Nadine is a teacher, conductor, arranger and performer during her final
Music in Education student Nadine Rozendaal brings all her roles together during her graduation concert. She performs with a band, conducts a children’s choir and girls’ choir, and plays her first-ever saxophone solo, even though Voice is her main subject. 'On stage, I mainly want to be a performer, not teacher Nadine.'
Heavy bass tones fill the room. On a screen, flashes of a young Nadine appear: dancing to K3 with a microphone in her hand. The images speed up. In thirty seconds, her musical journey unfolds: from living-room performer to graduating Music in Education student.
Dreaming, but above all, doing
'My graduation is about dreams. It’s a concert in which I reflect on my musical journey, from then to now. I open with Ya ya yippee by K3, the song I used to dance to around the living room with a microphone when I was little.
From there, I build towards where I am today: studying at the Academy of Music in Zwolle was a big dream of mine. I’ve worked hard to get here, and it hasn’t always been easy. I hope the girls and children in the choir, and everyone in the audience, will feel that if you really want something, you have to go for it.'
'At the Academy of Music, I worked step by step towards this final performance. During my choral conducting minor, I explored conducting in more depth. By teaching classes independently, leading choirs myself and organising a project week with fourth-year students, I learned different ways of leading groups.'
Children’s choir, girls’ choir and band
To bring her musical journey to life, Nadine is collaborating with a girls’ choir, a children’s choir and a band for her final performance. As a music teacher, being able to switch between those different roles is essential.
Everyone taking part in the performance has a place in the story - including the girls’ choir Nadine herself used to sing with. Still, she finds it exciting to stand in front of them. 'I sing with the choir for fun, the other girls are my friends. It feels strange to suddenly stand in front of them as a conductor. What has helped me make that switch more easily is preparing less. At first, I planned everything down to the minute, but now I follow a script much less closely.'
Teaching children
The children’s choir, made up of twenty-two children aged 9 to 13, plays an important role in Nadine’s experience as a music teacher. 'The growth I’ve seen in the children is incredible. They haven’t been singing together for years, but sometimes parents come into rehearsals before the end, with tears in their eyes. There’s such an energy coming from them - that alone makes it worthwhile.'
Rehearsing with students from other music programmes
The band started rehearsing in a small room at the Academy of Music in Zwolle, and not everyone - from Music in Education and Jazz & Pop - knew each other. 'At first, it was a bit awkward. Now we’ve become a close-knit group, and the band members really motivate each other in the things they’re good at.'
A saxophone solo?
Nadine wants to inspire others by setting the example herself. During her final performance, she isn’t afraid to experiment.
'Under the motto "Go for it!", I’m stepping away from my comfort zone and playing the saxophone during my performance. My main subject is Voice, and I’ve been playing the flute for fourteen years. In the song Het is over by OG3NE, there’s a really cool saxophone solo. So I thought: why not just rent a saxophone and see if I can do it? I love learning new things.'
'You can tell when all my roles come together. That’s when I’m standing on stage with a big smile on my face.'
Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams starts playing. Everyone who contributed musically to the concert joins the stage. With sixty people, it quickly becomes joyfully crowded. The verses are shared out, and together they sing the chorus. The audience rises to its feet and applauds as Nadine, fully embracing her role as a performer, turns it into a celebration.
