Dutch songs help you learn Dutch

On 7 June, in Café Marleen in the centre of Groningen, you could hear the sounds of Dutch favourites like Tulpen uit Amsterdam and Heb je even voor mij being sung all evening. Dozens of students of the University of Groningen Language Centre rounded off their Dutch as a Second Language course with a Dutch singsong. It was a great success that should certainly be repeated, say the jubilant teachers. That’s why there’s going to be a new sing-along evening on 30 August, once again with traditional Dutch songs, old and new.

Singing songs helps expand your vocabulary, it improves your intonation and you gain more feeling for the melody of a language. On top of all that, it also increases your understanding of the culture. ‘Once you understand someone’s languae, you can understand how they think’, was the opinion of one of the students that first evening.

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The pub was chock-full that first sing-along evening in Groningen. ‘It was great fun, it gets people going and is educational; that’s why we decided after the first get-together that we wanted to continue’, teacher Emmeline Torenbeek of the Language Centre sums up her memories of the evening.

Tough

She’s convinced that the second meeting is going to be an even greater success than the first. This summer, a large number of groups of students enthusiastically started their courses. They have been following an intensive course – three or four weeks long, five days a week of lessons and homework. ‘That’s very tough and it’s nice to be able to round off the hard weeks with something that’s fun and educational.’ Just like the last time, the accordionists Editha Vennik and Jeanet Stratingh of Muziek in Bedrijf will be providing the accompaniment.

To get an impression of the 7 June sing-along, take a look at the video on YouTube.

The repertoire for 30 August has already been posted on the Language Centre site: www.rug.nl/talencentrum.

• Time: Tuesday 30 August from 8 to 10 p.m.
• Location: Café Marleen, Kleine Pelsterstraat 7, Groningen

Note for the press

For more information: Emmeline Torenbeek, e-mail: e.torenbeek rug.nl