Rozemarijn and Ruud lead singing workshops in a prison and library
For their graduation project at Tailor-made Music in Education at ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle, students Rozemarijn de Vet and Ruud van der Made founded VocalLab. Together, they lead singing workshops for groups who would not normally see themselves as singers. Rozemarijn explains: ‘We want to make singing accessible to everyone because we believe it’s a powerful way to connect with others.’
With VocalLab, Rozemarijn and Ruud have already led a workshop for 200 staff members at Bibliotheek Deventer. In June, they will also be giving workshops in a correctional facility, a church and a forensic psychiatric centre.
Choosing Tailor-made Music in Education
As a child, Rozemarijn dreamed of becoming a pilot. That changed the moment she visited an open day at ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede. Within five minutes, she knew: she wanted to study at the Academy of Pop Music. Later, while working in education, she discovered how much she enjoyed teaching. That inspired her to continue developing her teaching skills through the Tailor-made Music in Education programme at ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle.
Ruud started his studies at the conservatoire in Tilburg and later earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in Music Technology at HKU in Utrecht. When he became a lecturer in Music Theory there, he decided he also wanted to gain a teaching qualification. Because the programme fits easily around his professional work and requires just one day of classes per week, he chose Tailor-made Music in Education at ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle.
From Chance Encounter to VocalLab
It all started with a concern Rozemarijn had. She worried there wouldn’t be enough male voices at her singing workshop. Her fellow student Ruud decided to join and ended up accompanying the entire session on piano. That was the beginning of VocalLab.
‘I love working with people when they’re just slightly out of their comfort zone,’ says Rozemarijn. ‘In a good way. If I tell someone, “You’ll have to sing something in five minutes,” they still have time to think about it. I prefer to sing a phrase first and have the other person repeat it. If it doesn’t work right away, we simply try again. People stop overthinking and just start singing.’
‘There’s nothing I enjoy more than someone arriving at a workshop feeling resistant. Forty-five minutes later, you see that same person relax, take a deep breath and think, “Hey, I can do this.”’
Singing in the Library
In December, two hundred staff members and volunteers from Bibliotheek Deventer arrived at their end-of-year gathering with no idea what was about to happen. Rozemarijn says: ‘They had no idea they were going to sing. At first, it feels a bit awkward, but we go all in. Ruud simply starts playing. By the end, everyone joins in.’
Ruud compares the shift in participants’ attitude to performing for a live audience. ‘As a musician, you play everywhere: at parties and weddings, in pubs. At first, people sometimes think, “Here comes a load of noise - not interested.” But somewhere during the set, there’s a moment when everything changes. That’s exactly what happens in our workshops too.’
Singing Lessons in a correctional facility
Rozemarijn had long wanted to run a singing workshop in a correctional facility. A friend of Ruud’s works in one, which gave them the opportunity to present their concept. They have since been invited to lead workshops at a forensic psychiatric centre as well.
Even getting through the doors for an introductory meeting was an experience. They had to hand in all their electronic devices, which were then taped up. They entered through one door on the left, but they wouldn’t be leaving through the same one. Ruud says: ‘That’s how it works in a correctional facility: you never know which route you’ll be taking.’
The students hope their workshops can make a difference by creating a space where people can simply sing together. Ruud explains: ‘Participants don’t have to reflect on their identity or their life story to take part. Whatever they take away from the experience is entirely their own.’
Rozemarijn adds: ‘Our workshops aren’t taught in a school-like way; you don’t have to learn something straight away. We mainly want to make music together and create a sense of connection. The connection that emerges when people sing together extends beyond the workshop itself. Research shows that people returning to society find it easier to connect with others as a result. That can help reduce the risk of reoffending.’
‘The programme taught me to understand and articulate why I take certain steps. It helped me explain our approach and the learning goals behind it.’
Final Tailor-Made Music in Education
The courses and projects within Tailor-made Music in Education all contributed to this graduation project. Rozemarijn points to the Ensemble Leadership course as a particularly valuable influence. ‘We also trialled the VocalLab concept during an assessment with a group of students and lecturers. It gave us the chance to test our ideas, practise the workshop format and make improvements along the way.’
Ruud adds: ‘The programme taught me how to explain and justify the choices I make. It helped me articulate why we take certain steps, support our approach with clear reasoning and define our learning goals. Even if those goals aren’t always visible to the participants, they’re very clear to us.’
