- Chinese Name: 馬彼得
- Born: 1958
- Birthplace: Nantou County (Central Taiwan)
- Did You Know That …?
- Bukut Tasvaluan was originally a sports teacher, but after deciding that children would benefit more from studying music, he taught himself music and conducting so he could help to train them.
Bukut Tasvaluan is a member of the Bunun tribe and lives in Xinyi Township in Jade Mountain. He is not only an elementary school principal, but also the founder of the Vox Nativa Children's Choir and Music School. The choir is known for its excellent performances and has sung for audiences around the world.
Bukut Tasvaluan began working as a teacher in 1995, and after teaching for years, he thought that younger generation would benefit from learning to sing - not just musically but also academically and socially. A choir competition many years ago inspired Bukut Tasvaluan. When his students heard city children singing, they were discouraged and felt inferior, despite the Bunun's famous tradition of polyphonic singing. He realized that a choir could give them the self-confidence they needed.
Bukut Tasvaluan's motivation was not just musical; he was inspired by his feelings about Bunun society. He witnessed that the tribe's material and spiritual living conditions were falling apart and creating a vicious cycle. Meanwhile, many of the children in such indigenous communities have no hope for the future and have grown to regard themselves as inferior.
Bukut Tasvaluan's goal is to help indigenous people move upwards in society, and he believes education is the best way to do this. He points out that adding one Ph.D to a city is not a big change, but one Ph.D can change an entire village. It has also opened the children's eyes to the world and made them more responsible and able to take care of themselves.
The school started in 2008 and the choir released its first CD in 2009, which was recognized at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards. They began performing overseas at around the same time, and have performed in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, even touring the United States in the summer of 2016. Moreover, the educational benefits of the choir are clear. Although 80% of the school's students came from lower-income families, at least three students have attended National Taiwan University, the country's most prestigious university.
Now approaching his sixties, Bukut Tasvaluan remains high spirited and full of hope - his ultimate dream is for the Choir to become the Taiwanese equivalent of the world-famous Vienna Boys' Choir.