecting-australian-and-vietnamese-youth-through-music
  7. Vũ, K. T., & de Quadros, A. (Eds.). (2020). My body was left on the street: Music education and displacement. Brill | Sense.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Westerman, A. (2021). “Am I Asian enough?” Adoptees struggle to make sense of spike in anti-Asian violence. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/981269559/am-i-asian-enough-adoptees-struggle-to-make-sense-of-spike-in-anti-asian-violence172

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