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Humans of Wing Chun:
Boukje van Gelder

Boukje van Gelder 1990 The Hague Soprano & Singing Teacher

Year of birth: 1990
Profession: Soprano & Vocal Teacher / owner Studio MusicalMente
Place of residence: The Hague

A life full of music

I grew up with music. My mother is a conductor and my father a musician. In our house, as in the rest of the family, all kinds of musical instruments are played. I once started playing the cello, an instrument that I found very beautiful, but also difficult. I wasn't particularly good at it and struggled to get better. I also didn't practice enough. Still, I really wanted to go to the Conservatory.

At the age of 17 I discovered that singing was perhaps more for me. Singing gave me the opportunity to make music without using my hands.

Unfortunately, right when I finished high school, I started having voice problems. Therefore it was not an option to go straight to the conservatory. I chose to study History at Utrecht University. After obtaining my bachelor's degree, I was admitted to the conservatory in Tilburg for classical singing. As a singer, for example, I sing solo in choir projects or in a professional choir.

Learning and teaching

In addition to singing myself, I also started giving singing lessons. I really enjoyed that from the start. I have been teaching for 7 years now and now have my own space in the cultural center Het Koorenhuis in The Hague. I share this space with my boyfriend, who is a jazz pianist and teaches piano here.

Together we have Studio MusicalMente, a music school for adults. MusicalMente stands for studying with music in mind and with the thought of the music. It is a name that not everyone can always easily remember, but also a name that I still find very beautiful and appropriate in terms of message.

Our own studio gives us both a lot of freedom. We can now practice and teach whenever we want without bothering anyone else.

Self-employed life

Musicians are almost always freelancers, so it is important that you also get to know the entrepreneurial side of music. This was quite exciting for me in the beginning. At first you don't know how to approach everything, what you would prefer to do, what you can expect in terms of income, and what people need. Over time you get to know your own strengths and USPs (unique selling points) better and better.

My fear is that I will no longer be able to make it financially with music alone. Initially I had a permanent job in addition to my performances and lessons, but now I really make a living from music. It is often a matter of persevering. It is getting better and better to trust that everything is going well, but if a setback occurs, it is always difficult. It takes a lot of patience to build something for yourself, but it's totally worth it.

A turning point

I experienced the corona period as an intense and difficult time. It was poignant to see how much impact this period also had on many musicians. Fortunately, I still had my permanent job at that time, because teaching was not possible. The fact that it went up and down like that was very difficult. Every time I made plans and then I went to work full of energy. Then suddenly nothing was allowed again and everything had to be stopped again and then restarted.

Fortunately, I can persevere, even when I don't enjoy it as much. That has always taken me to places that I would not otherwise have reached. This also caused me to quit my job after the corona period. I realized that I had turned 30, then 31, and that little had actually happened in my life. That was reason enough to want to do things differently. So as soon as the corona measures were over, I started working full-time as a self-employed person and I have never regretted it.

I can also sometimes end up in unexpected places. For example, I worked in the film 'L'Amour / La Mort'. The head of music had canceled at the last minute, so I took it up with cellist Wen Chin Fu. It was a lot of fun, because suddenly you are involved in the production process of a film.

Boukje van Gelder 1990 The Hague Soprano & Singing Teacher part 2

Discover what is really important

I don't really have a life motto. What I think is important is that we do not forget today. In my environment I have seen that life can be over in an instant. No matter how important some things seem, not everything is as grand as we make it out to be. We should also be able to laugh at the serious things.

For example, I used to think it was very important to get good grades. If I could go back in time now, I would tell myself that it isn't that important at all. The grade or assessment you receive is not always a reflection of what you can or know. It is a snapshot and more important than the assessment is that you always continue to develop. You often know very well where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

Future dreams

In the future I would like to continue to expand my music school. In addition to teaching, I would also like to perform more. December is always a busy month with performances, but there are certainly still opportunities for expansion in the months surrounding it. The nice thing is that my sister also sings; that's why we regularly perform together.

Boukje van Gelder 1990 singer The Hague part 3

Development in sports

In addition to music, sport has always played a role in my life. My family consists of quite a few runners. I was in a swimming club myself and really enjoyed swimming, but because my skin was bothering me, that was no longer possible when I was fifteen. Then I started athletics, not because I was good at it, but because I was the fourth member of the family and therefore became a member for free. I didn't really like the sport, but it was fun. Unfortunately, I quickly get injured from running. It was time to look for something else.

The continuation of the interview with Boukje will soon be available here!

Text and photos by: Robine Hillen

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