Year of birth: 1990
Profession: Soprano & Vocal Teacher / Singing practice
Place of residence: The Hague
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.
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.
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.
I learn something new every lesson and I want to keep it that way
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.
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.
