Yue Du
DMA Piano Performance
Yue Du comes from a long line of medical professionals, but she had a different plan for her life:
“My whole family is full of doctors. When I was in high school and working on science classes my mom asked me, ‘Do you really love biology?’ I answered, ‘Not so much, but I do love music.’ I had been playing piano since the age of five, so she encouraged me to pursue this dream.”
There was much opposition to Du’s decision:
“My grandfather very strongly disagreed. He said, ‘We are all doctors. You should be a doctor, too.’ And I said, ‘I will be, just a different kind of doctor!’”
Du came to the United States from China to pursue a master’s degree in piano performance at Syracuse University. Once she completed that degree, she asked her professor for a list of schools she should look at for her DMA, and UNCG turned out to be her top choice:
“They have a very good program here for piano performance, and the masterclasses offered by visiting artists are excellent. Luckily, I received a scholarship and a teaching assistantship, which is especially important for me as an international student. It is such a good opportunity to get teaching experience in the United States.
“At first, I was very scared because I didn’t have any teaching experience in my secondary language of English. I have also not had much experience teaching group piano. That is our duty as teaching assistants to teach classes, not individual lessons like I’m accustomed to teaching. I do get to do some one-on-one lessons with the Choral Education students. I also have a piano pedagogy class and have the opportunity of teaching some of the secondary piano students.”
Du soon realized that when it comes to music, things aren’t so different here than in her native country:
“My undergraduate studies in China were in Music Education, which is very similar there. The core is pretty much the same. No matter which instruments you play, you need to learn how to use the piano to teach the students. Music really is a universal language.”
Du says she has enjoyed being exposed to different types of music while in Greensboro:
“I describe myself as a very classical pianist. In China, we aren’t able to get in touch with much contemporary music. I was able to be exposed to that in my education here. My primary professor, Dr. John Salmon, is an incredibly talented jazz pianist. I also experienced church music while working as a pianist at the Friends Meeting House. Everyone was so friendly, and I became familiar with a lot of hymns.”
Du says her fondest memories of the School of Music are her lessons with Dr. Salmon:
“I learned from him how important it is to form your own opinions. When I asked for his advice, he always told me to listen to my own ideas and opinions. He was so supportive.”
Du felt that support the most as she was entering the second year of her DMA program. Her father died two days before the semester began. Her teaching assignments had been set and her courses had all been enrolled when she got the heart-breaking news from home:
“I called Dr. Salmon immediately and said, ‘What am I going to do?’ He said, ‘Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to take the time to be with your family.’ Dr. Salmon helped me figure out all of the paperwork to take a leave of absence. He helped me realize that taking a semester off would not hurt my degree progress.”
Du went to the music building to pack up her things:
“I saw Dr. Salmon and he asked if he could give me a hug. That felt like everything to me. He told me that he was proud of me and that my father was, too. I love his wisdom that people need to be with family during these times and that it’s okay to take a pause to take care of things and to take care of yourself.”
Now, with her ultimate degree under her belt, Du plans to return to China to seek a teaching position and eventually build her own private piano studio. And as she teaches others, she will also share a lesson she has learned. One that echoes that advice from her mother—to follow your heart:
“In college, you are going to take a lot of music courses and other things, too, some of them completely unrelated to music. Take the time during your undergraduate studies to realize what you are really interested in. Maybe it’s not music. Maybe it’s psychology or biology. Even during a master’s program, it’s not too late. Discover everything. Explore all the possibilities.”
For Du, the course is clear:
“When I am playing the piano, I feel only myself and the composer. Even when I’ve had a really messed up day, when I’m practicing, I’m with the music. I don’t think about anything else.”
Story by Terri W Relos
Photo credit: Jingyu Huang
