The first ZING NL will be held in ‘Pand P’ in March. This will be a “zing-zondagmiddag“(singing-Sunday afternoon) for status holders, expats and asylum seekers, who have Dutch as their second language, and want to learn to speak and understand it better.
The person behind this initiative is Hanna Bossers from Eindhoven. She was inspired by a movie from Paradiso where people from different countries sing together under the name “Zing Nederlands met me” (Sing Dutch with me).
“As it so happens, you learn a different language a lot faster via songs,” says Bossers. “Think about your own youth; you could sing along to English songs before you even knew exactly what you were singing.”
An appeal on Facebook has resulted in many positive reactions. These include reactions from Jackeline Tullenaar, director of Luzac and Carolijn van Velthoven, a music lecturer.
Together they have shown their support and have begun with the organisation of Zing NL. At Pand P, they may use a venue for three Sunday afternoons and they have a list with songs. “In this way, participants can hear how the songs sound and can practice in the meantime,” says Bossers. “It is a type of karaoke. The people get the lines on paper. They will be accompanied by piano music.”
Each afternoon will have a different theme. The first theme, on 19 March, is: “Klaar voor de Start” (Ready for the Start). People can sign in via Facebook.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Melinda
