“I have a passion for Lao culture and fine arts, especially for Lao classical music. “
“My parents went on a short trip to Thailand and Laos and brought back for me a Lao musical instrument called khim, which is a type of hammered dulcimer.”
“I didn’t know a thing about this instrument, not the background of it or its cultural significance, but I was determined to learn and I was excited.”
“It was different from anything I had learned before. ”
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I grew up only playing the piano, and was in a band for a few years. However, the khim had a whole new notation system, playing style, and songs.”
“In the Fall of 2010, I began learning to play traditional classical Lao music in the Fall of 2010, and I had no mentor, just YouTube.”
“A few years later, I had the opportunity to meet Acharn Dr. Thaworn Sriphong in Bangkok, Thailand who has been my biggest mentor for the Lao xylophone,
called lanad aek, and the music of the sacred
Piphat Ensemble.”
“My first lesson with
Dr. Thaworn was the first time I was introduced to the instrument. It was a pivotal moment in my love of traditional Lao music. “
“These days, I frequently take online lessons with him. It is a blessing to maintain his mentorship and learn from one of the most skillful teachers of the lanad aek musical instrument.”
“The musical traditions of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia are similar, have coexisted, evolved and intermingled with each other for centuries. I believe that there isn’t one better than the other, but three unique and distinct styles.”
“About a couple years after meeting Dr. Thaworn, I had the opportunity to travel to Laos. On this trip, I met Acharn Bandith Sanasith, who has been my biggest mentor to this day. He taught me about the cultural significance, history, and stories behind each classical Lao song and the instruments behind them. These days, he is mentoring me on the spiritual traditions surrounding our classical music."
“I didn’t focus on my love for Lao classical music throughout my years attending the University of North Georgia with a BA in Modern Languages with a focus in Mandarin Chinese, and minoring in anthropology. Living in small college apartments and working part time,
I did not have the desire to play or practice music at all.”
“I remember coming home several times and saying to my mom “I want to get rid of all of the instruments and sell them, since I don’t play them anymore”.
“I initially wanted to use the money to buy better quality instruments if I ever wanted to play again. I never went forward to sell them, but all throughout college, I had felt that a part of me was missing.
“My career goal at the time was to work in linguistics and translation using my reading and writing fluency in Lao, Mandarin, and English. However, I truly missed diving into my passion for our culture and arts.”
“February 2021 was the month that changed my life. I was asked by a few Lao community leaders to cook a few dishes and desserts, and to play some background Lao music for an intimate gathering. I accepted and it was a night I will never forget.”
“I got to reconnect with several members of the Lao community and talk about my passions for our culture and food.“
“One Nasao there, Nasao Kinna Vichathep, asked me if I could teach private khim lessons. We started learning the next weekend after the event. After a few lessons, Nasao Kinna asked me to teach her younger sister and niece as well.”
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I decided to build a small music group as we started getting more attention and interests, and we named our music group Jalern Sinh ຈະເຣີນສິລປ໌. “
““Jalern ຈະເຣີນ comes from jalern hoong heuang ຈະເຣີນຮຸ່ງເຮືອງ meaning to prosper, thrive and develop. Sinh ສິລປ໌is a shortened variation of sinlapa wattanatam ສິນລະປະວັດທະນະທັມ, meaning arts and culture.””
“After the establishment of Jalern Sinh, we have had so much love and support from the elders and others in the community, and this made me realize how much of an impact I can make and how much I desire for this to be a lasting part of my life and my future.”
“Our classical music is traditionally taught orally from teacher to student, and without notes to go by. Therefore, I have made it a goal to immortalize our music and notate these songs, recording and archiving them for future generations.”
“Since I teach multiple instruments, all of the students required different notes, different levels of difficulty sheet music, and different notation systems. In addition to all of that, having to notate each song was extremely time consuming.”
“Since I’ve decided to teach and preserve our traditional music, that meant sacrificing a stable full time job, and that was the most difficult decision I had made.”
“I felt ashamed for leaving behind our classical music and being disconnected from our culture. I told myself to not give up and to take every opportunity to learn and improve.”
“Looking back, I did not realize the depth in complexity of our culture and the impact that misinformation and ignorance could have on it. After years of learning various things correctly from my mentors, Acharn Bandith and Dr. Thaworn, I experienced extramental growth of my love and respect for our culture.”
“Going forward, I would like to see more established programs in Georgia where younger generations can properly learn about our culture.”
“I would love to teach Lao music to more students and to be able to send students to Laos to further their education on our culture. I want to establish a short-term teaching program where Acharn Bandith, Dr. Thaworn, or other highly qualified educators of the Lao arts to teach in Georgia.
Also, I want to have them lead a music performance opportunity for us to pay respects to the gods, guardians and spirits of our fine arts in honor of our Lao culture. “
“I embrace our culture, food, our language, and our arts the most. I believe that our fine arts, clothing and handicrafts are so underrated and deserve to be internationally known.”
“I love being able to share the beauty and complexity of our arts and culture through home cooked food, inviting friends to join in for temple festivals and celebrations, even teaching them how to cook their favorite Lao dish.”
“ I love being able to speak to my close friends in Lao as well. I feel like it gives certain conversations many more facets and depth, both meaning and humor wise. ”
“To other young Laotian Americans who are struggling to connect with our culture and language, I want to encourage each and every one of you to reach out to family, community leaders and elders.”
“There are resources out there and people eager to help you as well. Let’s work together to not let our culture, language and arts die with our generation.”
