Year of birth: 1990
Profession: Soprano & Vocal Teacher / Singing practice
Place of residence: The Hague
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.
Besides singing myself, I also started teaching singing. I really enjoyed that from the start. I have been teaching for 7 years now and have my own practice in the cultural centre Het Koorenhuis in The Hague.
I mainly teach singing to adults, both individually and in groups. The great thing about teaching in The Hague is that you get many different kinds of people in lessons, everyone with their own musical taste. This keeps teaching always interesting. I help people discover the possibilities of their voice. I love it when people can do something in class that they couldn't do before. That really gives me goose bumps.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When a friend had a collision on his bike, I saw in the conversation that followed how defenseless you actually are on the street. Because I found Judo very fascinating at school, I started googling self-defense. I didn't just want to take a basic self-defense course, but was looking for a martial art with more depth. I didn't know Wing Chun at the time, so I decided to sign up for a trial lesson at WuDae.
If I had to describe myself as an athlete, I would say that I am a social athlete. It has to be fun. I don't really want to train in a team, but I do like to be with other people. That is exactly what I like about WuDae: you really do sports for yourself, and yet you are always with others. Everyone gets equal attention and you follow your own process completely freely.
I don't like competitions and I am certainly not competitive. It is therefore very nice for me that Wing Chun is not a competitive sport. It is mainly about making the principles your own and continuing to develop yourself in that.
For me, training at WuDae was a kind of change from thinking that I can't do something to thinking that I can learn it. Although I don't really have a plan for developing my training, I still think 'wow' when I look at what I have achieved in two years. On to the next level!
Progress is especially important to me. Fortunately, WuDae has very good trainers. After years of suffering from pain in various sports and always having to rest, I notice that I can continue training at WuDae whenever I want. And if necessary, my training is adjusted. Injuries are carefully monitored, which means that you become physically stronger and you can actually continue to exercise forever. Since I started training at WuDae, I have less of a dip in the afternoon, but more energy and the pain in my back has disappeared.
Perhaps the best thing about Wing Chun is that after just a few lessons, my friends couldn’t do much against me, haha. This way you can see how quickly you can develop yourself.
I see Wing Chun a bit like a puzzle. It is a sport where you have to think more at first, but at some point the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and you notice that this is no longer necessary. Then it goes more naturally.
For people who doubt whether it is for them, I would say, take a trial class. With Wing Chun, you train your whole body and it's much more fun than the gym. No matter how your body is put together, anyone can develop in Wing Chun. It doesn't matter whether you already have experience in martial arts or not, you'll get good guidance and learn everything step by step.
Musicians I would also recommend working out at WuDae. There is a myth that, as a singer, you shouldn't train abdominal muscles because it wouldn't be good for your voice. This is nonsense, because it actually helps when singing to be strong and in good shape. Sport is also good for instrumentalists, especially because you often see a lot of injuries among musicians. By strengthening your muscles in a controlled way, you can prevent this. Moreover, it improves your stamina, which you also need to do your job well.
Furthermore, Wing Chun can bring you a lot mentally. As a musician, your job is hectic. You have to be able to take a punch. Movement is very good against stress and at Wing Chun you learn to become stronger physically as well as mentally.
Text and photos by: Robine Hillen
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