Willow Glen Resident
News
Student fills family's home with music after Huang's death
By Crystal Lu
An Oriental melody flows from under 13-year-old Jason Hong's long fingers, from the keyboard into the air. It brings Jason's former Chinese school teacher, Wanju Huang, live music again even though her piano-playing son is gone.
Jerry Huang, 12, collapsed suddenly in a P.E. class at Bret Harte Middle School and died at Good Samaritan Hospital March 14. Weeks later, his mother still has a hard time believing that an aneurysm abruptly took his life.
Jerry was scheduled to play the bangzi, a Chinese percussion instrument, in the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra that evening and the following night. Orchestra members wondered about his absence from the two performances. Orchestra director Gordon Lee held the bad news until after the March 15 show.
Jason, a Chinese flute player, was among the orchestra members who were shocked to hear about Jerry's death, and he wanted to offer his condolences, but when he visited the Huangs several days later, he wasn't sure what to say. Then he noticed Jerry's piano and decided to give the quiet house a little music.
The music reminded Jerry's mother that her son had especially enjoyed playing pieces of Huangmei opera, a regional Chinese opera, on the piano. She asked Jason if he could play the same songs.
Because there were no piano music scores for the songs, he was unable to comply. He learned that what Jerry had done was to memorize the songs from rehearsals and then try them out on the piano. Jason was not capable of doing the same.
However, he promised that he would try. Then he collected music scores of Huangmei opera pieces written for three different kinds of Chinese instruments and synthesized them. Following the music scores, he can play the melodies of those pieces with his right hand on the piano, while playing octaves with his left hand to accompany the melodies.
With all the preparation done, Jason is in the Huangs' house again to play the Huangmei opera pieces. Jason says he plans to stop by occasionally to play for the family.
"Instead of recording, I play for Jerry's mother in person because it reminds her of Jerry's presence," says Jason. "It's not just his music she misses."
Huang nods, with tears in her eyes.
"Jason has light skin and a lean frame just like Jerry's," she says.
Jason's mother, Jane Hong, says she feels all the piano lessons Jason has taken in the past eight years are paying off now.
"I'm proud of him doing this for a heartbroken mother," says Hong. "This is more worthwhile than if he became a professional pianist."
The Hongs are not the only ones who are trying to console the Huangs. Since March 14, neighbors see many people going into the Huangs' residence on Serenity Court, the home where the family moved only two weeks before Jerry's death.
"We were wondering why their housewarming party was taking so long," says Geeta Venkatesan, who lives at nearby.
"I thought she was teaching private classes at home because she told me she's a Chinese school teacher when they first moved here," says Anna Nguyen, another neighbor.
Once Venkatesan and Nguyen learned what actually happened, they organized a candlelight vigil for Jerry.
Five of the six families living on Serenity Court gathered April 11 at 7 p.m. to light candles for Jerry. The neighbor family that was unable to attend sent a card.
"Jerry's spirit has really brought our community together," says Venkatesan.
"This is a great community," says Huang. "We chose this house with a swimming pool because Jerry liked swimming. He can't swim anymore, but we will welcome all the kids in the neighborhood to swim this summer."
Huang adds that she and her husband, Jimmy, have to be strong for their other son Justin, 9, who has autism. They are also channeling their love for Jerry into philanthropy. They have established a Jerry Huang Foundation, which has received more than $30,000 in donations.
The foundation will fund nonprofit arts groups--including the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra--in memory of Jerry's talent in music and painting.
The Huangs give everyone who visits a bookmark featuring a miniature copy of Jerry's oil painting. In the painting, a white dove is spreading its wings, flying into a deep blue sky.
Joan Shih is collecting contributions for the Jerry Huang Foundation at 1124 Silver Canyon Drive, San Jose, CA 95120.
